I had a similar experience at a well-known museum in Phoenix, Arizona. On two oc
casions I came across books in the bookstore on how to collect artifacts from ar
chaeological sites (one suggested using a stick to flip over items, that way one
 could avoid having to bend over!). Both times I brought this up to the person w
orking the gift shop. They were not interested in whether the book should be sol
d in their shop or not.
 
Currently, a museum in Memphis is exhibiting artifacts recovered from the Titani
c. The company collecting the artifacts is privately held, can sell the artifact
s at any time, refuses to provide documentation on what artifacts it has collect
ed from the Titanic, and has damaged the ship trying to collect specific pieces.
 I realize that the exhibit will make a lot of money from the exhibit, but I am
not sure how ethical such an exhibit is.
 
Homer Thiel
Tucson, AZ