DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
PRESERVE NOAA’S HISTORY
BY REPORTING
HERITAGE ASSETS
_________________________________________________
LOGISTICS STAFF OFFICE
Personal Property Branch
(301) 713-3530
A heritage asset is any personal property that is retained by NOAA because of its:
Historical
Cultural
Educational
or
Artistic
value
as opposed to its current usefulness to carrying out the mission of the Agency.
A significant heritage asset is defined as an item of personal property classified as a heritage asset that has been an intrinsic part of the past history or culture of NOAA as determined by the Head Librarian of the NOAA Central Library.
Steward - Any organization responsible for the welfare of a NOAA heritage asset.
NOTE: This pamphlet is not the official policy document concerning heritage assets. For the complete policy document, please see http://www.pps.noaa.gov/New_menu/heritage.htm
Designating Personal Property As Heritage Assets
Some items because of their age or obvious historical significance are inherently historical artifacts. Items are designated heritage assets if they help illustrate the social, educational, and cultural heritage of NOAA and its predecessor agencies (U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, U.S. Fish Commission, the Weather Bureau, the Institutes for Environmental Research, the Environmental Science Services Administration, etc.). Examples include bells; gyro compasses; brass citations; flags, pennants; chronometers; ship's seals; clocks; compasses; shipbuilders' contract and other models; personal equipment; clothing; medals and insignia; barometers; rain gauges; etc. Heritage assets may be identified by the fact that they are likely to increase in value with age or because the item is rare.
The final arbiter of the significance of an asset and its designation as a heritage asset is the NOAA Central Library Head Librarian.
Responsibilities
The Director, Logistics Staff Office
manages and oversees NOAA’s Nationwide Heritage Asset Program
encourages the cooperation of the Line and Staff Offices and NOAA’s Program Managers to identify, report, and preserve NOAA’s heritage assets.
ensures that NOAA is in compliance with all laws, rules and regulations pertaining to the management of NOAA’s heritage assets.
The NOAA Property Management Officer (PMO):
issues and maintains nationwide NOAA policies, procedures, and standards for the preservation, security, handling, storage, and display of NOAA heritage assets;
serves as the Chairman of the NOAA Heritage Assets Working Committee;
• approves all accessions to the NOAA Heritage Assets Collection;
ensures that all heritage assets owned by NOAA are cataloged;
approves all loans of significant NOAA heritage assets; and
takes a leadership role in resolving heritage asset property issues in any Line or Staff Offices when any proposed action or substantive change could adversely impact NOAA's heritage assets.
The NOAA Central Library Head Librarian:
oversees the collection of all documents, manuscripts and images;
makes the final determination of what shall be classified as significant heritage assets;
annually reviews the collection to assess what needs to be retained and what should no longer be retained in the collection; and
advises on the use of the NOAA Educational Resource Collection.
The NOAA Public Affairs Office:
manages and maintains the NOAA Educational Resources Collection.
The NOAA Personal Property Office:
maintains the NOAA Personal Property Heritage Asset Accountability System;
maintains all documentation related to NOAA's heritage assets including Deeds of Gift, Loan Agreements, annual inventory records, etc.; and
processes all loans of NOAA heritage assets.
Heads of Line and Staff Offices:
carry out NOAA policy and procedures;
encourage and fund a viable and responsible program for the display of NOAA's heritage assets that is consistent with this document and applicable statutes and regulations;
designate personnel who know the methods and techniques for managing heritage assets and provide training necessary to implement this program;
respond annually to calls for physical inventories and conditions assessment surveys of heritage assets;
provide funds and resources for the proper care and handling of heritage assets; and
evaluate any risks resulting from improper care or lack of funding to the heritage asset and report any deferred maintenance.
NOAA Heritage Asset Stewards:
carry out NOAA policy and procedures;
properly care for the heritage assets for which they are responsible including taking temporary actions necessary to reduce deterioration due to environmental conditions, and to limit damage, loss and misuse of heritage assets; and
to the maximum extent possible make NOAA heritage assets available to the public for their education and enlightenment and to promote the image of NOAA's culture and history to the public.
