Standards and guidelines
The International Council of Museums promotes excellence and best practices. As such, it strongly encourages the implementation of professional standards within the global museum community.
Through its standards and guidelines, ICOM provides best practices to museum professionals in terms of objects acquisition, documentation of collections, descriptions, terminology, collections, security, conservation, personnel management and training, among others.
ICOM Code of Ethics for Museums
The following standards are developed by ICOM’s Committees and are approved by the ICOM Executive Board:
STANDARDS ON LOANS
- ICOM Guidelines for Loans (ICOM Secretariat, 1974)
STANDARDS ON ETHICS
- Guidelines on Deaccessioning of the International Council of Museums (ETHCOM, 2019)
- Accessioning Standards (ETHCOM, 2021)
- Fundraising Standards (ETHCOM, 2021)
STANDARDS ON EDUCATION AND CULTURAL ACTION
- Best Practice in Museum Education and Cultural Programmes (CECA)
- Best Practice Books (6 volumes), (ICOM-CECA/Edizioni Nuova Cultura, 2017)
- Education Toolkit, Methods and Technique from Museum and Heritage Education (ICOM-CECA/LCM/Erfgoedhuis Zuid-Holland, 2017)
STANDARDS ON DOCUMENTATION
- Statement of Principles of Museum Documentation (CIDOC, 2012)
- The CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model (CIDOC, 2011)
- Lightweight Information Describing Objects (CIDOC, 2010)
- The CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model (CIDOC, 2001)
- International Core Data Standards for Ethnology/Ethnography (CIDOC, 1996)
- International Guidelines for Museum Object Information: the CIDOC Information Categories (CIDOC, 1995)
- Recommendations for Identity Photography (CIDOC Fact Sheet 3, 2010)
- Labelling and Marking Objects (CIDOC Fact Sheet 2, 1993)
- Registration Step by Step: When an Object Enters the Museum (CIDOC Fact Sheet 1, 1993)
STANDARDS ON MUSEUMS AND COLLECTIONS OF INSTRUMENTS AND MUSIC
- Voices for the Silenced – Guidelines for Interpreting Musical Instruments in Museum Collections (CIMCIM, 1998)
- Recommendations for the Application of Accession Numbers on musical instruments (CIMCIM, 1995)
- CIMENT: Uniform Procedures for Data Element Description in CIMCIM Database Systems (CIMCIM, 1991)
- Recommendations for Regulating the Access to Musical Instruments in Public Collections (CIMCIM, 1985)
STANDARDS ON MUSEUMS AND COLLECTIONS OF COSTUME
- Clothes Tell Stories, Working with Costume in Museums (COSTUME, 2013)
- Guidelines for Costume (1998) – check latest version
- Vocabulary of Basic Terms for Cataloguing Costume (English, German, French, Spanish) (COSTUME, 1981)
STANDARDS ON HISTORIC HOUSE MUSEUMS
- Rules for Functions in Historic Buildings – Caterers (DEMHIST, 2007)
- Rules for Filming in Historic Buildings (DEMHIST, 2007)
- Rules for TV and Entertainment Crews in Historic Buildings (DEMHIST, 2007)
STANDARDS ON MEMORIAL MUSEUMS IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE VICTIMS OF PUBLIC CRIMES
- International Memorial Museums Charter (ICMEMO, 2011)
STANDARDS ON MUSEUM SECURITY
- Handbook on Emergency Procedures (ICMS, 2010)
- Guidelines for Disaster Preparedness in Museums (ICMS, 1993)
STANDARDS ON CONSERVATION
- Environmental Guidelines: ICOM-CC and IIC Declaration (ICOM-CC, 2014)
STANDARDS ON MONEY AND BANKING MUSEUMS
- Resources for Curators of Numismatic Collections (ICOMON, 2013)
STANDARDS ON TRAINING OF PERSONNEL
- Museum Professions – A European Frame of Reference (ICTOP, 2008)
STANDARDS ON MUSEUM MANAGEMENT
- INTERCOM Management Scenarios (INTERCOM, 2008)
STANDARDS ON MUSEUMS AND COLLECTIONS OF NATURAL HISTORY
- NATHIST Conference Planning Guide (NATHIST, 2018)
STANDARDS ON UNIVERSITY MUSEUMS AND COLLECTIONS
- University Museums and Collections – Importance, Responsibility, Maintenance, Disposal and Closure (UMAC, 2007)
STANDARDS ON AFRICAN MUSEUMS
- Handbook of Standards: Documenting African Collections (AFRICOM,1996)