The board of directors of the Chattanooga History Center announced its plan to remove items that are duplicates or unrelated to the Center's collecting mission. The board voted to conduct this action in order to strengthen its overall historical collection.
This process is common practice among museums, and provides a way to ensure that an item fits the overall scope and mission of the museum. Many items were collected decades ago when the Center’s collections did not have a Chattanooga-specific focus and thus do not tell Chattanooga's rich history.
The Board stressed that the Center is not deaccessioning any items that are part of its core collection.
A list of donors affected by this decision will be posted on the Center's website www.chattanoogahistory.org.
The CHC encourages donors to retrieve objects scheduled for removal. Satisfactory evidence must be presented in order to claim the objects, such as the original deed of gift or personal identification. If the donor is deceased but his/her heirs are interested in acquiring the object, then a family relationship must be proven as well as a right to inherit.
The deadline for contacting the Chattanooga History Center is February 28, 2017. After this deadline, all remaining artifacts will be disposed of as determined by the CHC's Board.