Collections Management
Use of the collections - The preservation, management, and loan of NOAA heritage assets is intended to support public education.
Restrictions on use - No personal property identified as a heritage asset may be used consumptively, i.e., for the purpose for which it was originally intended to be used. Thus, uniforms will not be worn, firearms will not be fired, and recorders will not be used to record. Exceptions to this policy may be granted on a case-by-case basis by the Chairman of the NOAA Heritage Assets Working Committee, generally only for specific occasions and only when they fulfill an educational purpose.
Permitted use - Customarily, the heritage asset collection will be used only in the following areas:
a. Exhibits that are accessible to the public in the following areas:
1. Federal facilities
2. state facilities
3. public non-profit facilities
4. private non-profit facilities
Support for official or scholarly research
Acquisitions – Heritage assets may be acquired by donation, designation, or discovery.
Donations:
The donation of items to NOAA by individuals and organizations is encouraged and treated as tax-deductible gifts.
The NOAA Heritage Assets Working Committee has the right to reject any donations that are not considered suitable.
Each donated item will be given the best available care and attention, but NOAA cannot guarantee that every donated item will be placed for exhibition. The prospective donor must understand that donations must be given unconditionally.
A Deed of Gift will be prepared.
Employees of NOAA may accept donations and sign Deeds of Gift for heritage assets with the approval of the NOAA Property Management Officer, who will then ensure that a NOAA accession number is assigned for the item. The signed Deed of Gift must be forwarded to the NOAA Headquarters Property Office.
Designation
An item previously classified as general property, plant or equipment may be taken out of service and designated as a heritage asset.
Found
An item may be found on site, found in a collection, found as abandoned property, or found in an archeological survey.
Restrictions:
The NOAA Property Management Officer must approve all acquisitions.
No restrictive or conditional acquisitions through donation, purchase or transfer may be accepted for the collection, except by direction of the NOAA PMO
All assets identified as heritage assets, when accepted by any representative of NOAA, become the property of NOAA and will be cared for under the guidance of this section.
Trophies, unit awards, presentation plaques and similar items will be accessioned into the collection only if they are of nationwide significance.
Art retained for NOAA's collection must be specifically reflective of the history, traditions, and operations of NOAA or its predecessor agencies. It would not include reproductions, replicas, or prints. Artistic quality is determined by the NOAA Head Librarian, and prior to disposal, at least one art appraiser not employed by the Department of Commerce.
The physical appearance of heritage assets will not in any way be altered.
Under no circumstances will historic firearms be permanently demilitarized.
No personnel of the NOAA Personal Property Office or of NOAA may provide written or verbal appraisals of a donated item to its donor. Donors requiring appraisals of donated items must obtain such appraisals at their own expense using appraisers of their choice. NOAA personnel may not recommend any particular appraiser over another.
Items donated to the heritage asset collection of NOAA cannot be sold for any reason.
NOAA will not accept permanent loans of historical property, except by direction of the PMO.
All NOAA employees are encouraged to search out and identify assets that should possibly be classified as NOAA Heritage Assets and bring them to the attention of the NOAA Property Management Officer.
Title disputes
Any entity claiming legal ownership of an item that has been cataloged as a NOAA heritage asset must furnish documentation of legal ownership to the NOAA Property Management Officer.
Documents, Manuscripts, and Images
All incoming historically significant documents, manuscripts, and images of private or Government origin will be forwarded to the NOAA Central Library, which will retain custody of such items and be responsible for their care and cataloging.
Cataloging
The NOAA Property Management Officer has the responsibility for ensuring that all heritage assets owned by NOAA are cataloged within 30 days of receipt. The catalog constitutes the primary record of all heritage assets owned by NOAA. With rare exception, an image of the item will be maintained as part of the catalog.
NOAA Collection of Heritage Assets
This collection is divided into five categories:
Art - A creation over time in any media produced for the enjoyment of the artist and/or the observer; for example: paintings and sculptures
Picture - An imprint of an optical image, i.e., photographs, motion pictures, and video tapes
Model - A three-dimensional creation depicting another physical object.
