A practical guide to museum ethics / Sally Yerkovich.

"With money increasingly difficult to raise, is a museum more likely to accede to potential funders' demands even when those demands might compromise the museum's integrity? When a museum is struggling with debilitating debt, should the sale of selected items from its collections and the use of the resulting proceeds bring the museum into a more stable financial position? When a museum attempts to build its attendance and attract local visitors by crowdsourcing exhibitions, is it undermining its integrity? Ethical questions about museum activities are legion, yet they are usually only discussed when they become headlines in newspapers. Museum staff respond to such problems under pressure, often unable to take the time required to think through the sensitive and complex issues involved. Grounded in a series of case studies, A Practical Guide to Museum Ethics confronts types of ethical dilemmas museums face and explores attempts to resolve them in chapters dealing with accessibility, disability, and diversity; collections; conflict of interest; governance; management; deaccessioning; and accountability and transparency. Suitable for classroom use as well as a professional reference, here is a comprehensive, practical guide for dealing with ethical issues in museums"--From publisher's website.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 213-223) and index.

Introduction and framework for approaching ethical problems -- Mission, principles and ethics -- Distinguishing ethical issues from operational and management problems -- The ethics of museum governance and leadership -- The ethics of acquiring and managing collections -- The ethics of caring for and conserving collections -- Ethical dilemmas of deaccessioning -- Ethical problems related to fundraising and other income producing activities -- Controversy and censorship -- Restitution, repatriation or retention? : the ethics of cultural heritage -- Museum visitors : ethical issues concerning diversity and access -- Appendix 1: American Alliance of Museums: Code of ethics for museums -- Appendix 2: International Council of Museums: ICOM code of ethics for museums -- Appendix 3: American Association of State and Local history: Statement of professional standards and ethics -- Appendix 4: Association of Art Museum Directors: Professional practices in art museums.