What do you do when a prominent member of your  community dies and you want
to encourage the family to donate papers and personal objects to your museum
or archives?  Our director has challenged us to developed a plan for
tactfully contacting the families and letting them know that one way to
commemorate the decreased person's contribution to the community is to make
a donation to the museum.  We are trying to avoid the possibilities of
papers and objects that the family may not value being thrown out and give
them an option to avoid family disputes as estates are divided.  However, it
is a delicate subject and we don't want to look like vultures showing up on
the doorsteps the day of the funeral.

Has anyone else addressed this issue and developed an acquisition plan?  Any
ideas  would be appreciated.

Wanda Edwards
Curator of Collections and Library/Archives
Orange County Regional History Center
Orlando, Florida

407-836-8587
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