Wanda;

I have always thought it best to make your interest known to the subject
BEFORE he or she shuffles off this mortal coil, making it clear WHY you are
intrested and the KINDS of things in which you are interested. In many
cases, your interest will be made known to the family/executor so the
successors are privy to your interest and can address it. When there is a
dispute as to who gets what, your institution may be perceived as a useful
solution to the problem.

Expressing your interest is indeed a sensitive thing and requires a
communications strategy aimed at raising consciousness in two ways:

First, you must make the community in general aware that it is important to
recognize the contribution of its members and that the key to doing this is
to receive the essential documents and artifacts.

Second, you need to target the specific individuals in whom you are most
interested and let them know that you recognize the outstanding
contributions they have made, want to ensure that these are not forgotten,
and that, in order to do this, you will need, in the fulness of time,
certain kinds of things. Your board members are likely to be themselves
persons of some prominence in the community and it may be wise to ask them,
on behalf of your institution, to make the initial approach.

One of the tricky points to any such discussion is to avoid making any
commitment as to exhibiting on a permanent basis any particular item.  The
usual issues that apply to any donation must also be addressed.
--
Harry Needham, Principal ([log in to unmask])
Harry Needham Consulting Services Inc.
Solutions for Heritage Institutions - and Others!
74 Abbeyhill Drive
Kanata ON K2L 1H1 Canada
(Voice) +1.613.831-1068
(Fax) +1.613.831-9412

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).