I agree with Margaret Lyman's position on this issue - which underlines the
need for a museum contemplating disposing of all or part of a collection to
have a clear and public statement of policy on the matter. Yet how many museums
have actually taken the time to develop such a policy and keep it up to date?
The related policy - equally required - concerns acquisitions and the need for
the donor to surrender to the museum, in a legally binding manner, ALL rights
to ownership of the artifact(s) being donated to the museum, including the
right to dispose of it by sale, gift or destruction.

If anyone is struggling with the development of such policies, I would be happy
to share ours (which I developed earlier this year) with them. I won't say that
they're foolproof (is anything?), but they may be useful.

Harry Needham
Director, Programmes & Operations
Canadian War Museum