The purpose of the Jefferson County Museum's archives is to collect, protect, preserve, manage, and make available materials related to the history of Jefferson County. 

The collections include artifacts, photographs, and documents (such as records, manuscripts, maps, oral histories, and printed materials.) 

The Board of Directors seeks original materials to enhance present collections and create new displays related to the Jefferson County area. The acquisitions will be made through either donations or loans.

All acquisitions will be limited to collections having a primary emphasis on Jefferson County. The museum has a preference of gifts over loans. The museum will not accept collections that are closed to the public.
 
The museum Collections Committee and/or the Board of Directors will determine whether to accept an item offered by a donor or lender within 30 days of said offer. The donor/lender will be notified of the decision immediately thereafter. The museum may or may not accept items offered by a donor or lender. The final approval of acceptance will depend on relevance to Jefferson County history, storage space constraints, etc. If the item is accepted, the museum will acquire and accession the item within 60 days. If the item is not accepted, the donor/lender will retrieve the item from the museum within 60 days. 

A report of donations/loans will be made at every board meeting, typically held every other month. If the Collections Committee and/or board or the museum director feels material offered to this museum would be more appropriate for another institution, the donor will be referred there. 

A deed of gift or loan agreement will be executed between the donor and the museum for all accepted acquisitions. There will be no guarantee of exhibit or special treatment of materials donated or loaned. 
​
Donated and loaned items will be periodically assessed for their relevance to Jefferson County history, storage space constraints, and other factors. Donated and loaned items may be deaccessioned by the museum Board or Collections Committee, with loaned items to be returned to the lender. If there is no way to contact the lender or their relatives, the deaccessioned items will be removed at the discretion of the museum board or the Collections Committee. This could mean a gift to another institution, sale at auction, or other means of disposal. 

Appraisals of materials will not be conducted by this museum.​​

(Approved by JCM Board 2020)