Hello everyone! This is my first posting to the National Trust Historic Sites blog, and I’m thrilled to be using it to announce some great news in the State of New York.
New York Governor David Paterson has recently signed an abandoned property bill, which will go into effect September 4th. New York is the 36th state to have a statute to this effect. This law will provide a process for New York museum staff to follow to resolve the complex issues that arise when property is abandoned at a museum. The phrase “abandoned property” can refer to any number of situations, ranging from how to manage mystery ‘donations’ left at the museum’s doorstep, to resolving the status of objects loaned to a museum, sometimes decades ago, for which all efforts to locate the lender or heirs have failed. The bill also addresses some issues relating to the use of deaccessioning funds from sale of historical artifacts, conservation treatments for loaned property, and collections-related record keeping.
You can learn more about the bill on the website of the Museum Association of New York . The text of the law is available on the New York State Assembly or New York State Senate websites, where you can click on bill search. Search by the bill’s numbers: A11719 or S8650.
