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Frozen in Time: Orphans and Uncollected Objects in Museum Collections

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2017

Janet Ulph
Janet Ulph*
Affiliation:
School of Law, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom; Email: ju13@le.ac.uk.
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Abstract:

The focus of this article is upon objects in museum collections where legal title is uncertain (“orphans”), where the owner is unknown (deposited objects), or where the owner cannot be found (uncollected loans). Museums may have little choice but to continue to care for these objects even where they are unsuitable to be retained within the permanent collections. It is argued that the current law in the United Kingdom prevents museums from managing their collections properly and rationalizing them where necessary. New legislation has been proposed that would assist Scottish museums. It is argued that all museums in the United Kingdom need new legislation that would enable them to manage their collections more effectively and to approach the review of collections and the disposal of unsuitable objects in a proper and balanced manner, acting for the benefit of the public.

Type
Research Article
Information
International Journal of Cultural Property , Volume 24 , Issue 1 , February 2017 , pp. 3 - 30
Copyright
Copyright © International Cultural Property Society 2017 

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