The Principles of Afieseieni Adininisfra/ion. 203 



which can hope to inchide all departments, and which can with safety 

 encourage growth in every direction. 



6. Small museums, it is needless to say, can not attempt specialization 

 in the same degree as large ones, but the principles just enunciated should 

 be constantly kept in view, even by the least of them. 



C . — COIJ.ECTIONS. 



I. The sources of collections are the following: (a) by gift; (b') by 

 purchase; (r) by exchange; {d) by collecting and exploration; {e) by 

 construction; (/) through deposit or temporary loan. 



«• By gift. 



Acquisition by gift is a most important source, but very uncertain. 

 If a museum has a plan to which it intends to adhere, a large propor- 

 tion of the gifts offered to it will be unavailable; while on the other 

 hand only a small proportion of the desiderata will ever be thus 

 obtained. A museum may properly, by the offer of a large and com- 

 plete collection illustrating a subject outside of its plan, be induced to 

 expand its scope. In the case of a large benefaction of this kind, 

 necessitating extensive changes in installation, there will always be 

 careful consideration of the result. It should be borne in mind, 

 however, that the random, thoughtless acceptance of proffered gifts, 

 which, insignificant in itself, but in the course of a few years by no 

 means insignificant in the consumption of space and money for their 

 care, may modify the plan of a museum in a most radical manner. It 

 requires quite as much judgment and mental effort on the part of a 

 museum officer to keep out unsuitable objects as to bring in those 

 which are desirable. 



b. By purcliase. 



Acquisition by purchase is often the only means of obtaining 

 desirable objects, particularly so in the case of art museums, least 

 so in natural history museums. Money is especially necessary for 

 the filling of gaps in series obtained by gift or otherwise. 



c. By exchange. 



Acquisition by exchange is especially advantageous, since it ena- 

 bles a museum to dispose of unavailable duplicate material. When 

 exchanges are made with well-conducted museums, there is the addi- 

 tional advantage that the materials thus obtained have been studied 

 and identified by expert authorities. Little is gained by conducting 

 exchanges in a commercial spirit and insisting on too exact valua- 

 tions and balancing of equivalents, especially when the parties to the 

 exchange are public institutions. Large museums in dealing with 

 small ones may often advantageously give largely and receive com- 

 paratively little in roturn, since they not only become disembarrassed 

 of useless duplicates not desired by institutions of equal rank, but 



