When we deaccession objects, we make an effort to inform original donors.
But it's only as a courtesy so the donor isn't surprised when they open
their Sotheby's catalog and find the chair they gave thirty years ago. We
don't give objects back to the donors or their families.  So far it's
worked out well, and we have done some major deaccessioning.

All items go to a public auction, and funds go to a museum collections
fund.  This fund used only for new acquisitions, not conservation.

Will Garrison, Collections Manager
Historic Deerfield, Inc.

At 11:15 AM 3/11/99 -0500, you wrote:
>Your last line about contacting original donors first startled me. I was
>trained that once the gift is made to the museum, the original donor has no
>claim different than any other person (after the proper steps were taken to
>find another museum to own it or to use it somehow to benefit the museum who
>is de-accessioning). Therefore, final disposal of objects to the open market
>requires an original donor to bid like anyone else with the proceeds
dedicated
>to the museum's collection conservation and development. Any experience out
>there on this question?
>Susan Noakes,
>Curator not looking forward to deaccessioning sometime in the near future.
>
>STUD Vincent Brooks wrote:
>
>>         I recently did an internship where my major project was a
>> deaccessioning one.  Well, lots of issues came up at this small historical
>> society.  The first came when a book was not within the collection scope,
>> but was worth a small sum of money.  That went on to higher powers and, to
>> my knowledge, is still unresolved.
>>         Another issue concerned the use of an online auction service to
>> get rid of unwanted materials.  I consulted a prof. and he said that while
>> auctions are not out of the question, careful attention has to be paid to
>> bidders, the auctioneers relationship to the institution, his or her fee,
>> etc.
>>         Actually, I began by sending a letter to other local historical
>> societies and transferred some materials that way.  After that, I posted a
>> message on this very discussion list and got quite a few responses.  I am
>> happy to say that many materials found new homes all across the country.
>>         Careful documentation is key.  Keep track of all correspondence
>> and conversations.  Regular reports to board or committee members are
>> important as well.  In my case, the original donor names were lost due to
>> poor records, but the original donor or heirs should be contacted first.
>>         Hope this helped.
>>
>>                                 Vince
>>
>> Vince Brooks
>> 239 S. Mathilda St. #2
>> Pittsburgh, PA  15224
>>
>> 412-661-0666
>>
>> "You can't spend what you ain't got, and you can't lose what you ain't
>> never had."
>>
>>                                                 - Muddy Waters
>