While I won't be weighing in on Wesley's "milkstool" question, I did want to
offer our procedures here at Sweet Briar College for consideration.  We have
objects from our collections--art as well as decorative arts--on display in
most campus buildings, including student residences.  We also have a fully
functioning art gallery and museum (2 separate entities).

The pieces on display have been designated as part of the Decorative
Collection, which consists of objects that are aesthetically pleasing but may
closely duplicate something else in our collections, or may not be in quite the
same league as our finest pieces, which are truly museum-quality.  We do
conduct regular inventories of these items, and our housekeeping staff also
keeps an eye on them and alerts us if there are any problems.  They also
receive training on the proper way to care for them (eg, no Pledge or feather
dusters!).  The benefits of this system are many: even our administrative
offices are distinguished by the presence of art or a fine piece of furniture.
Our president's residence, in a historic house that is on the National
Register, is 85% furnished with pieces original to it, including portraits of
the college's founders by major artists.  The first floor of the house
functions as public space frequently used for dinners and receptions; it is
also open to the public for tours.  I keep a close eye on the condition of the
furnishings, and if a piece shows unacceptable signs of wear or damage, I
remove it to the museum, thus ending its tenure in the "Decorative Collection."

Incidentally, the situation that sparked this thread--the president who wanted
the art for his office--reminded me of a story I once heard about a painting
from the Paley collection (a Renoir or Monet, I believe) that had been donated
to a museum where it flummoxed the conservators who were assessing its
condition.  The lower part of the canvas was coated with a substance they had
never seen before.  After extensive testing and delicately interviewing the
donors, it turned out to be a layer of Coca-Cola, the accumulation of years of
soft drink cans being popped on the table the painting hung over in the
family's home.  So if the paintings do end up in the office, you might want to
suggest the hospitality beverages be placed in another area of the room!

All best,
Christian

Christian Carr
Acting Director, Sweet Briar Museum
Assistant Professor, Arts Management
Sweet Briar College
Sweet Briar, VA 24595
434.381.6246-phone
434.381.6132-fax

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