We use PastPerfect but not for the legal document the donor signs. We have another document that is filled out by hand at the time a collection is brought into the museum. Rather than an intake form, we use the Gift Agreement Form to document history and other pertinent information. Our policy is a donor cannot leave an object at the museum until they have signed the Gift Agreement Form. It is important to note that we do a bit of on-the-spot appraisal of the collection based on the policies and goals of the committee and have said no thanks before even starting any of the process. If we do preliminarily accept the collection we make sure the donor understands the committee's role in the decision making process. A part of the intake conversation includes what the potential donor would like us to do with the object should the committee determine it does not meet our mission. That direction/preference is added to the deed of gift form. After the committee meets, if the object is accepted, we send a letter to the donor noting the committee's decision and include a copy of the signed form for their records. If the committee determined all or a part of the collection did not fit the collecting scope of the museum, we follow the potential donor's requests and either call them back to pick the item(s) up or work to find another home for the object. We've found this process to be 100% effective and it really helps to relieve the pressure on the processing volunteers. Yes, it is a bit of getting the cart before the horse as it is signed before the committee meets, but, to be blunt, if they win the lottery and vanish off the face of the planet without signing the form, we would enter into a 7 year battle just to get the right to find another home for it. (Minnesota's laws on abandoned property). So, we error on the side of a prematurely signed Gift Agreement Form. Since this policy was put into place 5 years ago, the museum hasn't had a single issue with orphaned objects. Sue ------------- Susan Garwood Executive Director Rice County Historical Society 1814 NW 2nd Ave. Faribault, MN 55021 507-332-2121 [log in to unmask] ========================================================= 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).