I recently agreed (ok, so maybe I was dumb) to participate in a session this April at the Texas Association of Museums annual meeting on determining ownership of objects. Sure, I can talk about the TX abandoned property law, and I will. However, my feeling is that this law is inadequate. Even for material that has been in the museum for 40 years or more without any correspondence from the donor (if we even know who the donor was), there is a requirement to publish notices in newspapers, send certified mail, etc. This is a terrific expense that will most likely result in very little return information. I've heard that Illinois has a law that is friendlier to museums trying to establish ownership of objects and I am curious if there are other states that have similar, easy-to-work-with laws. What I would like to do in my presentation is summarize what is going on in other states and then make a proposal for a new Texas law that is easier for museum people to work with. Thanks in advance for your responses. *********************************** Karen W. Anderson, Registrar Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum WTAMU Box 967 Canyon, TX 79016 Phone: 806-656-2967 Fax: 806-656-2250 ***********************************