Museum Collection Ethics

Steven Miller has been in the museum field for nearly fifty years. During that time he has been a curator, administrator, director, trustee, writer, consultant, and museum studies educator. He has served with six major museums in the northeastern United States. He holds a BA in sculpture (with honors) from Bard College and an international graduate certificate in the Principles of Conservation Science from the International Centre for the Study of the Conservation and Preservation of Cultural Property, Rome, Italy.

• DedicationList of IllustrationsPrefaceAcknowledgmentsChapter 1. Defining a MuseumChapter 2. Museum GovernanceChapter 3. Ethics and MuseumsChapter 4. Collection AuthorityChapter 5. Museum Collecting MethodsChapter 6. Acquisition EthicsChapter 7. Ethics and Collection AuthenticityChapter 8. Collection Stewardship and AccessChapter 9. Ethics and ConservationChapter 10. Exhibition EthicsChapter 11. Ethics and Collection LossChapter 12. Museum Collection Ethics StandardsAppendix I. Museum Positions with Direct Collection ConnectivityAppendix II. The Declaration on the Importance and Value of Universal Museums, 2002Appendix III. A Code of Ethics for Curators, American Association of Museums, Curators Committee, 2009Appendix IV. Penn Museum Statement on Human RemainsAppendix V. The Cleveland Museum of Art News Release on Open AccessAppendix VI. American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. Core Documents: Code of Ethics and Guidelines for PracticeAppendix VII. “The Ethics of Deaccessioning,” by Steven MillerAppendix VIII. Corcoran Board of Trustees Announces One of the Largest Free Art Distributions in U.S. History. More than 10,750 Works of Art Going to 22 Institutions in WashingtonBibliographyIndexAbout the Author

Museum Collection Ethics discusses the complexities inherent in acquiring, preserving, and, making accessible to the public the extraordinary range of culturally significant objects entrusted to museums. The book provides an encompassing look at the intellectual, practical and stewardship duties museums by definition assume. Differences between ethics and laws, customs and expectations, practices and potentials are reviewed in the context of museum operations. These considerations are not synonymous. Each has its own characteristics. All infuse how museums treat collections.