The mission of the Dickinson Museum Center is to collect, preserve, and interpret the history of Southwestern North Dakota.

The staff at the Dickinson Museum Center work very hard to ensure the integrity of the collections. That is why the museum center does not accept items that are simply dropped off. All gifts must be approved of by either the Stark County Historical Society or the by the Joachim Museum prior to legal transfer of property taking place. All items from donors are reviewed by staff members before being accepted, which ensures that the items do not duplicate those already in the collections, and that it is representative of regional history. While the Dickinson Museum Center does collect many things, not all items are appropriate for its collections.

People wishing to donate items to the Dickinson Museum Center should first submit a Potential Acquisition form to the collections manager either by e-mail at info@dickinsonmuseumcenter.org or by postal mail to:

Collections Manager
Dickinson Museum Center
188 Museum Drive East
Dickinson, ND 58601

The Dickinson Museum Center is unable to provide appraisals for the monetary value of materials brought in for identification, offered as gifts, or submitted for any other purpose. Please see our Appraisal Policy for more information.

Accessing Potential Donations: 
Before the museum acquires an item, the collections manager needs to determine if it fits within the collection policy guidelines. The cost of acquiring, processing, conserving, storing, and providing access to collection items is large. The museum cannot accept every donation that is offered for a variety of reasons. The following questions are some of the things museum staff consider when accessing potential donations:

• Is the item historically significant to Southwestern North Dakota, and why?
  
• How does the item relate to the museum's mission, and the ability to uphold and carry out that mission?
  
• Who created the object, where was it created, who used it, and where was it used?
  
• Does the museum already have similar objects in its collection? Are there other items in the collection related to this object? Is the item filling a gap in the historical timeline of the collection?
  
• Is the Dickinson Museum Center the best repository for this item, or would it be better in another museum's collection?
  
• How much will it cost to store, preserve, exhibit, and make this item accessible? Where might the money be obtained to catalog, store, and exhibit the item?
• How much space does this item need, and is there actually room for it?
  
• How well documented is the provenance, or the history of the object's ownerhsip? Provenance is an essential part of the historical value of that object.
  
• Has the donor asked for any type of restrictions on the object? The Dickinson Museum Center only accepts unrestricted items.

After it has been determined that an object would benefit the museum's collection, a Deed of Gift is signed by both the donor and museum representatives, which transfers all legal ownership and rights to the museum. After ownership has been transfered, information about the historical context related to the artifact is collected for the museum’s records. The artifact is described, measured, photographed, and numbered. It is then entered into accession files, catalog files, and a computer database.

Control of Artifacts:
To properly care for and preserve artifacts donated to the Dickinson Museum Center, the museum needs to have three controls: intellectual control, physical control, and legal control.

• Intellectual Control: properly identifying the object, its use, and who created and used the item.
  
• Physical Control: knowing the exact location of the object in storage, on exhibit, or on loan. This helps to ensure an artifact will not become lost or stolen.
  
• Legal Control: evidence of the transfer of ownership of the artifact from the donor to the museum. This allows the museum to exhibit, interpret and store the artifact without limitations or restrictions, and is proof that the museum legally owns the object outright.

Artifact Preservation:

Why does it cost so much to care for museum objects? That is a complicated question to answer as there are so many factors involved in caring for each individual artifact. In order to properly preserve an artifact, each object should be stored in acid-free containers in a climate-controlled building. Some items take a considerable amount of time to properly document and preserve. The museum keeps records on everything that can be found out about an item including its history; information on how it was used; when and where it was made; who made it; and who used it. Museum staff record the physical description of each and every artifact, and keep a record of its condition (such as if it has stains or is broken in some way). Hard copy records are then entered into a computer database, and finding aids are created and added to the Dickinson Museum Center's website to make material available for research.

Many steps are involved in caring for and documenting just one object. When that is multiplied by the thousands of objects in the museum’s collections, it becomes easier to see why collection management costs the museum so much time and money.

Without essential supplies and the time necessary to properly care for objects, future generations may not be able to see the valuable things the Dickinson Museum Center has been working to preserve. If you would like to contribute time or money to preserving the artifacts in the museum’s collection, or if you have items to donate to the museum, please contact museum staff at 701-456-6225 or info@dickinsonmuseumcenter.org.

Volunteers interested in learning how to catalog and preserve museum collections are encouraged to contact the museum for more information on training opportunities.