Artifact - An item of personal property. For example: instruments, clothing equipment, furniture, aircraft and vessels.
Document - An item containing text. For example: books, certificates, maps, logs, and manuscripts.
Valuation
NOAA heritage assets will not be assigned monetary value. This is in accordance with the recommendations of the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board. These items are being retained for posterity. They are to be considered priceless. (Of course, appraisals may be undertaken by entities to which items are loaned for purposes of securing insurance protection).
Accountability
The NOAA PMO ensures accountability for all heritage assets on hand or on loan and ensures that the records show that NOAA has approved all loans or donations or other disposition of heritage assets and the date of action. NOAA stewards of heritage assets are required to inventory these assets every year. The NOAA PMO may require special inventories at any time. Stewards will send a copy of their current inventory with an explanation of shortages or damages to the NOAA PMO by June 16 of every year.
The NOAA PMO will review all existing NOAA loans annually and the steward of each asset will be required to complete an annual loan renewal application
Deaccessioning
No employee of NOAA, the Department of Commerce, or any other Federal agency, can sell, trade, donate, destroy or give to another agency NOAA heritage assets without the written approval of the NOAA PMO. Heritage assets deemed by the NOAA PMO to be excess to the needs of NOAA must be disposed of in accordance with the Federal Property Management Regulations and/or the Federal Management Regulations.
The Head of NOAA's Central Library will annually review the NOAA-wide historical inventory to identify items that, for reason of duplication or unsuitability to the stated collections policy, are excess. The list will be submitted to the NOAA PMO for approval. Excess items may be transferred to the NOAA Educational Resource Collection, or they may be declared excess and turned over to the General Services Administration for excess screening.
Conservation
Any and all stewards of NOAA’s heritage assets, including those entities to which the property may have been loaned, must follow all of the measures laid out below. These measures must be part of any loan agreement.
General - The purpose of conservation is to extend the life of NOAA's heritage assets. It includes all active and passive measures taken to stabilize, protect, and preserve the assets. The following measures will be implemented to protect all NOAA heritage assets against natural and human agents of deterioration.
Each steward of NOAA heritage assets will strive to maintain stable display and storage environments to discourage the existence of biological and natural agents of deterioration. A clean, pest-free area with a consistent temperature of 18 - 23 degrees Celsius (64 - 74 degrees F), a relative humidity of 40 - 60 percent, with no exposure to fluorescent light or sunlight will be provided for display and storage.
Stewards will ensure that there is restricted access to heritage assets and that handling occurs only when necessary.
Only necessary conservation measures will be employed to stabilize an artifact or to ensure its continued existence.
No artifact will receive any conservation or preservation treatment that is irreversible. Stabilization will always precede restoration.
The physical appearance of historically significant properties will not in any way be altered.
All historical property will be handled with gloves, archival tools, tissue, padding, acid-free boxes, or similar materials.
Storage of Artifacts
In selecting storage areas, consideration will be given to an item's intrinsic value; rarity; liability to theft and vandalism; size; need for environmental stability; and frequency of handling. Appropriate measures will be taken yearly or more frequently to prevent infestation by pests, mold, or mildew.
Physical Security
Limited access is the most important tool of security and accountability for stored artifacts. Access to artifact storage areas will be limited to authorized personnel only. All entrances and exits to the facility will be locked.
Fire Prevention and Safety
Special precautions must be taken to preserve heritage assets from fire, smoke, and fire-causing conditions. There will be no smoking in buildings that contain historically significant heritage assets.
Financial Reporting
All costs incurred by the Government associated with the conservation of NOAA's heritage assets must be identified and reported annually. It is the responsibility of NOAA stewards to collect these costs in a separate account in order to provide this information for end-of-year reporting.
Reorganizations
Offices undergoing reorganization must ensure continuous responsibility for the heritage assets under their control. When the reorganization requires it, the office must ensure a smooth transfer of responsibility of heritage assets to a new steward. If no new steward is immediately available, the NOAA PMO will be notified so that he/she can designate and reassign custodial responsibility. If the heritage assets can no longer be maintained at a location, arrangements must be made to transfer the property to another secure location. If none can immediately be identified, the property must be shipped to the NOAA Warehouse in Brandywine, Maryland. Packing and shipping costs will be borne by the shipping party.
