October 15, 1999

Proposals (archaeological items offered)

Dear Sir,
We are recieving your newsletters regularly for some months now, and you seem to have built up quite a network and a lot of knowledge regarding museum security. It is for this reason that we decided to contact your organisation.
Recently, the ++/++ support project team, whose mission is the restoration of the ++++ Museum of +++ in +++, was offered archaeological items from ++++.
We suppose that, technically speaking, any archeological item found in ++++ is national property. So, the payment of a fee has no formal grounds. Also, any payment would create a precedent and maybe prove to be an incentive for others, as ++++ is a very poor country, to go treasure hunting or to go looting. And finally, payments would put us in an embarrassing situation, for we would become part of something that we would not like to be part of.
On the other hand, as we would like to preserve the cultural heritage and to prevent objects from leaving the country, we ask ourselves if there is a satisfying way to handle this, by, for example, providing a fee for expenses.
As we certainly are not the only ones to find themselves in this kind of situation, could you perhaps advise us? Maybe you could indicate if there is an international code of conduct regarding these matters, or if there have been similar cases in the past?
We would appreciate your discretion in this delicate matter.
On behalf ++++++++++,
R. H.

From: IntlArtCop@aol.com
Subject:

Re: sprinklers in the library

In a message dated 10/11/99 11:42:47 PM, Chris Mullen writes regarding sprinklers in the library:

We've had several contractors visit us, but as far as I know, none has had any experience with sprinkler installations, or other fire suppression technology, in a large library-- nobody in Montana has that kind of experience. They've just worked in warehouses, etc. Naturally, we will not be contracting a job like this out of state!

You will not be contracting the installation of this system to an out of state contractor but you certainly should be looking nationally for someone with fire protection engineering experience to prepare specifications and bid documents for this work.
Why not look out of state for that talent? The interstate commerce clause of the US Constitution prevents you from restricting this work to only Montana residents. Every other state brings in consultants from around the country with qualifications being the primary justification. By the way, I'm not available for this work so don't regard this as a solicitation, only a reply to you, but as an example, I am currently working on state funded projects in five states other than my own. It is extremely rare for a state university to use an architect or specialty consultant from the home state. Why wouldn't you solicit proposals from fire protection engineers around the country so that they can guide the work of the local contractor who lacks experience in your library environment?
Many people think that it is too expensive to go out of state for design talent but this is not true. For me to get state funded jobs in those five states, I had to be low bidder or most qualified and near low bidder. I'd talk to your procurement people and find out why you can't go outside the state for the expertise you need. You can bet that if it were my project to oversee and I was trying to install a fire suppression system in a cultural property in an earthquake prone area, I'd go to San Francisco for expertise if I had to.
Many projects like this are handled with a design team. Sure you can't find a local engineer with all of the expertise. (By the way, note that I said engineer, not sprinkler installation vendor). But you can find a qualified installation contractor in your area, and have a specifying engineer specify the work to be done in detail and define the systems to be used.
You have a multi-million dollar building and multi-million dollar collection and you are buying and installing a system that costs hundreds of thousands in taxpayer dollars and will be in the building for decades. This justifies going wherever you have to, to find the team you have to, to get the job done right.
If you absolutely can't find anyone to do this design, give me a call during business hours EST and I will try to give you a referral but it will be for an engineer with specialty expertise, not for an installation contractor.
Steve Keller
(904) 673-9973

From: "lbcsnider" lbcsnider@email.msn.com
Subject:

RE: Food and Drinks (including water) in gallery

The situation you describe is very common. Short of asking someone for a doctor's statement to verify a person's condition and need for close proximity to water, we stick to the policy of no food or drink in the galleries. The only exceptions are baby bottles / breast feeding. We staunchly suggest that the parent relocate to a more comfortable area (our cafe or reception area) to perform feeding.
If there are water fountains within close proximity to the gallery spaces (which there certainly should be), direct the guest to it; allowing some guests to drink in the galleries and not others is opening a big can of worms. Challenge the guests by explaining our reasons for the rule (art preservation!), and offer to assist - personally lead the guest to an area where he / she may refresh him / herself. A smile and a helpful attitude can do much to alleviate the concerns of the guest. Help them get what they want while enforcing the rule. A little extra effort, and both sides win.
Respectfully,
Brent C. Snider, CST
Director, Protection Services
Indianapolis Museum of Art

From: Tamara Evans tevans@arches.uga.edu
Subject:

Power Outages

Hello All!
A question for the list . . .
What would an institution do to protect it's collection from temperature and humidity fluctuations if the building and the HVAC system suddenly was without power for a short period of time?
Please respond on or off list.
Thank you.
Tammy Evans tevans@arches.uga.edu
Security Director Georgia Museum of Art

From: Ron Koster ron@PSYMON.COM
Subject: In the news:

Rare Ptolemy Book Found in Germany

Rare Ptolemy Book Found in Germany FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) _
A 15th-century atlas and 10 other rare books that disappeared from a Polish library have been found at an auction house in Germany, Polish and German officials said Wednesday. Among them was a copy of astronomer Ptolemy's ``Cosmografia,'' published in 1483 and valued at $670,000. The Reiss and Sohn auction house in Koenigstein an Taunus, near Frankfurt, confirmed that Polish experts, working with German prosecutors, identified the books this week. Library records, descriptions, microfilm and copies were used to identify the works, said Zbigniew Pietrzyk, director of the special historical collection at the Jagiellonian Library in Krakow, Poland. ``They had no doubt,'' Pietrzyk said. ``This is a great joy.'' The books were among 51 reported missing from the Krakow library last April. The books at Reiss and Sohn had been due to be sold at auction Oct. 20-21. The Frankfurt prosecutors' office confiscated them last week to allow Polish officials to examine them. It was unclear how the books left the Krakow library and reached Germany. A spokesman for the Frankfurt prosecutor's office, Job Tilmann, said there were no plans to pursue any charges against the auction house.