Regarding the question of having a "family heirloom" returned, Jay Fahey
wrote:

"And I'd rather see this piece in your home than in some museum basement!!"

That's all well and good, but what do you suppose "collections storage" is
all about???  I believe that one of the functions of a museum is to preserve
artifacts for the future.  Part of what that means is that we do not exhibit
every artifact we have in our collections at all times--it is bad for the
artifact first and foremeost and bad for the museum to have the same artifact
displayed at all times.  This ought to be explained to the donor as plainly
as possible.  Also, the loan agreement should transfer ownership of the
artifact to the museum without restriction.  At that point, the artifact
should be cared for ethically, responsibly, and professionally.  Any
de-accession policy ought to be explained as well so that the donor is aware.
 It is a walk on the razor's edge, but if the public is to understand what
museum's do, we need to educate people who think that we are "quietly"
profitting from the sale of their heirlooms.

One of the controversies we all face in this profession is the donor question
"Why isn't my artifact on display?"  It is sometimes difficult to educate
people about the general function of museums (collect, preserve, interpret)
and to let them know that while we value the donation, it cannot possibly be
on perpetual display.  If we start telling everyone that we would "prefer to
see their artifacts in their house than in some museum basement" then aren't
we shooting ourselves in the foot while we devalue our own profession,
ethics, and future???

Just an opinion....

Jay Smith
Reno County Museum
Hutchinson, Kansas