>Date:    Sun, 1 Dec 1996 08:06:49 -0600 From:    Jones
<[log in to unmask]> Subject: loans from businesses

>A question has come up at our museum (which has just
>opened) and I was wondering if anyone on the list might
>have had to address the same situation.
>We have several business in our town that sell antiques -
>some that relate very well to local history.  Is is
>considered acceptable for those businesses to loan us items
>for display for a period of time and then take the items
>back and put them up for sale in their respective stores?
>Since we are a new museum, we could use some addition items
>for the displays we have, but wonder if doing this might
>cause problems??"

It seems to me that you can borrow artifacts from any owner
if they meet the needs and mission of your museum.  The only
danger I see in the course you describe is that the shops
might use the museum to inflate the value of the piece by
saying "It was on exhibit at X museum."  We have borrowed
specific pieces from antique dealers when they were needed
in exhibits, but we don't make a regular practice out of it.
 I'll be interested to see if others have the same reaction.

Chris Dill

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C. L. Dill, Museum Director
State Historical Society of North Dakota
612 East Boulevard
Bismarck  ND  58505-0830
P: (701)328-2666
F: (701)328-3710
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Visit our Web site at: http://www.state.nd.us/hist/
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