Author: Ullberg, Alan D. and Ullberg, Patricia

Publication Year: 1981

Media Type: Report

Summary:

Abstract:

Review by Lois Rodin the book Museum Trusteeship [Washington, DC: American Association of Museums, 1981].

Museum Trusteeship is a comprehensive manual of ethical and administrative guidelines for trustees serving on Boards of Directors of museums. Many of the principles included are applicable to boards of exhibit centers and other nonprofit organizations. The book provides information about the responsibilities, administrative structure and operations, appropriate relationships - legal and professional - and accountabilities of a board as a governing body and of its individual members.

The purpose of Museum Trusteeship is to explain the meanings and functions of trusteeship so that a board can effectively strengthen the organization it oversees. Strengthening occurs when a board functions as a guiding force, determining direction, planning goals, formulating policies and monitoring their applications.

By law, trustees are accountable to fellow members of the board, to members of the organization, to staff, to donors, to the public at large, to the state and the courts, to the federal government (IRS codes) and to respond to inquiries by maintaining documentation of board activities. Museum Trusteeship clarifies that serving on a board of directors requires research and study, an interest in the functions of the entire organization and sensitivity to the image and purposes of the institution in the larger world.

Arts & Intersections:

Categories: Governance