II. Institutional Ethics
2. Basic Principles for Museum Governance
3. Acquisitions to Museum Collections
4. Disposal of Collections

The ICOM Code of Professional Ethics was first adopted by the unanimous decision of the 15th General Assembly of ICOM, meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina on 4 November 1986. [This revised version was adopted by ]

This Code provides a general statement of professional ethics. It may be regarded as a minimum standard of practice for members of the museum profession. It will be possible to strengthen the Code to meet particular national or specialised requirements and ICOM wishes to encourage this so long as it promotes the highest standards in the museum profession. A copy of such developments of the Code should be sent to the Secretary-General of ICOM, Maison de l'UNESCO, 1 rue Miollis, 75732 Paris cedex 15, France.

This Code is deemed to be the statement of professional ethics referred to in the ICOM Statutes, Articles 2 (2), 9(1(d)), 14(17(b)), 15(7(c)), 17(12(e)) and 18(7(d)). and payment of the annual subscription to ICOM by individual and institutional members is taken as an affirmation of this Code of Professional Ethics.

1.2 Museum

A museum is defined in Article 2(1) of the ICOM Statutes as:

"a non-profit making, permanent institution in the service of society and of its development and open to the public which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits, for purposes of study, education and enjoyment, material evidence of people and their environment."

(a) The above definition of a museum shall be applied without limitation arising from the nature of the governing body, the territorial character, the functional structure or the orientation of the collections of the institution concerned.

(b) In addition to institutions designated as ‘museums’ the following qualify as museums for the purposes of this definition:

(i) natural, archaeological and ethnographic monuments and sites of a museum nature that acquire, conserve and communicate material evidence of people and their environment;
(ii) institutions holding collections of and displaying live specimens of plants and animals, such as botanical and zoological gardens, aquaria and vivaria;
(iii) science centres and planetaria;
(iv) conservation institutes and exhibition galleries permanently maintained by libraries and archive centres;
(v) nature reserves;
(vi) international or national or regional or local museum organisations, ministries or departments or public agencies responsible for museums as per the definition given under this article;
(vii) non-profit institutions or organisations undertaking research, education, training, documentation and other activities relating to museums and museology;
(viii) such other institutions as the Executive Council, after seeking the advice of the Advisory Committee, considers as having some or all of the characteristics of a museum, or as supporting museums and professional museum workers through museological research, education or training.
[(ix) cultural centres engaged in the preservation, continuation and management of living heritage systems on a non-profit basis.]

1.3 The Museum Profession

ICOM defines the members of the museum profession, under Article 2(2) of its Statutes, as follows:

1.4 Governing Body

The governance and strategic control of museums in terms of policy, finance and administration, varies greatly from one museum to another according to the legal and other national or local provisions in force.

In this Code the term "governing body" has been used throughout to signify the superior authority concerned with the policy, finance and administration of the museum. This may be a government minister or official, a ministry, a local authority, a board of trustees, a society, a non-profit company, the head of the museum or another authorised individual or body.

The professional head of the museum is normally appointed by and directly responsible to the governing body for the proper care and management of the museum.

1.5 Social Responsibility

Museums are provided by a variety of public and private agencies. Those who work for museums represent many different disciplines and skills, are engaged under different contractual conditions. Despite this diversity, all involved in the provision of museums — governing bodies and staff — are responsible for the preservation and interpretation of a part of the world's cultural heritage. All conduct their work in the service of society and of its development. This responsibility has an important bearing on the fundamental values and ethics of museums and museum work. All persons and institutions are publicly accountable for their actions. Therefore, every aspect of museum work should be conducted in an open and honest manner, and the public interest must be predominant in decision-making.

The governing body of a museum has an ethical duty to maintain and enhance all aspects of the museum, its collections and its services. Above all, it has the responsibility of ensuring that all collections in its care are adequately housed, conserved and documented.

The minimum standards for museum finance, premises, staffing and services may be defined by law or other government regulation in some countries. In others, guidance on and assessment of minimum standards is available in the form of ‘Accreditation’, ‘Registration’ or similar evaluative schemes. Where such standards are not available locally they can be obtained through the National Committee, the appropriate International Committee of ICOM or the ICOM Secretariat.

