Len's advice is spot on, as always. 99% of the time the digital signature is acceptable, but there are legal jurisdictions / situations in which it may not be. If the loan is international, then the other country's laws have to be taken into account.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_signature#Enforceability_of_electronic_signatures https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_signatures_and_law It's not such a bad idea to have a paper copy with a physical signature filed somewhere, to fall back on in case of future legal battles. Just an extra precaution. (Still a good idea to remember that we have no idea what will be renderable by software 20 or 30 years from now.) Not critical for loan agreements, perhaps, but for donations/bequests/acquisitions. Our policy: paper and real signature as the bottom line standard. Digital copies and emails for everyday use. Amalyah Keshet Head of Image Resources & Copyright Management The Israel Museum, Jerusalem ----------------------------- [Insert your disclaimer here] ----------------------------- -----Original Message----- From: mcn-l-boun...@mcn.edu [mailto:mcn-l-boun...@mcn.edu] On Behalf Of Suzanne Quigley Sent: 20 August, 2015 3:51 PM To: Museum Computer Network Listserv Subject: Re: [MCN-L] digital signatures on loan agreements I just signed one yesterday with a digital signature. It never occurred to me that it might not be accepted. I saved the doc as a pdf before i emailed it. I don't see much difference between printing out the form, signing it, scanning it, saving it as a pdf and then emailing it- other than all the steps involved! I'll be interested to hear what others say. ++++++++++++ Suzanne Quigley 917 676 9039 ArtAndArtifactServices.com > On Aug 19, 2015, at 3:59 PM, Ellen Stevens <estev...@mail.nysed.gov> wrote: > > Anyone out there using electronic (digital) signatures for loan > agreements or other common museum agreements? If so, what methods do > you use to verify the authenticity of the signature and the integrity > of the document? I’ve read a bit about third-party certificate > authorities but I’m not clear on how (or if) this works in conjunction > with products like Adobe Acrobat or how it differs from Adobe’s ‘Fill > and Sign’ functionality? > > Any information you’d be willing to share would be appreciated as we > are just getting started….. > > Thanks, > Ellen M. Stevens, Collections Information Manager Research & > Collections, New York State Museum CEC 3140 Albany, New York 12203 > 518.408.1522 > ellen.stev...@nysed.gov > > > _______________________________________________ You are currently subscribed to mcn-l, the listserv of the Museum Computer Network (http://www.mcn.edu) To post to this list, send messages to: mcn-l@mcn.edu To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit: http://mcn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l The MCN-L archives can be found at: http://www.mail-archive.com/mcn-l@mcn.edu/ _______________________________________________ You are currently subscribed to mcn-l, the listserv of the Museum Computer Network (http://www.mcn.edu) To post to this list, send messages to: mcn-l@mcn.edu To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit: http://mcn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l The MCN-L archives can be found at: http://www.mail-archive.com/mcn-l@mcn.edu/