Greetings:

Our collections policy is fairly explicit about the method we deaccession
artifacts.  A seperate committee (including some members of our collections
committee, but not limited to those committee members) is formed to deal with
the deaccessioning procedure making certain that the artifact does not fit
our collections policy or mission, that other museums are contacted that may
have an interest, the public is notified, and the artifact in question is
sold at auction if all channels have been explored.

Our deaccession policy was written well before the days of internet,
websites, and museum-l.  It is a particularly cumbersome and time consuming
process--which is perfectly understandable in that deaccessioning should not
be taken lightly.  My question is this:  Does a posting to museum-l or
similar list-servs satisfy the "contacting other museums" and "exploring all
channels" question????  Have other museums revised their deaccession policy
(or other poicies) because of new technology?

Thanks for responding to my question.

Jay Smith
Executive Director
Reno County Museum
Hutchinson, Kansas