Exhibits Department schrieb: > I recently found a box full of Native American items in the far reaches of a > closet here at our nature center. The items are of Plains origin and mostly > the kinds of things that a tourist could have aquired in the 1940's or 50's. > However several of the items do date back to the turn of the century or even > earlier. > > Here's the problem: there isn't any donation documentation. The items have > been here for years(they've been stuffed in a cardboard box for at least 5). > Some of the long term employees do remember the man who brought the items > in, now deceased. One of the man's sons did come into the nature center afew > years after the father died, asked for and took home a large bear mount that > the father donated long before. > > I would like to find this stuff a new home. They all have beaded leather, > the leather is deteriorating, we don't have anyplace to properly store them. > I don't ever see a time when they'll be put on display again(our emphasis is > East Tennessee). The older items especially do belong in a museum just not > ours. How do I go about documenting the process? Do I track down the heir of > the donor? Can I transfer ownership to another museum? And is there anything > I can do to the leather in the meantime to correct the dry rot? Right now I > have most of hte items in a acidfree box(thank you UT) and the shirt laying > flat by the heating ducts(the only place I can keep it flat, dry and other > people from setting things on it). > > Thanks for any suggestions. > Contact me either on or off line > > Gale > Gale Motter E-mail: [log in to unmask] > Creative Exhibits Designer > Bays Mountain Park > 853 Bays Mountain Park Road > Kingsport, Tenn. 37660 Gale, normally I would say, that you are not owning this material. There is an exemption from the rule, keeping material over a certain period. Check this with your lawyer. Hope this helps. Christian Mueller-Straten Verlag Dr. C. Mueller-Straten, Kunzweg 23, D-81243 Muenchen, Tel/Fax: 089-839 690 43, http://WebMuseen.de/VERLAGCMS MAGAZINES AND BOOKS IN MUSEOLOGY (GERMAN/ENGLISH)+ GERMAN THESAURI