Do you have an interesting item to donate to the museum that relates to the history of Powell River or the qathet Regional District? The Powell River Historical Museum & Archives collects artifacts and records that can tell a significant story about the people in qRD from Jervis Inlet to Desolation Sound including Harwood, Hernando, Savary, and Texada islands, their cultures, history and lifestyles. We must be selective about adding to the collection due to storage constraints and want to ensure that everything we collect is of high quality and fits within our mandate.  All artifacts and records that come into the collection must be in good condition and be appropriate for the museum to care for and store.

We encourage you to read through each of the sections below when considering a donation to the PRHMA. ​If you have any additional question or are unsure whether your materials would be of interest, please set up an appointment with us to discuss and we may find a home for it in our collections.

Donating Artifacts

How does the PRHMA decide what it will accept?
Potential donations are assessed against three main criteria:

• History: The value of an object increases when more is known about it. Do you have information about how and where the artefact was created or collected, and used?
• Condition: Is the object complete and in good condition? The PRHMA will assess whether it has the means to properly care for the object.
• Relevance: The PRHMA will consider how the object fits within the Museum’s mandate and whether it will bring a new perspective to existing collections.​​

My object is really old! It has been in my parents\basement for 30 years.  Is this enough of a significant local story?
​Unfortunately, old is not a qualifier that immediately makes an object an acceptable donation to the PRHMA. The PRHMA is looking for strong provenance related to the people, businesses, organizations, and history of the qRD. 
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Here is an example of a significant story:  A small group of cedar baskets were donated to the PRHMA in 2019.  The donor’s family acquired the baskets  through local trade with the First Nation community, which has lived here from time immemorial. In the publication Powell River's First 50 Years, it is noted that Tom Ahola, the donor’s grandfather, purchased the Cranberry hardware store in 1937 from Martin Alsgard and in 1954 it was owned and operated by his son Edwin, the donor’s uncle. The donor remembers the items being acquired by her uncle when he was the owner of the store. She notes that payment was sometimes made with salmon and possibly the baskets came with it.

My object has an incredible story, but it belonged to my grandmother who brought it to Powell River from the East Coast.  Does the museum want it for the collection?
The PRHMA rarely accepts artifacts with no significant link to the history of the qRD. If an object was never used in qRD, we recommend finding a museum closer to where it was purchased/used to donate it to. 

Why would the PRHMA not accept my donation?
We receive far more offers of donations than we can accept. Storage and display space is extremely limited, as are resources to care for, monitor, and properly store artifacts. We gratefully decline offers of objects that:

• Are already well-represented in our collections 
• Objects without a known history,
• Those without a connection to the qRD
• Objects in poor physical condition

If we do decline the donation of your object(s), we will do our best to work with you to recommend alternate museums and organizations that might be interested or that are more suitable to the items you have offered. 

Will the PRHMA display the object if I donate it?
Like the majority of museums we have less than 10% of our artifacts on exhibit.  We are not able to guarantee if or when we will exhibit artifacts. The continuous display of many types of objects is also not beneficial to their long term preservation. As part of the PRHMA's role is preserving artifacts for future generations, we rotate the displays on a scheduled basis, allowing objects on display to have a respite, and which gives us the opportunity to develop new displays and refresh exhibits.

Will the PRHMA put a plaque on the object that has my relative’s name on it?
We do not permanently affix signs or plaques to objects because it is distracting to visitors who are viewing them on exhibit.  Staff will record your relative’s connection to the artifact in its file so that the information is retained.  If the artifact goes on exhibit, your relative’s name may be included in an artifact label if that story is relevant to the exhibit.  ​

May I drop off my objects off at the museum?
We ask that people do not drop off objects at the Museum without first contacting and making arrangements with PRHMA staff. Any objects dropped off without contact information included are considered abandoned property and disposed of. We will not accept abandoned property into our collection as we do not know its history and we are unable to complete a transfer of ownership agreement. All potential acquisitions must go through an extensive research and verification process while we consult our collections policy to see if it fits with our collection. 

Will the Museum purchase an artifact from me?
Most of our artifacts are obtained through donation. The PRHMA rarely purchases unsolicited offers of artifacts and will only do so if they meet a specific need in our collection.

Does the museum issue tax receipts for objects?
The PRHMA is a charity registered with the Canada Revenue Agency and is authorized to issues receipts for income tax purposes. Tax receipts for donations of objects that are known to have significant monetary value may be issued for the fair market value of the object at the discretion of the Collections Manager.  Artifacts and objects worth $1,000 or more are required to be appraised by a qualified appraiser.  High-value artifacts may require multiple appraisals.  The cost of appraisals is the responsibility of the donor. The PRHMA does not offer appraisal services. 

I’ve changed my mind. Can I have my donation back? 
No, as a registered charity, the PRHMA cannot return deaccessioned artifacts to their original donors in compliance with the Canadian Income Tax Act. ​

Will the Museum keep my donated artifact forever? 
The PRHMA accepts objects for its permanent collections with the goal of preserving them for the education and enjoyment of future generations. However, there are situations that may require us to make the decision to remove an item from our collection, for example:

• If an item has degraded past our ability to care for it
• If we discover it is hazardous to staff or other artifacts (e.g., if it contains asbestos or arsenic)
• If it is determined the object should be repatriated to an Indigenous community.

The removal of objects from the permanent collections is called deaccessioning and is a regular part of a museum’s collections duties. 