Custodial Agreement for Heritage Assets
It is the policy of NOAA to encourage the loan of the heritage assets that it is not able to display in NOAA facilities. All loans of NOAA heritage assets must be processed through the NOAA Headquarters Personal Property Office. All non-NOAA borrowers of NOAA heritage assets must sign a formal NOAA Heritage Asset Loan Agreement. All NOAA Stewards of heritage assets must sign a formal NOAA Heritage Asset Custody Agreement.
All stewards of NOAA heritage assets are required to complete an annual inventory of the assets under their care, which will include a condition assessment. NOAA heritage assets cannot be loaned for purposes of profit, commercial promotion, or decoration of private property. NOAA heritage assets will not be loaned for consumptive use. The NOAA Educational Resource Collection will serve all needs involving consumptive use.
Exhibition of Heritage Assets
Every effort will be made to ensure the proper interpretation and educational use of NOAA's heritage assets. Publicly accessible display will take priority over decorative display. They will serve an educational purpose and will promote the public awareness of NOAA. All displayed items will have accurate interpretive labeling. A method of display will be chosen that will ensure that the items and their support components are secure and protected from theft and vandalism. Heritage assets will not be used for hands-on activities or presentations. The only exceptions will be vessels and aircraft, the use of which may require the approval of the Head Librarian. Otherwise, the NOAA Educational Resource Collection will serve all needs involving consumptive use.
NOAA Educational Resource Collection
The NOAA Educational Resource Collection is separate and independent of the NOAA Heritage Asset Collection. It is composed of NOAA history-related items that are not in themselves considered historically significant assets as determined by the NOAA Head Librarian. The Educational Resource Collection is maintained by the NOAA Public Affairs Office and the NOAA Exhibit Center. The items in the Educational Resource Collection include duplicates of heritage assets in the NOAA Heritage Asset Collection, reproductions, and other replaceable items. The purpose of the Educational Resource Collection is to aid in public education in the social and cultural history, and heritage of NOAA and its predecessor agencies, without harming NOAA's irreplaceable heritage assets. Each Administrative Support Center will have in its control one part of the Educational Resource Collection to use as it sees fit for area-wide circulation.
Executive Order: Preserve America - For the text of the complete Executive Order, go to: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/03/20030304-9.html -
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the National Historic Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470 et seq.) (NHPA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), it is hereby ordered:
Section 1. Statement of Policy. It is the policy of the Federal Government to provide leadership in preserving America's heritage by actively advancing the protection, enhancement, and contemporary use of the historic properties owned by the Federal Government, and by promoting intergovernmental cooperation and partnerships for the preservation and use of historic properties. The Federal Government shall recognize and manage the historic properties in its ownership as assets that can support department and agency missions while contributing to the vitality and economic well-being of the Nation's communities and fostering a broader appreciation for the development of the United States and its underlying values. Where consistent with executive branch department and agency missions, governing law, applicable preservation standards, and where appropriate, executive branch departments and agencies ("agency" or"agencies") shall advance this policy through the protection and continued use of the historic properties owned by the Federal Government, and by pursuing partnerships with State and local governments, Indian tribes, and the private sector to promote the preservation of the unique cultural heritage of communities and of the Nation and to realize the economic benefit that these properties can provide. Agencies shall maximize efforts to integrate the policies, procedures, and practices of the NHPA and this order into their program activities in order to efficiently and effectively advance historic preservation objectives in the pursuit of their missions.
GEORGE W. BUSH
THE WHITE HOUSE,
March 3, 2003.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR ASSISTANCE, CONTACT:
Lyn Joynes
(301) 713-3530 x174
FAX (301) 713-2300
NOAA HEADQUARTERS
PERSONAL PROPERTY BRANCH:
1305 EAST WEST HIGHWAY (SSMC4)
NFA 532, STATION 8161
SILVER SPRING, MD 20910-3281
