Since I am the person who raised the issue of ethics in this case I apologize to Mr. Gertler if anything I have said has been taken personally and has hurt his feelings. It was obvious from Mr. Gertler's last posting that he is a private collector who was attempting to create a musuem around his collection and in effect becoming "curator" and "executive director" of that museum. In doing so he seems to have retained possession and control over his collection while trying to bridge himself into the non-profit world of museums. All I can say is that his alturism, enthusiam, and intent are admirable, but these are far murkier waters than the simple and commonplace relationships of collectors either selling, loaning, or donating their collections to institutions. I think that it is still valid to raise the larger issues of personal collecting among professional museum staff. Such professional ethics are often meant to protect the professional as well as the institution and the public. Often one does not enter these situations with "intent", but can enter into a situation with the absolute best of intentions only to find that situation change, complications arise, and then to find oneself in a "mess". I still reiterate that no museum professional should find themselves involved in the commerce of auctions, aquistions, and the divestment of objects or antiquities within their field outside of their institutions. Such activity can lead some (and certainly not Mr. Gertler) such as the curator at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum into the realms of illegal activities related to the Trade. Other activities, such as those described by Mr. Gertler, can lead one quite unintentionally into a situation where one is presented with the choice of selling off a significant collection piecemeal or to take a large personal financial loss by selling/donating it as a collection. No museum professional should ever have to make that choice. I know, for instance, that a professional archaeologist would be castigated and probably driven from the profession for collecting, buying, and selling artifacts from the marketplace...and last year I heard several prominent conservators urge those within our profession to avoid performing conservation treatments on such antiquities-trade derived artifacts because our work can add value and and even a measure of encouragement to those who loot sites and join the circle of commerce around them. The field of archaeology grew out of such private and even national collections which today would be considered "looted". Just look at the ethical issues involved with significant collections such as those held by the British Museum (among many others) and the movement to repatriate "National Treasures" to their countries of origin. This is why I originally asked if other fields, such as historic aviation, had different standards and which are much more closely aligned with the commerce of collecting. I am sure that the field of archives and documents might have still other standards, as well as those within the field of fine and modern art. I have every wish that Mr. Gertler is able to find a suitable home for the Wright Bros. archives as a whole collection, whether it be a private collection or an institutional, and that he finds an easy path out of his complications. Such individuals are invaluable resources for the Museum community and he should be encouraged and rewarded for sharing his knowledge and love for historic aviation with the public. Dave David Harvey Conservator of Metals & Arms Colonial Williamsburg Foundation P.O. Box 1776 Williamsburg, VA 23187-1776 USA voice: 804-220-7039 e-mail: [log in to unmask]