RFI: laws, permits, and museums

[Sally Shelton]

For the files on laws and permits, especially Federal and international =
scientific permits, I am looking for documented accounts of museums of any =
type or discipline that have encountered legal problems with ownership, =
accessioning, deaccessioning, or other transactions involving permit =
disputes. This might involve (but is not limited to) shipping, customs, =
donation, lending, collecting, and other problems, and includes objects =
made with biological and/or geological materials as well as intact =
specimens. I do need documented as opposed to anecdotal or confidential =
accounts.=20

I am also interested in finding out if any museum has successfully used =
the ASC-USFWS MOU to accept material from a private donor without the =
donor's having a permit. (If you don't know what that is, I  can explain =
off-list, but chances are you haven't used this if it looks unfamiliar.) =
Please reply off-list to spare everyone else the legalese. Many thanks!

Sally Shelton
Collections Officer
National Museum of Natural History
Smithsonian Institution
Washington, DC   20560-0107
phone (202) 786-2601, FAX (202) 786-2328
email <Shelton.Sally at nmnh.si.edu>