2.2 Constitution

Each museum should have a written constitution or other document setting out clearly its legal status, mission and permanent, non-profit nature, in accordance with the appropriate national laws. The governing body of a museum should prepare and publicise a clear statement of the aims, objectives and policies of the museum and of the role and composition of the governing body.

2.3 Finance

The governing body holds the ultimate financial responsibility for the museum and for protecting all its resources, including the collections and related documentation, the premises, facilities and equipment, the financial assets and the staff. It is required to develop and define the purposes and related policies of the institution, and to ensure that all assets are used properly and effectively for museum purposes. Sufficient funds must be available on a regular basis, either from public or private sources, to carry out and develop the work of the museum. Proper accounting procedures must be adopted and maintained in accordance with the relevant national laws and professional accounting standards. The collections are held in public trust and may not be treated as a financial asset.

2.4 Premises

The governing body has an obligation to provide a suitable environment for the physical security and preservation of the collections. The buildings and facilities must be adequate for the museum to fulfil its basic functions of collection, research, storage, conservation, education and display. They should comply with all appropriate national legislation in relation to the health, safety and accessibility of the premises having regard for the special needs of disabled people. Proper standards of protection should be in place at all times against hazards such as theft, fire, flood, vandalism and deterioration. The course of action to be taken in the event of emergency should be clearly specified.

2.5 Personnel

The governing body has an obligation to ensure that the museum has sufficient staff and expertise to meet its responsibilities. The size of the staff and its nature (permanent or temporary), will depend on the size of the museum, its collections and its responsibilities. Proper arrangements have to be made in relation to the care of the collections, public access and services, research and security.

The governing body has a particularly important obligation in relation to the appointment of the director or head of the museum and should have regard to the knowledge and skills required to fill the post effectively. The director of a museum should be directly responsible to and have direct access to the governing body in which trusteeship of the collections is vested.

Members of the museum profession require appropriate and continuing academic, technical and professional training in order to fulfil their role in the operation of the museum and the care for the heritage. The governing body should recognise the need for, and value of, a properly qualified and trained staff, and offer adequate opportunities for further training and re-training to maintain current awareness and an effective workforce.

The governing body should ensure that when the appointment, promotion, dismissal or demotion of any member of staff occurs, such action is taken only in accordance with appropriate procedures under the legal or other constitutional arrangements and policies of the museum. Even when such action has been delegated to the director or senior staff, it should ensure that such staff changes are made in a professional and ethical manner and in the best interests of the museum, rather than through any personal or external factor or prejudice.

A governing body should never require a member of the museum staff to act in a way that could reasonably be judged to conflict with the provisions of this Code of Professional Ethics, or any national law or national or specialist code of ethics.

2.6 Friends of Museums and Supporting Organisations

Museums depend on the public to encourage their growth and development. Many museums have Friends and supporting organisations and it is the institution's responsibility to create a favourable environment for their promotion and support and to recognise their contribution, encourage the practice, and promote a harmonious relationship between them and the professional staff.

2.7 Educational and Community Role of the Museum

A museum is an institution in the service of society and of its development and is generally open to the public (even though the participating public may be limited in the case of certain specialised museums).

The museum has an important duty to develop its educational role and attract wider audiences from all levels of the community, locality or group that it aims to serve. It should offer opportunities for such people to become involved in the museum and to support its aims and activities. Interaction with the constituent community is an integral part in realising the educational role of the museum and specialist staff are likely to be required for this purpose.

2.8 Public Access

The museum's displays and other facilities should be physically and intellectually accessible to the public during reasonable hours and for regular periods. The museum should also offer the public reasonable access to members of staff and to undisplayed collections by appointment or other arrangement with access to requested information about the collections subject to restrictions for reasons of confidentiality and security (see 7.3 below).

