As usual, I agree with Matthew's elegant and positive way of handling this
situation.  All of us at some point are put in the position of having to
break our own rules for one reason or another, and the more positive,
friendly and consistent we can be up front the better.

But if that doesn't work, let the director make all the tough decisions and
communicate them to the donors.  That's what they're paid for.  Just ensure
that the director and the curator are telling the same story...

Julia Moore
Director of Exhibitions and Artist Services
Indianapolis Art Center

-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
Behalf Of Matthew White

How we deal with any one constituent has implications beyond that one
individual. To appease one will have an impact on how others perceive the
fairness of how they were treated and will influence how future people will
expect to be treated.  ...start in a positive fashion. "Your donation to
this museum
will potentially by used in number of educational and scholarly ways..."
then list them as completely and briefly as possible. Finish with a sentence
or two that states clearly that the decision of how to use this specific
artifact will depend on a number of factors including conservation needs,
exhibit needs, etc. and that the museum does not guarantee any particular
use.

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).