Greetings also.
  Do you really think that visitors who buy something at
a giftshop,  neverminding the good reproduction it may be,  do not realize that
they could not be buying the real thing for such a little price?  Or that simply they
could not buy a 2000 year old terracotta soldier at a giftshop?    I suppose we all
may be underestimating our dear visitors?
Montserrat Pin
Museo del Prado. 

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Greetings,
 I'm not a museum worker but I am a patron, and I think you raised some
good points.
         As a purchaser I would want to know what I was getting and where it came
from. And a certain level of knowledge of the patrons as to the value and
availability of pieces cannot be assumed. I recently viewed an exhibition
showcasing  the treasures of the first emperor of China, including the
terra cotta soldiers unearthed at the site. I picked up a small
reproduction of one of the figures in the gift shop to put on my desk at
worked. (It was quite clear that it was a reproduction.) When I took it
into work I actually had someone ask me if it was a real piece from the
emperor's tomb! ( I guess he was confused with all the other 2000+ year old
artifacts on my desk?)
        The point being, some people may have thought they were buying  "the real
thing". And I do think it is the Director's responsibility to maintain
oversight of all aspects of the museum, regardless of who runs it. It does
have a definite impact on the overall image of their museum.
        I think it would have been a good idea to make a short statement about how
the items for sale were acquired and what exactly they represent. If I had
purchased what I thought was a real piece of wreckage and found out
otherwise, I would be an ex-patron of that museum.

Sorry if I ran on too long...
Hope it helps
Reid



Robin Shtulman and Ed Cope <shtlcope§EQUINOX.SHAYSNET.COM> wrote in article
<01BC4599.40C079C0§default>...
I have a query to ponder for all you folks out there who work in museums
that also maintain gift shops.