2.9 Displays, Exhibitions and Special Activities

The primary duty of the museum is to preserve its collections for the future and use them for the creation and dissemination of knowledge, through research, educational work, permanent displays, temporary exhibitions and other special activities. These should be in accordance with the stated policy and educational purpose of the museum and should not compromise either the quality or the proper care of the collections. The museum should seek to ensure that the information it publishes, whether through displays, exhibitions, publications or electronically is accurate, honest, objective and well-founded academically.

2.10 Commercial Support and Sponsorship

Museums may seek and accept financial or other support from commercial or industrial organisations, or from other outside sources, a policy is needed to define clearly the relationship between the museum and the sponsor. It is of particular importance that the standards and objectives of the museum are not compromised by such a relationship.

2.11 Income-Generating Activities

Many museums provide visitor facilities such as shops and restaurants which have income-generating potential. In some cases there are other opportunities for collaboration with commercial or promotional activities. To address these issues the governing body should have a clearly defined income-generating policy regarding the use of collections and the purpose of the museum which does not compromise the quality or care of the collections or the institution. This policy should clearly differentiate between knowledge-driven and income-generating activities. Income-generating activities should be financially beneficial for the museum but consistent with its non-profit status. All such activities should be planned and operated as an enhancement to the visitor experience.

Where voluntary or commercial organisations are involved in the provision of income generating activities, relationships with the museum must be clearly defined as well as an understanding of the activity in its museum context. The related publicity and products should conform to agreed standards. Replicas, reproductions and copies of items in a museum's collection must respect the integrity of the original and be permanently marked as facsimiles. All items offered for sale should comply with relevant national and local legislation.

2.12 Legal Obligations

3.1 Collections Policies

Each museum authority should adopt and publish a written statement of its collections policy. This policy should address issues relevant to existing public collections (documentation, care, and use), and include guidelines for maintaining the collections in perpetuity. Except in very exceptional circumstances, all objects acquired should be consistent with the objectives defined in the collections policy and selected with the expectation of permanency and not for eventual disposal. Acquisitions of objects outside the stated policy should only be made after careful consideration by the governing body of the museum having regard to the interests of the object under consideration, the national or other cultural heritage and the special interests of other museums. However, even in these circumstances objects without a valid title should not be acquired. The policies should include instructions on acquisitions with conditions and limitation as well as the restriction against acquiring material that cannot be catalogued, conserved, stored or exhibited properly. New acquisitions should normally be made known in a regular and consistent manner. The collections policies should be reviewed at least once every five years.

3.2 Acquisition of Illicit Material

The illicit trade in objects destined for public and private collections encourages the destruction of historic sites and ethnic cultures and promotes theft at local, national and international levels. It places at risk endangered species of flora and fauna, and contravenes the spirit of national and international patrimony. Museums should recognise the relationship between the market place and the destruction of objects for the market. The museum professional must recognise that it is highly unethical for a museum to support the illicit market in any way, directly or indirectly.

A museum should not acquire any object by purchase, gift, bequest or exchange unless the governing body and responsible officer are satisfied that a valid title to it can be secured. Every endeavour must be made to ensure that it has not been acquired in, or exported from, its country of origin or any intermediate country in which it may have been owned legally (including the museum's own country), in violation of that country's laws.

In addition to the safeguards set out above, a museum should not acquire objects by any means where the governing body or responsible officer has reasonable cause to believe that their recovery involved the unauthorised or unscientific or intentional destruction or damage of ancient monuments or archaeological sites, or involved a failure to disclose the finds to the owner or occupier of the land, or to the proper legal or governmental authorities.

A museum should not acquire, directly or indirectly, biological or geological material that has been collected, sold or otherwise transferred in contravention of any national or international wildlife protection or natural history conservation law or treaty of the museum's own country or any other country.

If appropriate and feasible, the same tests outlined in the preceding paragraphs should be applied in determining whether or not to accept loans for exhibition or other purposes.

Nothing in this section shall prevent a museum from acting as the authorised repository for objects or specimens recovered from illicit trading or export in the country in which it is situated.

