>I am researching the state of quilting in Canada, and am planning to drive
>across Canada on the quilt quest.
>
>Do you know of any any museums  that have quilts in their collection?
 
This poses an interesting question. We have quilts at the Vancouver Museum
and would be delighted to show them to you. However, we have very few staff
and even fewer volunteers. We have also been forced on to a cost recovery
track that leads me to ask "Can you pay for a collections assistant to get
the material ready for you?
 
I know that the answer will be "can't afford it". I also know that we hold
the material "in the public trust" and that the artifacts belong to the
public and we do receive federal money to support the collection. So, even
though you are not from BC, we are, I feel, obligated to make the material
available to you and to all researchers.
 
We can not afford the staff to give access to our collection, so how do we
solve this? Of course, I will personally use my off hours to get this
material ready for you. But really, we need more funding if we are to
fulfill our role as a place where research can take place. At present, we
have a projected 3 month period where no loans or access can be provided
because of lack of resources to deal with the materials.
 
Long note, to ask the list in general, "How are you handling requests for
access if you don't have the funding required to provide person power? This
is not project money, these are operating costs that are constantly being
eroded away.
 
Linda Tanaka
Vancouver Museum        British Columbia  Canada
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