Museums are caretakers for the cultural, artistic, and scientific heritage of America. Museums hold their collections in trust for the public. Decisions about removing material from a museum's collections are made with great deliberation and care.

There are times when deaccessioning material is the most appropriate step that a museum can take: for example, if the material does not support the institution's mission or if the museum is unable to take care of the material properly.

Many museums give preference to other museums as potential recipients of deaccessioned material. However, with almost 17,500 museums in U.S., it can be difficult for an institution to find the best new home for deaccessioned material.

Deaccessioning involves consideration of the museum's mission, planning, policies, ethics statements, and goals regarding interpretation and research. AAM encourages museums preparing for deaccessioning to become familiar with the pertinent codes of ethics in the field and best practices.

More information on deaccessioning (articles, bibliographies, and sample documents) is available to AAM institutional museum members from the AAM Information Center. The AAM Bookstore includes titles on deaccessioning, collections stewardship, and ethics.