3.3 Field Study and Collecting

Museums should assume a position of leadership in the effort to halt the degradation of the world's natural history, archaeological, ethnographic, historic and artistic resources. Each museum should develop policies that allow it to conduct its activities within appropriate national and international laws and treaty obligations, and with a reasonable certainty that its approach is consistent with the spirit and intent of both national and international efforts to protect and enhance the cultural heritage.

Field exploration, collecting and excavation should only be conducted in accordance with the laws and regulations of the host country. Planning for field studies and field collecting must be preceded by investigation, disclosure and consultation with the proper authorities and any interested museums or academic institutions in the country or area of the proposed study. This consultation should ascertain if the proposed activity is both legal and justifiable on academic and scientific grounds. Any field programme must be executed in such a way that all participants act legally and responsibly in acquiring specimens and data, and that they discourage unethical, illegal and destructive practices by all practical means.

3.4 Co-operation Between Museums on Collections Policies

Each museum should recognise the need for co-operation and consultation between museums with similar interests and collecting policies, and should consult with such other institutions both on acquisitions where a conflict of interest is possible and on defining areas of specialisation. Museums should respect the collecting areas of other museums.

3.5 Conditional Acquisitions and Other Special Factors

Gifts, bequests and loans should only be accepted if they conform to the stated collections and exhibitions policies of the museum. Offers that are subject to special conditions may have to be rejected if the conditions proposed are judged to be contrary to the long-term interests of the museum and its public.

3.6 Loans to and from Museums

The loan of objects and the mounting or borrowing of loan exhibitions can have an important role in enhancing the interest and quality of a museum and its services. However, the ethical principles outlined above (paras. 3.1 to 3.5) must apply to the consideration of proposed loans and loan exhibitions as well as to the acceptance or rejection of items offered to the permanent collections. Loans should not be accepted or exhibited if they do not have a valid educational, scientific or academic purpose.

Objects from a museum collection should be loaned only to other scientific, research or educational institutions and not to private individuals. Such loans should support valid educational, scientific or academic activities.

3.7 Conflicts of Interest

The collections policy or regulations of a museum should include provisions to ensure that no person involved in the policy or management of that museum, such as a trustee or other member of a governing body, or a member of the museum staff, may compete with the museum for objects or may take advantage of privileged information received because of his or her position. Should a conflict of interest develop between the needs of the individual and the museum, those of the museum should prevail. Special care is also required in considering any offer of an item either for sale or as a tax-benefit gift, from members of governing bodies, members of staff, or the families or close associates of these persons.


4. Disposal of Collections

4.1 General Presumption of Permanence of Collections

One of the key functions of almost every kind of museum is to acquire objects and keep them for posterity. Consequently, there must always be a strong presumption against the disposal of objects or specimens to which a museum has assumed formal title. Any form of disposal, whether by donation, exchange, sale or destruction requires a high order of curatorial judgement and should be approved by the governing body only after full expert and legal advice has been taken.

Special considerations may apply to certain kinds of specialised institutions such as "living" or "working" museums and some teaching and other educational museums. Museums and other institutions which display living specimens, such as botanical and zoological gardens and aquaria, may find it necessary to regard at least part of their collections as replaceable or renewable. In other cases destructive analytical techniques for investigative purposes may result in the loss of part of a specimen or object. In all cases there is a clear ethical obligation to ensure that such activities are not detrimental to the long-term survival of examples of the material studied, displayed or used and that a detailed report of all such activities becomes a permanent part of the collections record.

4.2 Legal or Other Powers of Disposal

The laws on the protection and permanence of museum collections and the power of museums to dispose of items from their collection vary greatly from one museum to another. No disposals are permitted by some institutions, except for items that have been seriously damaged by natural or accidental deterioration. Elsewhere, there may be no explicit restriction on disposals.

Where the museum has legal powers permitting disposals, or has acquired objects subject to conditions of disposal, the legal or other requirements and procedures must fully be complied with. Even where legal powers of disposal exist, a museum may not be completely free to dispose of items acquired with financial assistance from an outside source (e.g. public or private grants, donations from a Friends of the Museum organisation, or private benefactor). These disposals normally require the consent of all parties who had contributed to the original purchase.

