"How have others dealt with deaccessioning objects
     and/or library materials found in collections that
     don't have an accession number or a signed deed?"

     North Dakota has a law which provides that objects
     which are "abandoned" at any museum in the state become
     the property of that museum after 10 years.  This is,
     of course, and over simplification of the matter, as
     there are a vareity of processes one has to go through
     to prove abandonment, a waiting period, etc., but it
     does allow us to formally take possession of items
     found either on the door step or in the collections and
     after taking possession, we can put them formally into
     the collections or deaccession them for disposal.

     Chris Dill

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C. L. Dill, Museum Director
State Historical Society of North Dakota
612 East Boulevard
Bismarck  ND  58505-0830
P: (701)328-2666
F: (701)328-3710
E:  [log in to unmask]
Visit our Web site at: http://www.state.nd.us/hist/
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