Acquisitions

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 

I have a really interesting item, would the museum want it?  

We have an Acquisitions Committee that determines if: 

  • it is relevant to the the history of the area; 
  • it does not duplicate an existing artifact, or if it is a duplicate, it is in better condition or has a complete and significant provenance; 
  • we will be able to adequately store the item. 

Can I just loan it to the museum for a little while and then take it back?

No. 

  • The museum does not accept anything on loan. 
  • An item that is given to the museum becomes the property of the museum.  

Can I come and research my family roots? 

Yes, but: 

  • You need to make an appointment. 
  • You may have to pay a research fee. 
  • We do not allow any materials to leave our archival areas. 
  • You must wear gloves to protect the material. 
  • We charge for any copying that is done. 
  • Note: We are moving and re-organizing our archival material so we may need extra time to locate items. 

Can you tell me where someone is buried? 

  • We have a map of the Cut Knife Cemetery and would be able to locate where that person is  buried. 

I want to know what my cigarette box collection is worth. Can you appraise it?

  • No. We are not qualified to do appraisals. 

I have something terrific that should be in the museum, but I’m not going to just give it away.  I’ll sell it to you. 

We understand your position but remember: 

  • Just because a museum wants something does not mean it has financial value.
  • We are not collectors of antiques; we are collectors of things which have significance to our local history. 
  • We operate on a very small budget that does not include funds for Acquisitions. We ask that you reconsider. 

I have family photos, but I’m not giving them up… 

Don’t worry.

  • We can copy them. It’s safe and painless.
  • However, we do ask that you give us the right to use them for any museum-related purposes. 

It’s just a bunch of old papers and such… 

But what’s on the papers? 

  • Old receipts… letters … recipes … envelopes … birth certificates … membership cards?
  • It may be old, dirty and smelly, but the information may be very important to us. 

Oh for goodness sake, my family wasn’t important enough to have its things in a museum… 

Says whom?

  • Everyone who did live, or does live in the community has somehow contributed to it.
  • Our museum doesn’t pay tribute to founding fathers or wealthy people. It pays tribute to each step in the creation of the community. 

I’d like to help out with the museum but I don’t know much about local history…

We’re not historians, we’re guardians.

  • You can learn about history but you can’t learn to be  interested. We have all sorts of things you can help out with — as much or as little as you’d like.  Give us a call and find out more.  

For more information, please email cmmmcutknif@gmail.com.