I have read the various replies to this question with interest. To say that
a collector should give up his hobby to work in a museum with the same
interests is, I believe, a nonsense! As long as the person is ethical in
their dealings with museum items then there shouldn't be a problem. If the
person cannot make an ethical decision then they shouldn't be working for
the museum in the first place.

I work for a military museum and most of our staff are unpaid volunteers.
One of them is a collector and his knowledge has been invaluable to the day
to day working of the museum. Our volunteers are required to complete a
statement of "interests" when they join us and we are aware of any with
interests in the military field. Most of our volunteers are ex-military
people and have a lifetime of experience which helps the museum to operate
effectively. Without this knowledge our job would be much harder.

Mark

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