In response to:

     "Recently, someone dropped off an item at our museum
     (literally left it on the front steps)....Does anyone
     have a policy that covers this type of situation? What
     about if the item was something we did intend to
     accession?"

     It wasn't "donated," it was abandoned.  Check on your
     state's abandoned property law.  Many states have
     adopted such laws, including North Dakota - I'll send
     you a copy of ours if you want it (please contact me
     off-list).  If you DO want the piece, then an abandoned
     property law will help you gain ownership.  If you DO
     NOT want the item, treat it as if someone had left a
     bag of garbage on your step - if the "donor" didn't
     care enough to provide you with appropriate legal
     documentation of your ownership, or the artifact's
     history, why should YOU care about it any more than
     he/she did?

     We run into this situation frequently, with "donors"
     stepping in the front door and handing our volunteers
     an artifact and fleeing, or just leaving it on the
     step.  If you haven't processed the item into your
     collections, you need not treat it as your property,
     IMHO.  Don't let the public think of your institution
     as a dumping ground!

     Good luck.

     Chris Dill

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C. L. Dill, Museum Director
State Historical Society of North Dakota
612 East Boulevard
Bismarck  ND  58505-0830
P: (701)328-2666
F: (701)328-3710
E:  [log in to unmask]
Visit our Web site at: http://www.state.nd.us/hist/
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