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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;2manybooks, post: 3854270, member: 8267&quot;]I think keeping such a unique collection together would be very important. You might try contacting the Rhode Island Historical Society to see if they would be interested. There is a chance they could find a donor willing to contribute the necessary funds.</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.rihs.org/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.rihs.org/" rel="nofollow">https://www.rihs.org/</a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>I want to take this opportunity to explain some things about museums. The standards for museum operations have evolved over the years. The American Alliance of Museums (formerly the American Association of Museums) has established standards of practice and a code of ethics that guide most modern professional museums. A museum accredited by the AAM is bound to uphold these standards.</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.aam-us.org/programs/ethics-standards-and-professional-practices/code-of-ethics-for-museums/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.aam-us.org/programs/ethics-standards-and-professional-practices/code-of-ethics-for-museums/" rel="nofollow">https://www.aam-us.org/programs/ethics-standards-and-professional-practices/code-of-ethics-for-museums/</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Under these guidelines a museum should have a collections policy that, among other things, describes the scope of what types of objects it collects. If a donated object fits well within the museum&#039;s collecting criteria it should be expected that it will be retained and well taken care of. Deaccessioning and sale of collections is strongly discouraged, and usually taken only as a last resort. If an object no longer fits the museum&#039;s collecting goals, or the museum cannot take appropriate care of an object, it is preferable to find another museum to transfer it to. Any sales that do take place must be public, and any funds generated cannot be used for general operations but must be targeted toward enhancing the collection through acquisition of different items and/or care of the existing collection.</p><p><br /></p><p>That said, museums must retain the right to make adjustments in their collections and goals while adhering to their functions as a public trust. This is why they avoid accepting donations as &quot;loans&quot; or with any other strings attached. Why should they spend their limited resources providing safe, secure, climate controlled housing for items that do not belong to them?</p><p><br /></p><p>The best way to insure that a museum will preserve an object or collection is to have a thoughtful discussion with them before donating. Find out if the object fits in with their collecting goals, that they don&#039;t have fifty examples of the same thing already, that there will not be insurmountable problems in storage (eg. the object is simply too large), or that its condition requires special expertise the museum does not have, etc. Unfortunately, some museums are reluctant to turn away donations because they don&#039;t want to cause offense that might discourage a more useful donation later. They are eager to maintain good relations with their community. And some donors think they are the best judge of what should be in the museum. It is a delicate dance, and the more candid the discussion the better off the object will be.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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