ave tried =
to=20
explain about the presumption of permanence of the collection, the need =
to=20
keep things in the public trust, the ramifications of selling items from =
the=20
collections in the gift shop, etc. but to no avail. (I guess I need to=20
mention that none of the upper management has any background in museum =
work,=20
and that this VP is also the development director and is under pressure =
to=20
raise money.)

My questions are these: Is it ethical? Is it legal? Have you faced =
similar=20
situations? I would appreciate any advice on how I can handle this=20
professionally, short of leaving the museum. My fear is that after the=20
unbuilt kits are sold, IG=C7=D6ll be asked to cull the model collection. =
(Other=20
collections are being "thinned" as well, sometimes without any consultation=
=20
with curators.)

Other facts that may be relevant: Many of the model kits have no provenance=
,=20
they were just there when I took over the collection. Very few are =
formally=20
accessioned (but thatG=C7=D6s true of most of the artifacts in our =
museum!), and=20
none has any restriction that says we canG=C7=D6t sell it. Some of the =
kits are=20
rare and "collectible," we have duplicates of a few, and they are unlikely =
to=20
be assembled or exhibited in the future.

The VP has also suggested that in cases where we know who made the =
donation,=20
we can simply call and ask if they mind if we sell it. This fills me =
with=20
dread, too. What are your thoughts?

Thanks for your help.

Chuck Stout

=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
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=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3DImportant Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-fa=
q/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by =
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If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to =
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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).