Although I think a publicized no-tipping policy is a good one, and that anyone receiving a tip should be encouraged to pass it along to the museum, I agree with the one dissenter who wonders what harm there is in a museum guard or other employee accepting a tip personally. I think if I wrote a policy on tipping, I would say: (a) actively soliciting tips is forbidden and could result in dismissal; (b) if offered a "surprise" tip, tell the tipper that we are encouraged to pass tips along to a general fund; (c) if the tipper insists that the tippee accept the tip personally (remembering that the "customer is always right"), accept it with thanks and report it on your income tax! I would be interested in seeing any argument about why a museum employee should not accept a tip if the tipper insists. Full disclosure: Many years ago a man gave me a $5 bill after I agreed to expedite his photo order. I've always felt vaguely guilty about this, especially since I forgot to report it on my taxes (please don't report me to the IRS). I am now considering, after all these years, dropping $5.00 into the donations box at the museum entrance. On perhaps three occasions, I've received small gifts from professional colleagues. One was from a Japanese man who had a whole bag of similar gifts (wrapped) to distribute to museum staff who helped him out, and I felt it would be culturally injudicious to refuse. I'd welcome any discussion of such gifts. David Haberstich ========================================================= 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).