This message is being placed on several lists. Please excuse cross postings. Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village has been working on developing policies and procedures for collections that are actively used on exhibit or in demonstrations. This questionaire was put together by our Chief Conservator. Responses can be sent direct to her, or to the list if people wish to discuss them. I will forward any response made to the list to her. Thanks. Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village is in the process of developing a set of policies and procedures to aid in the preservation of collections that are handled or operated for educational or daily program use. Specifically, we are attempting to set criteria by which the decision to use reproductions in lieu of collection items is made. We are interested in gathering information from museums that routinely deal with similar issues. We would appreciate it if you took a moment to answer the following questions. 1.) Does your museum or living history site own any collections that are utilized for "hand's on" demonstrations? Ex. automobiles, carriages, locomotives, household items, industrial collections, agricultural collections, rare books etc. A.) If yes, are the items considered to be part of the museums accessioned collection or are they considered to be a separate collection ex. A study collection? 2.) How would you describe your museum? (Ex. Historical Museum, Science Center, Living History Site, Historic House, Other) 3.) Who is responsible for the preservation of the "hands on" or "operational" collections at your museum or historic site? 4.) Who determines which items are to be "operated" or "used"? (Ex. curators, exhibit designers, program developers, conservators, a committee, the museums director etc.) 5.) Who determines when reproductions will be used in place of collections items. 6.) Who maintains the reproduction items? 7.) Have you ever encountered a situation where the cost of purchasing or making a reproduction was higher than the cost of purchasing an antique? If so, was the reproduction purchased? Phone, e-mail or faxed responses would be appreciated. Thanks for your assistance. Mary M. Fahey Chief Conservator/Head of Preservation Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village 20900 Oakwood Blvd Dearborn, Michigan 48121 [log in to unmask] 313-982-6072 313-982-6245 FAX ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).