Art,

Don't mistake what I was suggesting--there are institutions such as universities with Special Collections that are looking for papers and other collections to round out or augment their holdings. They have funds earmarked for certain kinds of materials. Smithsonian has asked, and the honor is significant. But don't be surprised if, now the news is out, a university somewhere politely inquires if you'd like to donate your collection to them instead, and perhaps offers to purchase a portion of it to sweeten the offer. It happens all of the time. At my university they regularly work out arrangements with donors so they and their family have guaranteed access to materials. Some may be delivered at time of purchase, the remainder to be sent after the owner's death or at some agreed upon time. The funds used for these purchases are usually those provided by the Friends of the Libraries or other donors who want the library to be able to purchase materials they find significant when they learn of them. You know what's real popular now? Photo collections. We have a growing number of them. They are a treasure trove many times over.

Lets see, University of Texas at Austin, University of Oregon, University of Washington, UBC. . .

SRS