There should be a gift policy in your museum's code of ethics or personnel policy- I think most museums do something similar to the government of anything under a certain amount is okay. For certain types of museums, this policy is pretty important. Pamela > -----Original Message----- > From: Nicholas Burlakoff [mailto:[log in to unmask]] > Sent: Saturday, May 15, 2004 9:00 PM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: tips given to security guards and other staff > > The reason that tips and gifts should not be given to, or accepted by, > employees as individuals fall into the following categories: > 1) Customary practices. Museums are not restaurants or taxicabs and > employees do not provide an individual service in expectation of a tip. > 2) There can be serious ethical questions raised by accepting gifts that > are > related to the museum's collection. Thomas Hoving relates one experience > where a bribe was solicited by a foreign museum head in the form of a > "gift." > 3) Personnel morale. Folks who are not in a position to benefit will in > very > short order criticize folks, who are in a position to receive tips. For > example, a curator, guard, or docent may be offered a tip but seldom will > the janitor or exhibit builder be so rewarded. My experience is that folks > love to count benefits others receive, that they don't, and then resent > the > recipients. We had an example of this posted on this list. A question was > raised about gifts to curators and directors. The people who do not > receive > a benefit also have the tendency to exaggerate the value of the benefit > that > they don't receive. In museums I have headed, just as there were strict > prohibitions for receiving tips, so all gifts given to employees as part > of > their job function, or position at the museum, became the property of the > museum. The only exemption to this were trivial gifts such as decals, > postcards, brochures, or tee shirts. Books, catalogs, reproductions etc. > always belonged to the museum. Additionally, by not allowing personnel to > accept individual gifts we helped them from feeling obligated to give > gifts > in return, and the museum does not have to develop a gift fund for > reciprocating these courtesies. > 4) Simplicity. A policy that is pretty much an absolute prohibition is > easy > to understand and difficult to evade. If a policy is instituted that calls > for interpretation, it is a guarantor that some unforeseen gross violation > will occur at some point. Then an argument will ensue with all sorts of > intellectual trickery and rationalizations and bad feelings, in the end, > on > both sides. When people know: no tips and no gifts, life is simplified in > this area immeasurably. Enforcement of discipline is also simplified, in > most instances. > The reason that I was particularly careful and adamant in this area when I > headed a maritime museum is that the Coast Guard interprets the receipt of > even one cigarette as "payment." So if anyone accepted a gift in our > museum > and then were given a ride on our ship they would, according to the > Coasties, become "fare paying passengers" undermining our Coast Guard > classification and inviting legal sanctions at worst, and insurance > problems > at the least. I can't adequately describe the joy of spending one > blistering-hot August afternoon in a cabin of a 17th century vessel > arguing > with a Coast Guard Commodore about a party of dignitaries that we were > scheduled to take an orientation cruise on our vessel. Trust me, a policy > of > no gifts or tips makes life much simpler for everyone. > Cheers, -Nicholas > > -----Original Message----- > From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On > Behalf > Of Katherine H. Child > Sent: Saturday, May 15, 2004 4:10 PM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: tips given to security guards and other staff > > Talk about gifts! We recently had our Japanese Friendship Doll restored by > the Japanese company that originally made most of the dolls (late 1920s). > When the doll was returned to us, she came along with two "sister" dolls > (made in honor of our doll's "visit" home) that were specifically for me > and > our Director of Education. Neither of us felt comfortable about accepting > the dolls, so they are currently in our collections storage along with the > Friendship Doll accessories. We don't really know what to do with them. > These dolls are worth several hundred dollars apiece. > > Katherine Child Jonelis > Curator > Phoenix Museum of History > 105 N. 5th Street > Phoenix, AZ 85004 > Phone: 602-253-2734 ext. 228 > Fax: 602-253-2348 > [log in to unmask] > > For more information about the Phoenix Museum of History and its programs, > please click here: > www.pmoh.org > > ========================================================= > 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] . 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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).