The Penn Cultural Heritage Center (PennCHC) at the University of Pennsylvania's Penn Museum will launch the National Survey of Museum Collecting Practices on May 20, running through August 20. This first-of-its-kind survey, part of the Museums: Missions and Acquisitions Project (M2A Project), will collect data on acquisitions, deaccessions, loans, provenance research, and policies from U.S. nonprofit museums and libraries. Results will be published in 2027, with only generalized insights to maintain anonymity.
This survey matters because it aims to bring unprecedented transparency to how American museums acquire, borrow, deaccession, and return cultural objects—a topic of growing urgency amid repatriation debates and ethical controversies. The Penn Museum itself has faced scrutiny over its Morton Cranial Collection and remains from the 1985 MOVE bombing, underscoring the need for standardized best practices. By benchmarking institutional behavior, the survey could reshape museum stewardship and inform policy, helping institutions build stronger cases for resources while fostering public trust.