Dear Colleagues:

I am interested to know whether museum staff are using eBay or similar
online auction sites to acquire objects for their collections. I'd like to
hear museum professionals'  thoughts about these sites. I have listed a few
specific questions below, but I welcome all comments relevant to the topic
of how the Internet is affecting object acquisition in museums.

Questions

1) Are museums/historical societies purchasing through eBay and other
auction sites? Why or why not?

2) If so, are museum staff finding material they might otherwise never see?

3) Are online auctions curbing donations from individuals to museums? Do
curators fear that objects will leave the public domain because private
collectors are buying them online?

I appreciate your input.

--Amanda Kraus
Publications Department,
American Association of Museums

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