DONATE TO OUR COLLECTIONS

Important: Donation drop-offs are by appointment only. Unscheduled drop-offs will not be accepted.

The Museum of Dufferin’s mandate is to collect records and artifacts of significance and enduring value to Dufferin County.

When an offer of donation is made, it is brought to the Collections Committee for consideration. The committee uses a matrix to determine if the item(s) would be a good fit for the MoD Collection. All offers of donation must include a photo for presentation to the committee, as well as the relevant history of the item(s).

Unfortunately, we cannot accept all offers of donation. There are several reasons an item may not be accepted into the collection (i.e. lack of storage space, a duplicate or similar item is already in our collection, lack of provenance, poor condition, no history relating to Dufferin County).

Offer of Donation Form

Please enter a number
Was each object made/produced in Dufferin County, or was it owned by someone who resided in Dufferin County?
Please include a basic description of the object(s), including basic measurements and condition.
Please include any known details about the history and story of the object(s) such as: date made, owners, usage history.
Drag & Drop Files, Choose Files to Upload You can upload up to 5 files.
Please attach pictures of the object to be considered for donation.
(By checking this box, you are stating that you are the legal owner of the object(s) and hold the rights to donate them to the MoD Collection.)

Corn Flower Glass

The Museum of Dufferin is not accepting pieces of Corn Flower glassware for the museum’s artifact collection at this time. The Museum of Dufferin has over 3,000 pieces of Corn Flower glassware in our collection, which fully represents the history of the W.J. Hughes Corn Flower Glass Company.

In some rare instances, we may accept a piece of coloured Corn Flower glass (specifically purple, blue, or Vaseline) for the museum’s artifact collection.

If you are interested in donating Corn Flower glass to the Museum of Dufferin’s gift shop (with the sale of the glassware benefitting the Museum), please email info@dufferinmuseum.com

Artifact Storage Room

How the Committee Decides

These are some of the factors we consider when an artifact or archival record is offered for donation:

  • Do the records/artifact provide evidence of the personal, social, cultural, and/or political history of Dufferin County?
  • Do the records/artifact represent Dufferin County people, experiences, stories or subjects? AND/OR
  • Does the artifact/document have educational value for teaching and learning about local or Canadian history?
  • Are the records/artifact of a rarity or importance to be considered a treasure?

Additional considerations when making a decision about a donation include the artifact/record’s:

  • age
  • condition
  • completeness
  • relationship and/or similarity to other items in our collection
  • any restrictions on access or use either through legislation or as requested by the Donor.
  • size (due to limited storage space)

View our Collections Management Policy here.

How to Donate

Important: Donations are made by appointment only. Drop-offs will not be accepted.

Step 1: Fill out our Offer of Donation Form (see below) or call 1-519-941-1114.

Please include the following information when emailing or calling museum staff about a potential donation:

  • Your name and contact information.
  • A description of the object/archival document(s)
  • Who owned it/where did it come from?
  • Does it relate to Dufferin County? (Did the owner live here, was the document produced here, etc.)
  • What year does the item date to (if known)
  • Please attach a photograph of the item to your email.

Step 2: A staff member will contact you for additional information (if required) and to make arrangements for donation if the item(s) are to be accepted by the committee.

Step 3: If accepted, upon receipt of the artifact/archival donation and completion of paperwork, donors may request a charitable tax receipt for fair market value.