> The one warehouse you can't go into has been sealed for years
> with no inventory list as the warehouse has an asbestos ceiling.
> Yes, the last scene in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" is a very
> accurate representation of the Smithsonian warehouses.

Holy smoke!  I had no idea that that scene was accurate.

I've been sore at the Smithsonian for years because of their lousy
electrical exhibits and general disregard of historic technology.
They reduced the lighting in the basement gallery where the good
stuff is and generally let things deteriorate.

Upon reading the accounts of some other museums here, I feel better
about the way our science museum (once the county historical museum,
but it changed course years ago) has treated donated artifacts.  We
reduced the size of the museum last year, and when we determined that
we could no longer use them in the future, we carefully removed the
donated artifacts from the warehouse shelves, dusted them off, and
arranged for their return to the owners or their heirs.  It took
a good deal of digging to find some of the people.

For their part, museums are often in a difficult position.  Museum
people are often pack-rats, but space is always short.  Time gets
away from us, and even with the best of intentions, records get lost
and artifacts misidentified.  No matter how much we might admire a
particular artifact, museums are run by committees, and our largest
donors are very generous with us but also wish to have the institution
reflect their own artistic vision.

A few weeks at a museum teaches you that there is an awful lot of
stuff in this world.  You love every item, and respect the passion 
(our director calls it such) of the donors, but there is just so much
stuff...

Mark Kinsler

 [ That sounds familiar, Mark.  I love every item in my collection,
 [ and my wife respects my passion, "but Robbie, you got too much
 [ *@%% junk!"  ;-)  -- Robbie