How does the PRHMA handle First Nation artifacts and cultural materials?
The PRHMA works in close partnership with the Tla'amin Nation in regard to the donation of local First Nations material. Within its holdings the PRHMA maintains and manages records, documents, images, archaeological material and objects created by past and present members of the Tla’amin Nation. These materials are held in trust and maintained by the museum for preservation, research, and display purposes, but ownership of these materials is retained by the Tla’amin Nation. 

The PRHMA does not actively collect the cultural materials of other non-local First Nations and Indigenous communities and will be happy to work with potential donors to locate the appropriate community or institution for the objects.

​The PRHMA has been listed as the repository for archaeological materials recovered from the traditional lands of the Tla’amin Nation in an agreement between the Tla’amin Nation, the BC Archaeology Branch, and the PRHMA under the British Columbia Heritage Conservation Act.

Due to the culturally sensitive nature of these materials the PRHMA will abide by federal and provincial laws regarding access to information and privacy of personal information, and in addition recognizes that the Tla’amin Nation has right of refusal to the reproduction or use of their materials, or materials relating to past and present individuals of the Nation. Researchers requesting to use records or images created by or relating to members of the Tla’amin Nation must receive approval from the Nation by contacting the Cultural Representative for the Tla’amin Nation. ​

Donating Archival Material

What does the PRHMA collect?
The PRHMA accepts records from a variety of different sources, including:

• Individuals and families
• Community organizations, groups and clubs
• Churches
• Businesses (large and small)
• Local governments ​

We collect a wide variety of material in any format, digital and/or analog, including, but not limited to:

• Papers, physical and digital
• Diaries, letters, and emails
• Photographs and digital image files
• Postcards
• Maps
• Art
• Movies and films, including film and digital video files
• Sound recordings, including analog and digital media
• Architectural and technical drawings and plans
• Original research
• Publications about the qRD, its communities, and its residents, or by noted residents of the qRD
• Family histories and genealogical material

We are particularly interested in original, unpublished materials (diaries, photographs, personal or institutional papers), but secondary sources that cast light on the history of the qRD will also be considered.
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It is our goal to collect records that show what the past was like – but keep in mind that current events will, before long, be considered as part of the past. Don't assume that we only want old stuff!

What does the PRHMA not collect?​​​
The PRHMA is eager to expand its collections, but reserves the right to refuse records.  The following records will always be refused:

• Records not related to the qRD, its communities, residents, businesses, or organizations
• Contaminated records.  Examples of contaminated records include, but aren't limited to, mouldy records and collections previously infested by rodents or insects
• Records which are in such poor condition that they require extensive conservation and preservation work
• Records of which we already have multiple copies
• Records that are not donated​ outright, either in their original form or as copy loans.​
• We do not warehouse records for, or provide records management services to individuals or organizations. We only store records that are donated to us for permanent preservation.

Why should you consider donating your records?​
Staff at the PRHMA are governed by a mandate to ensure the long term physical preservation of the records donated to the Archives.  Additionally, records donated to the Archives will also be made available to the public for consultation and will allow:

• Genealogists to build family trees
• Historians to investigate our past
• Authors to write books​
• Artists to create new cultural works
• Researchers to uncover the mysteries of the past
• Students to connect to the history of their local community

What about copyright?
Part of the purpose of collecting records is to ensure they are made available for the widest possible use and access. To that end, we request that any existing copyright or intellectual property rights, where held, be transferred to the PRHMA. Of course we recognize that this is not always possible, as donors/collectors may not be the holders of copyright. Even if copyright is not transferred to the PRHMA, copies will still be made for researchers in accordance with the fair dealing exemptions as outlined in the Canadian Copyright Act. 

Where copyright is not transferred to the PRHMA, we request explicit permission to reformat to the records to a digital media format, and use the reformatted copies as widely as is allowed under the Act.​​How to donate to the PRHMA?In order to make the donation process as efficient as possible, please ensure that:​

• You have the legal right to donate the records
• The records meet the criteria of what we collect and that they relate to the history of the qRD, past and present.

Please provide as much of the following background information as you can:

• Name of creator or creating organization
• Custodial history – who has held the records, and when
• Historical or biographical information about the creator or creating organization
• The nature of the records and the purpose for which they were created and/or used
• Any rearrangement of the records that may have occurred
• Any organizational systems used to arrange the records
• Who holds copyright

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Don't worry or stress if you don't have all of this information or are still confused about if your records would be of interest to us. Contact us and we will be happy to discuss your donation.

When outright donation is impossible, the PRHMA is willing to consider copy loans, whereby records are temporarily transferred to the PRHMA for digitization by staff. The digital copies are then donated to the Archives, while the originals are returned to the owner.

If you are unsure whether your donation meets our collections mandate, please contact us. We may be able to refer you to a more appropriate institution if the materials are not a fit for our institution.

Will the Museum purchase records from me?
​​The Archives does not purchase records. We rely on the ​generosity of our donors to help us preserve our collective past through the gift of records. 

​Does the PRHMA issue tax receipts for archival records?
​The PRHMA is a charity registered with the Canada Revenue Agency and is authorized to issues receipts for income tax purposes. Tax receipts for donations of records that are known to have significant monetary value may be issued at the discretion of the Archivist.​​ Archival records worth $1,000 or more are required to be appraised by a qualified appraiser.  High-value artifacts may require multiple appraisals.  The cost of appraisals is the responsibility of the donor.