Laurel,
Perhaps I am sticking out my neck where it does not belong, but as a conservator I have seen the inner workings of hundreds of smaller museums. The first rule of preservation is to collect only what your mission calls for. No institution can collect and properly care for everything. I therefore would advise that you continue doing what supports your mission statement and do not enter into any agreements with any other institution. What possibly could be to your advantage with such a situation? You are two separate organizations with (hopefully) different missions. Let them do what they do, and you do what you do. I have heard of very specific situations where institutions in a region have agreed they would collect different things, but that is not what you are describing. This is a temporary situation, so unless you want to work out a long-term agreement that prevents your institutions from competing for the same objects, do your own thing, unencumbered.
Marc
American Conservation Consortium, Ltd.
4 Rockville Road
Broad Brook, CT 06016
www.conservator.com
860-386-6058
Marc A. Williams, President
MS in Art Conservation, Winterthur Museum Program
Former Chief Wooden Objects Conservator, Smithsonian Institution
Fellow, American Institute for Conservation (AIC)
From: Laurel Fant
Sent: Monday, July 18, 2016 6:12 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Donations moratorium
A neighboring museum has decided to impose a one year moratorium on accepting donations for their museum. They are asking if we would be willing to be on a list to receive donations during this time as we share similar collecting policies. We are a county museum and they are a city museum within that county. They are asking us to notify them if any outstanding items that meet their criteria are offered to us. We think a signed agreement between our boards is needs. Have any other museums experienced this request? What suggestions can you share with us?
--
Laurel Fant
Curator/Collections Manager
Rock County Historical Society
426 N Jackson St., Janesville, WI 53548
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