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Re: Any Item In Your Collection HOF Worthy?
I also wanted to comment on a library/museum's perspective on donations. At first glance, it looks like a good deal. After all, they're getting something for free, right? A lot of people don't see quite how expensive each donation can be.
Let's take something simple like a book. It costs at least $50-100 for most places to accept a title.
1) They would have a professional cataloger examine it and create and entry with appropriate classifications and housing location (what use is it if nobody can find it). Even if a cataloger spends 20 minutes with it, that adds up fast.
2) Security features are added; like taddle tape or microembossing. The books might be processed with a spine label and it might also be encased in a mylar type plastic or get its own archival box. You're paying someone to do all of that, plus the cost of materials.
3) Then they house it in a climate controlled vault. They only have a certain amount of square footage. The space it uses is an expense.
4) I don't know what kind of insurance they have, but each addtional item would in theory cost them more here too. Of course this is particularly relevant if the item is of significant value.
If you wanted to really get granual and start talking about other expenses, your cataloging software, online catalog, computers/server/etc, and security systems are also costs.
Anyway, I won't argue each expense. Some are a matter of accounting and depreciation and I'm sure I left other costs out, but the general point is, each donation is expensive. That is why they really only try to take items to fill holes in their collection. Even if you have a fantastic item worthy of their collection, they might not take it if they already have something like it.
Chris
I also wanted to comment on a library/museum's perspective on donations. At first glance, it looks like a good deal. After all, they're getting something for free, right? A lot of people don't see quite how expensive each donation can be.
Let's take something simple like a book. It costs at least $50-100 for most places to accept a title.
1) They would have a professional cataloger examine it and create and entry with appropriate classifications and housing location (what use is it if nobody can find it). Even if a cataloger spends 20 minutes with it, that adds up fast.
2) Security features are added; like taddle tape or microembossing. The books might be processed with a spine label and it might also be encased in a mylar type plastic or get its own archival box. You're paying someone to do all of that, plus the cost of materials.
3) Then they house it in a climate controlled vault. They only have a certain amount of square footage. The space it uses is an expense.
4) I don't know what kind of insurance they have, but each addtional item would in theory cost them more here too. Of course this is particularly relevant if the item is of significant value.
If you wanted to really get granual and start talking about other expenses, your cataloging software, online catalog, computers/server/etc, and security systems are also costs.
Anyway, I won't argue each expense. Some are a matter of accounting and depreciation and I'm sure I left other costs out, but the general point is, each donation is expensive. That is why they really only try to take items to fill holes in their collection. Even if you have a fantastic item worthy of their collection, they might not take it if they already have something like it.
Chris
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