Disclaimer

The resources provided on this page are examples that may or may not serve the particular needs of your museum.  These resources are not endorsed or warranted by the Iowa Museum Association.  These resources are provided solely for your information and convenience.  

Five Core Documents

Five documents are essential for legal and professional museum operations.  If your institution does not have these documents in place, see examples on this page or contact the Iowa Museum Association about enrolling in the next STEPS-IMA cohort.

1 Mission statement
2 Institutional code of ethics
3 Strategic plan
4 Disaster preparedness/emergency response plan
5 Collections management policy

For additional topics, see archived video presentations posted at IMAOnLineLearning.com / IMA Plugged-In.

IMA Plugged-In is a free monthly learning series presented the third Monday of each month at noon central time.  Presentations are recorded at posted at IMAOnLineLearning.com by the year in which they were presented.

Register for IMA Plugged-In here.

Participate in STEPS-IMA!
STEPS-IMA is a cohort style learning group.  The purpose of STEPS-IMA is to provide content, training, mentoring, and peer support to enable museums to work toward basic, good or better practices as defined in a national curriculum, and thus better serve their communities as stewards, educational partners, and community anchor organizations.

More information here.

Leadership & Governance Resources

Hewison, Robert and John Holden.  The Cultural Leadership Handbook: How to Run a Creative Organization (Gower Pub., 2011).

BoardSource -  Visit Board Source for examples of:
Board Member Orientation Packet Checklist
Board Member Job Description
Board Member Self Assessment Matrix

Development Resources

DeWitt, Brydon M.  The Nonprofit Development Companion (John Wiley & Sons, 2011).

Marketing and Public Relations - American Alliance of Museums

 

Are You a Good Board Member?
(Adobe PDF File)
Executive Director Evaluation Form
(Microsoft Word Document)
Board Staff Assessment
(Adobe PDF File)
Vesterheim Bylaws
(Adobe PDF File)
Overtime and Nonprofits
(Adobe PDF File)

Interpretation Resources


Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area Interpretation Manual
Telling a story in 100 words
(Adobe PDF File)

Management & Planning Resources


Long term and strategic planning
Space Utilization
Security
Facility Management

Risk Management (pdf below) "Are You Adequately Protecting Your Museum" Courtesy of the Virginia Association of Museums

Making Historic Properties Accessible by Thomas C. Jester and Sharon C. Park, AIA, US Department of the Interior, National Park Services, Cultural Resources, Heritage Preservation Services, Preservation Brief #32.

Genoways, Hugh H. and Lynne M. Ireland.  Museum Administration: An Introduction. (Rowan Altamira, 2003).

Herskovitz, Robert, Timothy Glines and David Grabitske.  Building Museums: A Handbook for Small and Midsize Organizations.  (Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2012).
Risk Management
(Adobe PDF File)
Iowa State University video - How to respond to an active shooter on campus.

Stewardship of Collections Resources

The National Trust Manual of Housekeeping (The National Trust, 2006).

Buck, Rebecca A. and Jean Allman Gilmore, eds., The New Museum Registration Methods (American Association of Museums, 1998).

IRS Publication 561.
Museum staff and volunteers cannot appraise donations for tax purposes, nor may they appraise items as a service for the donor, nor may they hire an appraiser for the donor. IRS Publication 561 specifically prohibits both donors and the receiving institution from appraising items for donation purposes. 

Iowa Law - Chapter 305B Museum Property Act
Temporary Custody Reciept
(Adobe PDF File)
Outgoing Loans
(Adobe PDF File)
CFHS Collections Policy
(Adobe PDF File)

Audience & Engagement Resources

Magnetic: The Art and Science of Engagement by Anne Bergeron and Beth Tuttle.  The AAM Press.



Demonstrating Relevance
(Adobe PDF File)