Where the original acquisition was subject to mandatory restrictions these must be observed unless it can be clearly shown that adherence to such restrictions is impossible or substantially detrimental to the institution. Even in these circumstances the museum can be relieved only from such restrictions through appropriate legal procedures.

4.3 Deaccessioning Policies and Procedures

Where a museum has the necessary legal powers to dispose of an object the decision to sell or otherwise dispose of material from the collections should be taken only after due consideration and such material should be offered first by exchange, gift or private treaty sale to other museums before sale by public auction or other means is considered. The manner of disposal should reflect the best interest of the museum, the public trust it fulfils in maintaining and preserving its collections and the scholarly community it represents. A decision to dispose of a museum object or specimen whether by exchange, sale or destruction should be the responsibility of the governing body of the museum acting in conjunction with the director and the curator of the collection. The manner of deaccessioning should reflect the ethical and legal responsibilities of the museum, the character of its collections (whether renewable or non-renewable) and the public trust it fulfils in preserving its collections. Full records must be kept of all such decisions and the objects involved and proper arrangements made for the preservation and/or transfer, as appropriate, of the documentation relating to the object, including photographic records and any other technological media where practicable.

Members of the museum staff, the governing body, or their families or close associates, should never be permitted to purchase objects that have been de-accessioned from a collection. Similarly, no such person should be permitted to appropriate items from the museum collections, even temporarily, to any personal collection or for personal use.

4.4 Return and Restitution of Cultural Property

If a museum should come into possession of an object that can be demonstrated to have been exported or otherwise transferred in violation of the principles of the UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property (1970) and the country or people of origin seek its return and demonstrate that it is part of the country's or people’s cultural heritage, the museum should, if legally free to do so, take prompt and responsible steps to co-operate in the return of the object.

In response to the return of cultural property to the country or people of origin, museums should be prepared to initiate dialogues with an open-minded attitude based on scientific and professional principles (in preference to action at a governmental or political level). In addition the possibility of developing bilateral or multilateral partnerships with museums in countries which have lost a significant part of their cultural heritage should be explored.

Museums should also respect fully the terms of the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (The Hague Convention, 1954 and its Second Protocol, 1999). In support of this Convention, museums should abstain from purchasing, appropriating or acquiring cultural objects from any occupied country.

4.5. Income from Deaccessioning of Collections

Moneys or compensation received from the deaccessioning and disposal of objects and specimens from a museum collection should be used for the purchase of additions to the collection.

III. PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT

This section assumes that the museum professional is employed in a museum. Where the individual provides a service to a museum through a specialised agency or as a museum service provider, the relevant sections are still applicable.

5. General Principles

5.1. Ethical Obligations of Members of the Museum Profession

Employment by a museum, whether publicly or privately supported, is a public trust involving great responsibility. Therefore, museum employees must act with integrity and in accordance with the most stringent ethical principles as well as the highest standards of objectivity in all activities.

An essential element of membership of a profession is the implication of both rights and obligations. Although the conduct of a professional is ordinarily regulated by the basic rules of moral behaviour which govern human relationships, every occupation involves standards, as well as particular duties, responsibilities and opportunities that create the need for a statement of guiding principles. The museum professional should understand two guiding principles: first, that museums are the object of a public trust whose value to the community is in direct proportion to the quality of service rendered; and, second, that intellectual ability and professional knowledge are not, in themselves, sufficient, but must be inspired by a high standard of ethical conduct.

The director and other professional staff owe professional and academic allegiance to their museum and should always act in accordance with the approved policies of the museum. The director or other principal museum officer should comply with the terms of the ICOM Code of Professional Ethics. The director or other principal museum officer should also be aware of any other codes or policies on ethics relevant to museum work, and should urge the governing body to comply with these standards whenever appropriate.

5.2 Personal Conduct

Loyalty to colleagues and to the employing museum is an important professional responsibility and must be based on allegiance to fundamental ethical principles applicable to the profession as a whole.

