It’s a huge, time-consuming task.
City staff are working with the Delta Heritage Society evaluating the artifacts in the society’s collection prior to next spring’s opening of the new Delta Cultural Centre.
In temporary storage, the collection is being be trimmed down to eliminate items deemed not suitable or redundant.
An information memo to council from parks, recreation and culture director Ken Kuntz explains the criteria includes physical status, community history and collection plan support.
Once evaluated, Delta staff make a recommendation to a collection committee whether or not to retain the artifact or divest the item.
Items recommended for removal are offered to like-agencies through a listing on the BC Museum Association’s website.
If no other agency is interested in the item, it’s then placed on BC Auction, a website available to all levels of government where the public can bid on assets.
Kuntz noted that since this May, 436 artifacts in the collection were evaluated and presented to the committee.
Of these artifacts, 297 have been retained and 139 have been approved for removal.
The total number of items, so far, the committee has approved for removal since the committee formed two years ago, but now accelerating the evaluation process, is 242.
Kuntz noted the focus of the committee has been the evaluation of larger items such as tables and chairs as well as possible redundancy of artifacts such as vacuums, sewing machines, plows and pianos.
Delta has also been working with the society and Kirkland House Foundation to identify locations for the public display of artifacts or items removed from the museum collection.
“These efforts are being undertaken to provide more opportunities to engage residents and promote Delta’s heritage,” Kuntz said.
Kuntz also noted that in addition to the evaluations, there are a significant number of artifacts which have incomplete or conflicting records.
He noted staff have created approximately 6,400 files to reconcile the status of an artifact, clarify paperwork, develop a conservation plan and identify record duplications.
Staff also updated 551 records in the collection record base.
“The artifact evaluation process undertaken by Delta and the Society is a worthwhile but time consuming process. The ongoing efforts to review and evaluate artifacts in the Collection, especially artifacts that are complicated to display and store, will lead to better understanding of artifacts, better management of the Collection and, ultimately, a more suitable storage facility,” noted Kuntz.
In 2016, the society partnered with the city to redesign the operations of the Delta Museum and Archives.
The city is currently turning the old courthouse in the civic precinct into the cultural centre to replace the Delta Museum that had been housed in a century-old building on Delta Street in Ladner Village.
Delta will take over day-to-day operations of the centre but the society will still own the collection.
Earlier this year, the Delta Museum and Archives Society announced a new name, the Delta Heritage Society, reflecting a response to the society’s changing operations over the past three years.
“This new name reflects our continued commitment to serve as the community’s voice for all heritage matters while providing a broader scope for our activities” said society president Barbara Baydala.
