ARTIFACT DONATION

Thank you for your interest in contributing to our artifact donation. The Tomah Historical Society Museum is always happy to receive inquiries pertaining specifically to the history of Tomah and the surrounding community areas regarding items you wish to donate to the collection. We rely on your donated items and gifts to help preserve the history of our area.

 

• How do I donate my item to the Tomah Historical Society?

Please call the Tomah Historical Museum and speak with our curator or executive director (608)372-1880. Describe the items you want to donate and anything else you may know about them. If the item is of interest, we will set up an appointment with you to bring in your items for closer inspection and determine the next step at that time.
 

• What type of items is the museum looking for?

The Tomah Historical Society Museum will collect written or printed materials such as manuscripts, books, records, photographic prints, negatives, slides, electronic media, audio and video media, equipment furnishings, clothing, and other natural, commercial, institutional and personal objects.

 

• What types of items are the museum not looking for?

We may be unable to accept materials that do not have a strong connection to the Tomah and surrounding community areas or whose history and background are uncertain or generic. We may not be able to accept material that is duplicate which is already in our collection, of poor condition, or have restrictive use.

We are not currently accepting the following:

• Beds
• Very Large Equipment
• Newspapers
   

• Are all donations accepted?

We cannot accept everything. Organizing, cataloging, and preserving historical materials for the future takes so much space, time, and money, therefore donations must be selected very carefully.

 

• Is my donation tax-deductible?

Yes. The donor is responsible for determining and documenting the value of a donation. Staff at the Tomah Historical Society Museum cannot appraise or assign a monetary value to a collection or item.

  

Collection Guidelines:

• We ask that you schedule an appointment with our staff before bringing your items to the Tomah Historical Society Museum. (Please call the museum at (608) 372-1880 to schedule an appointment)
• Donations are tax-deductible under Section 501(3)c of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. Donors are responsible for arranging and paying for any appraisals they may wish for their donated materials. Society members and volunteers are not authorized or expected to ever provide any appraisal information. (Any appraisals should be done prior to the donation.)
• All donations are considered outright and unconditional gifts to be used at the discretion of the Tomah Historical Society. We retain the right to add, exchange, or sell gifts at our discretion.
• Donations cannot be accepted without a Deed of Gift Form being signed, which legally transfers the unrestricted gift to the Tomah Historical Society “to use, retain, or dispose of “as deemed necessary
• Because of the expense involved in housing, handling, maintaining, insuring, and exhibiting collections, loans will not be accepted. (as a general rule)
• Donations may be accepted at the discretion of the Executive Director or Curator.
• If at any time, any portion of a gift is not deemed suitable to the purposes of the mission, it may be disposed of at the discretion of the curator, or it may be returned to the donor if so specified.
• Donations are incorporated into regular collections and placed with other similar materials for browsing and easy access. We cannot provide special display cases or shelving areas.