An Introduction to The Small Museum Toolkit: Book 3, Organizational Management

Carol Bolton Betts, editor for the Illinois Heritage Association, wrote an overview of The Small Museum Toolkit as part of the IHA’s Technical Insert series.  The IHA has graciously allowed The Small Museum Toolkit to share this introduction in seven blog posts during July and August. The posts will help you to get to know about the content of the Toolkit from an outside perspective.

While money matters, money isn’t everything. A museum may be well funded, but if it is not organized and well managed it will en­counter many problems. The contributors to this book delve into several areas that require astute management in a museum.

In chapter 1, Claudia J. Nicholson likens a museum’s building to an important artifact; it must be cared for and made safe and secure for the collections, staff, and visitors. She discusses policies that help to achieve such security. Part of this involves obtaining proper insurance, and Nicholson writes about the types of insurance that are recommended in a museum. Another aspect of ensuring security is the generation of income. Renting out the museum facility is sometimes a good way to accomplish this. Nicholson lists considerations that will help a museum evaluate whether this is a desirable move.

The remaining chapters of book 3 are devoted to management of the people inside the museum building. Patricia Anne Murphy writes in chapter 2 about human resource administration. She covers policies and procedures that will enable the small history organization to build and manage a great administrative team. She tells what a personnel manual should contain and shows how to write meaningful job descriptions for both paid staff and vol­unteers. Murphy gives tips on evaluating job applicants and then providing an environment in which employees and volunteers can flourish. In chapter 3, Patricia L. Miller concentrates on the importance of volunteers, who make a museum’s programs possible. While a board member is the most important of volunteers, she writes, many other types of volunteers are needed, including nontraditional ones such as youth, families, and even distance volunteers, who may help via the Internet from their homes. Miller tells how to recruit, train, nurture, evaluate, and recognize volunteers. She advises about the legal and ethical con­cerns of dealing with volunteers, and even covers how a volunteer may be let go, if that should prove necessary.

Chapter 4 concerns the ways interns can assist a history organi­zation. Amanda Wesselmann provides valuable information on establishing an internship program. After defining internships and discussing the characteristics of interns, who are usually undergraduate or graduate students, she gives specific steps for recruiting and managing interns. Unpaid internships are increas­ing in the corporate world, but they have been commonplace for small museums. However, Wesselmann suggests creative ways that interns can be compensated, including through course credit. A good internship program should mutually benefit the intern and the organization, and the author suggests meaningful projects to accomplish this. She also recommends intern evalua­tion and feedback.

In the final chapter of book 3, Eileen McHugh ties together many sources that can be organized to ensure a small museum’s survival, especially in times of dwindling financial resources. Collaboration with other organizations—for example, nearby museums, libraries, human service organizations, business as­sociations, schools, and fraternal organizations—is the key. After a museum examines its own strengths it can create a successful partnership program with realistic goals. In the end, all collabora­tive partners can learn much from evaluating the project. McHugh gives details of two successful real-life collaborative programs that can guide others.

Book 3 concludes with three appendixes that relate to several of the foregoing chapters. Appendix A presents an application for employment; appendix B is a sample application rating form for museum education and tour coordinator candidates; and appen­dix C is an employee evaluation form.

Adapted from Carol Bolton Betts, “An Introduction to The Small Museum Toolkit,” Illinois Heritage Association, Technical Insert 177 (May-June 2012). As a volunteer, Ms. Betts has done editorial work for the Illinois Heritage Association (illinoisheritage.org) since 1982. She was an editor at the University of Illinois Press for twenty years, working primarily on books about art and architecture, film, women’s history, and subjects related to the history of Illinois. Earlier she served on the staff of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and taught art history at Villanova University and at California State University–Los Angeles. 

Your Most Important Two Words: "Thank You"

Building an effective team is essential to any museum's success.  One of the most crucially important ways to help people feel that they are part of the team is to devise strategies to effectively thank and salute those who help your museum in any way. Saying thank you often and creatively in person, by a phone call, through an e-mail, or in your publications is one of the most important ways to insure your success. Little gestures of kindness can go a long ways toward motivating your team. Remember – it is not about you. Banish the word “I” from your vocabulary – give your team the credit they deserve for all that you achieve together!

Saying thank you can also be a group team-building activity. Have the staff spend 15 minutes at a staff meeting writing personal thank you notes to people who helped at a recent event. Or ask the Board to write personal thank yous on annual fund thank you letters to people they know at the end of the board meeting. Or, nominate a volunteer for a statewide award. Get others on your team to write letters of support. Pack up a car load of people to attend and applaud. Bring your cameras and make sure to send copies to all who participated as well as to the media. People who feel their efforts are genuinely appreciated are more apt to want to continue to help and to offer their financial support.

Showcase all that has been accomplished (or 10 great things that have been done this year) in an upbeat presentation at your annual membership meeting or holiday staff-volunteer gathering. This can help generate enthusiasm, encourage participation by new volunteers, and build team spirit for working together to accomplish your mission.

Patricia Murphy is the first executive director of the Oberlin Heritage Center which attained American Association of Museums accreditation in 2005 under her leadership.  She has a B.A. in history from Grinnell College and a Master of Architectural History degree from the University of Virginia.  She is a graduate of the Seminar for Historic Administration and the Getty Museum Leadership Institute.  She serves on the American Association of Museums Accreditation Commission and is the past President of the Ohio Association of Historical Societies and Museums.