I'd add that a lot of people we get inquiries from are trying to make a quick buck on things they've purchased on eBay or at yard sales, often our photography prints. Charging for research time is a good filter. Louisa Watrous Intellectual Property Manager MYSTIC SEAPORT The Museum of America and the Sea 75 Greenmanville Ave., P.O. Box 6000 Mystic, CT 06355 USA T: 860-572-5383, ext. 4703 F: 860-572-5328 www.mysticseaport.org www.rosenfeldcollection.org -----Original Message----- From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Daniel Ackermann Sent: Monday, September 15, 2008 10:53 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Requests for appraisals, authentication, and research Dear All, Like many of you I'm sure, we receive a large number of emails, phone calls, and walk-ins with questions for our curators that revolve around appraisals, authentications, and generally doing free research. Not only can these requests eat up staff time, but they also pose ethical and legal issues. I'm working on some standard language (and a standard policy) we can use in handling these requests. Our library - and our research center with files on 20,000+ documented objects and 80,000+ craftsmen - is open to the public, so that will be part of any standard language. But does anyone out there have suggestions, or experience, with creating these sort of documents? All the best, Daniel K. Ackermann Associate Curator MESDA and The Old Salem Toy Museum Collections Old Salem Museums & Gardens 924 South Main Street Winston-Salem, NC 27108 (Tel) 336-721-7372 (Fax) 336-721-7367 [log in to unmask] www.oldsalem.org Please note our new mailing address: 924 South Main Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27108 ========================================================= 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). ========================================================= 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).