>You should talk to a man by the name of Sam Hoyle. He was the MAP I
>Assessment officer who came to our museum (National Firearms Museum) and
>discussed this very subject with us. Often times, our curators will use
>accoutrements from their own collections to augment an exhibit, etc. simply
>b/c the museum cannot afford to obtain these items. Sam confirmed what we
>thought, it is unethical for curators to collect privately in competition
>with their institutions. This doesn't mean that everyone does not do it
>anyway, it is just wrong.

You raise an interesting point, I think, by using the words "in competition
with" their institutions. Obviously, we find our way into this type of job
because of our love of the subject, not vice versa. Why would ethics force
a collector turned curator to get rid of a personal collection? It would
seem wrong to me if a curator used his or her position to enhance a
personal collection, but using one's own collection to enhance an exhibit
(or a resource library) would seem to be beneficial, not detrimental. Am I
missing some detail here?
Ivy Fleck Strickler                     Phone 215-895-1637
Drexel University                       Fax 215-895-4917
Nesbitt College of Design Arts          [log in to unmask]
Philadelphia, PA 19104

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