Collections FAQ
We receive numerous requests to accept donations and support research, so please review these frequently asked questions before submitting your item or request.
Donations
We would love to know more about your artifact or specimen to determine if we can accept it into our Collections.
Fill out our Ask a Curator form to get in contact with us.
You will need to know approximate measurements and attach a photo of the item(s).
Once we’ve received your submission, we will be in touch.
Some collecting priorities will never change. Objects that inspire curiosity and facilitate learning will always have a place in the GRPM’s collections. The following priorities help us focus our collecting on specific institutional goals:
- Grand River Watershed
As the GRPM continues to develop closer physical connections to the Grand River and the
accompanying exhibits and programs to interpret if new objects are needed. - Natural Science
For the first time in decades the GPRM has begun to inventory and assess its natural science
collections under the direction of a Science Curator. This work has begun to reveal more
details about the strengths and gaps of the natural science collections. - Anishinabek
In the late 1980s and early 1990s the GRPM worked with Native people all over Michigan to
proactively collect oral histories as well as modern and historic artifacts to tell their story in
the “Anishinabek: The People of this Place” exhibit. This exhibition is now a generation old,
and it is time to begin the process of re-imagining it with our Native partners.
It takes considerable time and resources to catalog and preserve artifacts, so the GRPM has to be selective. Some reasons items are refused include: the material is outside the scope of the GRPM Collection, or the material is similar to something already in the Collection.
GRPM does not consider unsolicited objects for temporary loan.
Due to the high volume of items GRPM manages, items mailed without prior warning or left at GRPM may be disposed of or transferred as the Museum determines appropriate, without contacting the sender.
Grand Rapids Press Research Requests
We are not interested in collecting newspapers at this time. GRPM is home to the massive Grand Rapids Press archive.
The Grand Rapids Press Collection at the Grand Rapids Public Museum consists of the following:
- Newspapers, Bound Volumes, and Boxed Issues (1890 – 2012, 2019 – present)
- Clipping Files (c.1954 – c. 2000) – organized alphabetically by subject
- Media (c. 1950 – c. 2000) – negatives, printed photos, microfilm, photo albums, scrapbooks
The Grand Rapids Press Collection is available for researchers by appointment. To schedule an appointment use the online form on the museum’s website at: https://www.grpm.org/contactcollections/. GRPM staff cannot provide remote research assistance.
The digital version of the Grand Rapids Press is available on site at all GRPL branches and online through many library systems including:
Grand Rapids Public Library – https://www.grpl.org/historical-newspapers/
Kent District Library – https://kdl.org/resources-types/newspapers/
Library of Michigan – https://www.michigan.gov/libraryofmichigan/public/online-resources-for-library-cardholders
GRPM staff can provide digital copies of articles, clippings, negatives, and photographs from the Grand Rapids Press Collection for a fee of $20 per image. A written request to waive fees can be submitted to the Museum for consideration.
You must provide a full citation (title of article/date/page) for the materials you are requesting for digitization. This can be found by visiting https://www.grpl.org/historical-newspapers/
GRPM staff will provide a high resolution digital image of the requested article (including images and continuations), clipping, negative, or photograph in a .jpg file format. Images of full pages from the newspaper are available, but may be distorted due to the way the papers are bound into books.
Our standard DPI for the digital images is 600. Please indicate in your request if you require a higher resolution.
Other
GRPM is considered by the IRS to be an “Interested Party” and is not able to determine the value of antiques. For that, you would need to hire an appraiser. We recommend that you work with an appraiser who has been certified by either the Appraisers Association of America or the American Society of Appraisers.
The professional organization for conservators (American Institute for Conservation) offers a free online referral service “Find A Professional.“
