Frequently Asked Questions

Items offered to the museum go through a review process with our Museum Advisory Committee which is made up of individuals from the historic community qualified to assess the items, their relevance to the scope of collection policy, and whether the museum has the necessary preservation resources to care for the item.

If you are considering a donation to the museum of historic artifacts or library reference materials, please read the following:

Dr. Susan Araminta Davis Bean, 1898. WHC Collections 1992.013.0003

It can take up to a month. Once your donation form is received, museum staff will be in touch to follow up on details, photos and inform you when the item has been added to the Museum Advisory Committee agenda for the month. Barring further questions or requests from the committee members that may delay the process, a decision will be made during their meeting. Afterward, museum staff will inform you of the committee’s decision. If your donation is accepted for museum collections, arrangements will be made for you to bring or mail the item to the museum and sign donation paperwork.

This depends on what type of item you have. Generally speaking, we suggest locating a museum or historical society nearest the home community of the item, or people who owned and used the item. Researchers often begin their research by location, naturally looking for information at institutions closest to the home community of their research subject. Check out the link HERE to our Research Resources page for some of our partner organizations in the Willamette Valley.

No. Museum policies prohibit us from accepting items without donor information, paperwork, and the approval of our Museum Advisory Committee.

No. Museum staff will not appraise or assign monetary value to historic materials. It would be considered a conflict of interest and a violation of professional ethics.

Museum policies prohibit us from accepting items without donor information, paperwork, and the approval of our Museum Advisory Committee.

Once items are accepted into the museum collection they are cataloged by volunteers, numbered, rehoused in archival material and assigned a location within one of the four storage rooms onsite. For single, or few items this process is often completed within a month following receipt of the item. Larger collections with more pieces take much longer. Textile items undergo a condition report process whereby photos, measurements, and additional documentation takes place. A label is sewn to the item, and it is placed in a quarantine rotation process for preventative maintenance prior to being housed in archival-safe materials, and placement in textile storage. Once the catalog and storage process is complete, items are available for use in museum exhibits, or to researchers. If you’d like to come visit the item, contact museum staff to schedule an appointment.

Firearms, hazardous materials, nitrate negatives, newspaper clippings, Barrick Funeral Home postcards, and Marion County Historical Society publications.

Items must be clean and in good condition, and preferably from indoor or temperature-controlled storage. We do not have the staff or volunteer capacity to clean items, remediate mold and water damage, or mend and stabilize textiles.

Very rarely does the Museum Advisory Committee authorize the intake of more than one file box of institutional materials. For fraternal and business organizations we suggest exploring the option of archival donation and storage at the state, national, or world level or the organization. Example, the Chemeketa Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution would naturally house their membership records etc. with either the state regent’s office or the national archive for the organization. For organizations without that option, consider the following two suggestions. First, take a close look at the saved materials, cull duplicates, organize the records by type and prioritize the most important to future access and research. A great resource for making these decisions and going through the process can be found on the Oregon Historical Society website HERE. Second, consider digitization of key items and the creation of a website or digital archive to share the materials in perpetuity and make them available to a wider audience.

We’re sorry, but the Willamette Heritage Center does not have the staff or resources to pick up items from donors or the budget for mailing or transportation fees.

Further Questions?

If you have questions beyond what is covered in this document or the donation form please contact research staff via email or at 503-585-7012 ext 257. Please be aware that our research staff and volunteers are not in the library every day. We will get back to you as soon as we can. Your patience is appreciated.