Please excuse the cross-postings. The use of proceeds is a controversial aspect of deaccessioning. A number of organizations have adopted policies regarding the use of funds from deaccessioning including AAM, AAMD, AASLH, ICOM and RC-AAM. While most policies state that proceeds should be used solely for acquisitions, the AAM Code of Ethics, adopted in 1994, states that "proceeds from the sale of ... collections...in no event shall be used for anything other than acquisitions or DIRECT CARE of collections." My question is how do/would you define direct care? If seems that many institutions define it as the preservation or maintenance of existing collections. Others, however, apply funds to other means such as collections related positions. Perhaps one of the most publicized and debated cases is when the Shelburne Museum deaccessioned items and established a restricted Collections Care Endowment. I would really appreciate hearing from all of you regarding the issue of direct care: What activities do you think would fall under the category of direct care? Does your institution have a policy regarding the use of funds from deaccessioning? If so, what does it say? Do you know of any interesting cases regarding the use of funds from deaccessioning? Any comments would be appreciated - this topic has peaked my interest and I am hoping to provide some information for the upcoming RC-WR workshop on deaccessioning before the upcoming WMA conference. Thank you in advance for your insights. Melissa Heyman Curator, Campbell Historical Museum [log in to unmask] (408) 866-2119 ___________________________________________________________________ Get the Internet just the way you want it. Free software, free e-mail, and free Internet access for a month! Try Juno Web: http://dl.www.juno.com/dynoget/tagj. ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://museums.state.nm.us/nmmnh/museum-l.html. 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).