Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments


Part 1: Collections and Exhibits

Chapter 1: Found in Collections: Museum Property Statutes to Resolve Abandoned Property Issues in Museums
Gilbert Whittemore, Phd. Esq.

Chapter 2: Stolen Cultural Property: A Risk Management Primer
David L. Hall and Ivana D. Greco

Chapter 3: Museums and Museum Curators: Caught in the Cross-Hairs
Of Authenticity Disputes
Ronald D. Spencer and Judith Wallace

Chapter 4: Nazi-Looted Art—Risks and Best Practices for Museums
Nicholas M. O’Donnell

Chapter 5: A Brief Guide to Provenance Research
Dr. Sharon Flescher

Chapter 6: A Native American Graves Protection Act (NAGPRA) Case Study
Dr. Ellen Savulis

Chapter 7: Road Trip: Reviewing and Creating Contracts for Traveling Exhibits
Julia Hollett Courtney

Chapter 8: Managing Historic Firearms in Museum Collections
Alex MacKenzie and David Arnold


Part 2: Museum Government and Finance

Chapter 9: Monetizing the Collection: The Intersection of Law, Ethics and Trustees Prerogative
Mark S. Gold

Chapter 10: Keeping Deaccessioned Objects in the Public Domain:
Legal and Practical Issues
Stefanie S. Jandl and Mark S. Gold

Chapter 11: There’s No Such Thing as Public Trust, And It’s a Good Thing, Too
Donn Zaretsky

Chapter 12: Endowments and Restricted Gifts: Accessible or “Hands Off ?”
Anita Lichtblau Esq.

Chapter 13: The Fresno METropolitan Museum Story:
Assignment for Benefit of Creditors
Riley Walter

Chapter 14: The Higgins Armory and Worcester Art Museum Integration:
A Case Study in Combining and Transforming Mature Cultural Institutions
James C. Donnelly, Jr. and Catherine M. Colinvaux


Part 3: Museum Operations

Chapter 15: Employee and Independent Contractor Issues in the Museum Context
Ethan S. Klepetar, Esq.

Chapter 16: To Train or Not to Train, Is that a Question?
The Training of Security Officers in Museums
R. Michael Kirchner, CPP


Part 4: Digital Technology and Social Media in Museums

Chapter 17: Social Media: Use Responsibly
Katherine E. Lewis

Chapter 18: Digital and Information Technology at the Museum
Katherine E. Lewis

Chapter 19: Crowdfunding for Museums
Alyssa L. Reiner, Esq.

Chapter 20: Rights and Reproduction: The Rapidly Changing Landscape
Julia Courtney and Katherine E. Lewis

Index
About the Contributors and Editor

About the Author

Julia Courtney has more than twenty years of experience in the museum field, first as a museum educator and more recently as Curator of Art for the Springfield Museums in Massachusetts. Courtney became interested in museum law through Harvard University’s Museum Studies Program and served as moderator for several professional conference sessions on legal issues for museums. She has also published articles on art history and art-related topics.

Reviews

This collection of 20 essays is divided into four sections: Collections and Exhibits, Government and Finance, Operations, and Digital Technology and Social Media, all within a legal framework. The authors, mostly attorneys with backgrounds in the art and museum world, explore diverse topics, among them the status of deaccessioned items, legal aspects of traveling exhibits, security staff, endowments, and provenance research. One chapter examines the laws surrounding museum ownership of firearms. Topics are as current as the legal complications related to a museum’s presence on social media. The target audience is somewhat focused: museum employees in particular. However, students and faculty in programs of museum studies will also find the information in this volume (and others recently issued by this publisher, such as The Manual of Museum Learning) of considerable use. Libraries serving these populations should consider this volume.
*American Reference Books Annual*

This collection is a much-needed resource for those seeking materials on legal issues written for practicing museum professionals, not attorneys or legal scholars. I am delighted to contribute to a work which will be useful to me as a teacher of museum studies and to others as a reference.
*Gilbert Whittemore, Instructor, "Museums and the Law", Museums Studies Program, Harvard University Extension School, and Past Chair, Section of Science & Technology Law, American Bar Association*

At last we have a practical and accessible resource to understand current and critical issues at the intersection of law and museums today, authored by thought leaders in the field.
*Van Shields, Executive Director, Berkshire Museum*