We have an anonymous donor that mails in donations with no return address (or, if a return address is included, it is the museum's address). Sometimes the material would be a nice addition to the collection, and sometimes it is not something we are interested in accessioning, but either way I have no donor information and no way to make contact. I'm interested to hear if anyone has dealt with a similar situation.
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Whitney Broadaway
Collections Manager
Orange County Regional History Center
Orlando FL
Original Message:
Sent: 11-06-2015 12:58 PM
From: Keri Koehler
Subject: Abandoned Property & Unwanted Donations
Hi,
I'm interested in hearing from other institutions if they have experience with unsolicited "donations" being dropped off at their museum (with no documentation) or sent to the museum by mail. Since such items are then technically in the possession of the museum and they are not wanted by the museum, what rights does the museum have to do with the items? Is this a case where abandoned property laws must be followed?
If you've had experience with this at your institution, I'd love to hear from you.
Thanks.
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Keri Koehler
Collections Manager
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
San Francisco CA
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