Mr. Handy, thanks for sending your original response. It's easy to see
why it aroused so much furor. Your response, in a word, was
undiplomatic. And I'm afraid your tone was arrogant. Also, was it really
necessary to hurl the accusatory epithet "pot hunters"? Although
extremely mild within the universe of pejorative labels, the term, when
applied to people in this context, obviously could arouse indignation.
Hobbyists have feelings, just like members of other minority groups. I
think you missed an opportunity to educate your correspondent in a
non-judgmental way, and your suggestion that it's somehow his duty to
bring his collection to your institution, where he can "visit" it
anytime, demonstrates insensitivity to the very real passions of
hobbyists and collectors (without whom many museums could never have
even come into existence in the first place), as well as a rather
unrealistic and contradictory attitude for a museum to take--do you
really want to be inundated with gift offers from collectors with
materials of undocumented provenance? I think you owe your correspondent
an apology.

--David Haberstich