Museum Administration

Recently, a young graduate student was overheard discussing how difficult it must be to run a modern museum.  She is not alone.  It is likely than many, if not all, aspiring museum professionals have thought museum administration is difficult after their first course on the topic, or even their first real world introduction to facets of the role.  There are many that have been in the field for years that believe this notion.  They are not wrong.  However, to say museum administration is merely “difficult” is a vast understatement and does not even come close to articulating the dynamic complexities that come along with such a position.

 To different people, “difficult” has different meanings.   To some, “difficult” describes navigating metropolitan Atlanta traffic at noon on Sunday.  It is achievable, but takes paying attention, watching for the occasional lunatic, and never following the speed limit.   For others, “difficult” is a little further down the spectrum of challenges and might be equated to navigating the same asphalt circuits at 5:00pm on a Tuesday, on a motorcycle, with 4 inches of snow on the ground. Still achievable, but the odds are against you.   Seasoned museum administrators will likely tell you that, unfortunately, their job is closer to the latter for a litany of reasons.   It is not that these professionals are inept in their duties, but rather that their roles are often so complex and numerous that it only seems the deck is constantly stacked against them.

However, it is proven time and time again, all over the world, that museum administration may indeed be difficult, but it is not impossible.  It is because of the diligence, passion, and dedication of museum professionals as a whole that the field is far from an abysmal state.   Successful professionals in the field of museum administration don’t happen by accident.  First and foremost, they are leaders.  They are aware of and hold a high value for the public trust placed upon cultural institutions.  They work within a strong structure or they develop one around them.  They adhere to the core tenets of the field and can adapt to the challenges within their operating environment.  Museum administrators come from a plethora of backgrounds and have had varied paths to their position.  None are identical, but they all will have these attributes in common.  For a successful museum, these elements are intricately woven together. 

Leadership

In a number of ways, heading a museum is no different from providing management in any industry. Both share the rigors of operations, accounting, marketing, scheduling, compliance with regulations, and so on. In a number of other ways, nonprofit and for-profit management bear absolutely no resemblance of one another.

Core Documents

The structure of the organization relies on the people and providing those people with guidance is the epitome of the administrator’s role. For a museum, the organization can clearly articulate these values through its core documents. The mission and vision, a strategic vision, an ethics code, a collections plan, and an emergency response plan are the five core documents that should be entrenched in every aspect of the museum’s activities and serve as the pillars supporting the entire organization. Together, they provide a rigid central core for the organization.

Public Trust

Public trust is a concern for everyone interacting with the community. In the for-profit sector, businesses are numerous, usually offer services or goods to the public, and are dependent on a certain level of consumer trust to continually operate. Their reputation is important. However, cultural institutions such as museums are often alone or with very few competitors in any sample community, so their reputation is even more paramount.

Structure

Public trust is built upon the perception of ethical operations, but it is also dependent on support of the museum’s mission, recognition of the community needs, and belief in the leadership of the museum to serve those needs. The substrate of community support is dependent on the structure of the museum. Like any structure destined for a long life, it must have strength along with a degree of flexibility for adaptation to changing community needs.

Flexibility

Evolving communities have evolving needs. In order to serve a community’s shifting needs and continue to stay relevant, a museum must adapt. Flexibility is not optional for the modern museum administration.

Museum administration is indeed complex. However, it is achievable if one chooses to capitalize on the thousands of years’ worth of experience that is readily available. It is not rocket science and can be navigated with several common concepts outlined repeatedly in every medium imaginable. Google makes discovery of solutions quick. Comprehensive books about the field make preparation thorough. The seasoned professionals in your area make it personal and precisely aligned with a particular situation. They are more than willing to help. Museum administration will sometimes be as hard as navigating Atlanta traffic at 5:00pm on a Tuesday, in a snowstorm, on a motorcycle. Nevertheless, with passion, preparation, and the right people around, the ride can still be enjoyable.