Mission and Planning

Mission

• Do staff and governing authority members have a clear, shared understanding of the museum’s mission?
• Do the collections support this mission?
• Are policies, procedures and resource allocation focused on fulfilling the mission?

Planning

• Are staff and governing authority members engaged in an effective planning process for the museum’s future?
• Does this planning effectively address the most important issues regarding collections use, care, and development?

Interpretation

Audiences and Visitors

• Does the museum clearly identify its target audiences and take appropriate steps to serve their needs?
• Are the museum’s collections and collecting tied to the needs of its audiences?

Community

• Does the museum have a clear understanding of its role in the community?
• Is the community active in and supportive of the museum?

Public Programs

• Do the museum’s programs make effective and appropriate use of its collections?
• Do the collections support the museum’s programming goals?

Exhibitions

• Do the museum’s exhibits make effective and appropriate use of its collections?
• Do the collections support the museum’s exhibit program?

Research (for museums conducting or supporting research)

• Is the quality and extent of research fulfilling the potential of the collections?

Publications

• Do the publications have appropriate goals for communicating with the museum’s audiences and community regarding the collections and do they achieve these goals?

Marketing and Public Relations

• Are the museum’s collections integrated into the image it presents to the public?

Collections Stewardship

Scope of Collections

• Are the collections appropriate to the museum’s mission?

Collections Management

• Is the museum exercising responsible stewardship of the collections?
• Is the museum making effective use of its resources to provide appropriate care for its collections?

 Acquisitions and Accessioning

• Is there an effective process guiding the content of the collections?
• Is the museum functioning legally and ethically in the way it obtains its collections?

Deaccessioning and Disposal

• Is there deaccessioning that needs to occur and, if so, are there procedures in place to facilitate this?
• Is the museum functioning legally and ethically in the way it deaccessions and disposes of its collections?

Loans

• Are the museum’s loan activities appropriate to the support of its mission and service of its audience?
• Are there appropriate procedures to document and safeguard incoming and outgoing loans?

Legal Issues

• Is the museum exercising oversight to ensure that it is in compliance with any applicable local, state or federal laws and regulations?

Safety as it Relates to the Collections

• Do museum staff have the knowledge and resources it needs to detect and manage safety issues related to the collections?
• Are procedures in place that protect staff and visitors from any collections-related hazards?

Documentation

• Is the museum maintaining documentation that is sufficient to establish ownership of its collections and to track all associated data?

Backlog

• If the museum has a backlog of unprocessed or uncatalogued material, how does this impact the use of space, care of collections and need for resources?
• Are there plans and procedures in place to manage this backlog?

Inventory

• Does the museum have procedures in place to verify what collections it holds, their status, and their location?

Risk Management

• Does the museum have a sound understanding of what factors pose the greatest risks to the collections it holds?
• Is the museum exercising appropriate management to mitigate these risks?
• Are there effective plans and procedures in place to respond to emergencies affecting the collection, and are staff trained in the implementation of these plans and procedures?

Conservation

• Does the museum have conservation issues for which it should seek assistance?

Administration and Finance

Staff

• Does staff have a clear understanding of responsibilities as they relate to care of the collection?
• Does staffing meet the collections-related needs of the institution in terms of:
  • Number of staff?
  • Responsibilities?
  • Training?
• If not, what additional staff is needed most, and how could the museum obtain the resources to add them?

Finance

• Is the museum in good financial health?
• Is the museum providing appropriate support for the collections use, care and development?

Facilities

• Do the museum’s facilities provide appropriate conditions for collections storage and use?
• Does the museum have effective policies and procedures for maintaining the facilities in good, safe working condition?

Safety and Security

• Does the museum’s emergency preparedness address the greatest risks in an effective manner?
• Does the museum provide a safe working environment for the staff?
• Does the museum provide a secure environment for the collections?

Governance

• Do governing authority members have a clear and shared understanding of their roles and responsibilities in administering a public trust?
• Do governing authority members have a clear and shared understanding of the significance of the museum’s collections, the collection’s role in fulfilling the museum’s mission and the governing authority’s role as stewards of the collections?
• Is the governing authority operating in an effective manner?