Re the questions about acquisitions through eBay:

   I have an ongoing automatic search on eBay for items from our town,
for our small historical society museum.  I have found many items that
we would not likely have found in my lifetime and the history of the
acquisitions fascinates visitors, when I tell them where I found them.
I have found no negative impact on donations and, in fact, if I had to
hazard a guess, I would say it probably encourages them, as I often
hear, "Oh!  Wait! I have something like that at home...do you want it?"
   I do not usually spend much to make the purchases (most often under
$100 and usually under $50).  The source of funds is usually my husband
(but he doesn't know that)!
   Finally, I am more often competing for museum purchases at local
estate sales than online.
Lynne

> >Dear Colleagues:
> >
> >I am interested to know whether museum staff are using eBay or similar
> >online auction sites to acquire objects for their collections. I'd like to
> >hear museum professionals'  thoughts about these sites. I have listed a few
> >specific questions below, but I welcome all comments relevant to the topic
> >of how the Internet is affecting object acquisition in museums.
> >
> >Questions
> >
> >1) Are museums/historical societies purchasing through eBay and other
> >auction sites? Why or why not?
> >
> >2) If so, are museum staff finding material they might otherwise never see?
> >
> >3) Are online auctions curbing donations from individuals to museums? Do
> >curators fear that objects will leave the public domain because private
> >collectors are buying them online?
> >
> >I appreciate your input.
> >
> >--Amanda Kraus
> >Publications Department,
> >American Association of Museums
> >
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