Applicants for any professional post should divulge frankly and in confidence all information relevant to the consideration of their applications and, if appointed, should recognise that museum work is normally regarded as a full-time vocation. Even when the terms of employment permit outside employment or business interests, the director and other senior staff should not undertake other paid employment or accept outside commissions that are in conflict with the ethical and legal interests of the museum. In accepting such paid or unpaid assignments museum staff should be alert to the personal and institutional ethical principles that should not be compromised.

5.3 Private Interests

While members of a profession are entitled to a measure of personal independence, museum professionals must realise that no private business or professional interest can be wholly separated from their institution or other official affiliation, despite disclaimers that may be offered. Any museum-related activity by the individual may reflect on the institution or be attributed to it. The professional must be concerned not only with true personal motivations and interests, but also with the way in which such actions might be construed by the outside observer.

Museum employees and others in a close relationship with them must not accept gifts, favours, loans or other personal benefits that may be offered to them in connection with their duties for the museum (see also 8.4 below).


6. Professional Responsibility to the Collections

6.1 Acquisitions to Museum Collections

The director and professional staff should take all possible steps to ensure that a written collections policy is adopted by the governing body of the museum and thereafter reviewed and revised at regular intervals. This policy, as formally adopted and revised by the governing body, should form the basis of all professional decisions and recommendations in relation to acquisitions.

Negotiations concerning the acquisition of items for museum collections from members of the public must be conducted with scrupulous fairness to the seller or donor. No object should be deliberately or misleadingly identified for the benefit of the museum. Also, an object should not be taken or retained on loan with the deliberate intention of improperly procuring it for the collections.

6.2 Care of Collections

It is a crucial professional obligation to care for the collections. It is, therefore, an important professional responsibility to ensure that all items accepted temporarily or permanently by the museum are properly and fully documented to facilitate provenance, identification, condition and treatment. All objects accepted by the museum should be properly housed and maintained.

Careful attention should be given to the development of policies to protect the collections against natural and man-made disasters and the means of ensuring the best possible security as a protection against theft in displays, exhibitions, working or storage areas, against accidental damage when handling objects and against damage or theft in transit. Where it is the national or local policy to use commercial insurance arrangements, the staff should ensure that the insurance cover is adequate, especially for objects in transit and loan items, or other objects which are not owned by the museum but are its current responsibility.

Members of the museum profession should not delegate important curatorial, conservation, or other professional responsibilities to persons who lack the appropriate knowledge and skill, or who are inadequately supervised to assist in the care of the collections. There is also a clear duty to consult professional colleagues within or outside the museum if at any time the expertise available in a particular museum or department is insufficient to ensure the welfare of items in the collections under its care.

6.3 Conservation and Restoration of Collections

One of the essential ethical obligations of each member of the museum profession is to ensure the proper care and conservation of collections and individual items for which the employing institutions are responsible and to ensure that the collections are passed on to future generations in as good and safe a condition as practicable having regard to current knowledge and resources.

Special attention must be paid to preventative conservation, including the provision of suitable environmental protection against natural or artificial causes of deterioration of museum collections.

The degree of replacement or restoration of lost or damaged parts of an object, specimen or work of art that may be ethically acceptable calls for proper co-operation between all who have a specialised responsibility for the object and should not be decided unilaterally. The restoration of sacred objects may be unacceptable to the communities which produced them and have on-going associations with them.

6.4 Documentation of Collections

The recording and documenting of collections in accordance with appropriate standards is an important professional obligation and responsibility. It is particularly important that collection documentation should include a complete description of all items, their provenance and source and the conditions of acceptance by the museum. Collection data should be maintained actively and augmented in the on-going life of the museum. Such data should be kept in a secure environment and be supported with retrieval systems providing access to the data by the staff and other legitimate users (see 2.7).

6.5 Welfare of Live Animals

Where museums and related institutions maintain living animals for exhibition or research purposes, the health and well-being of any such creatures must be a basic ethical consideration. It is essential that the animals and their living conditions are inspected regularly by a veterinary surgeon or other equally qualified persons. The museum should prepare and implement a safety code for the protection of staff and visitors which has been approved by an expert in the veterinary field.

6.6 Human Remains and Material of Sacred Significance

Where a museum maintains collections of human remains and material of sacred significance, these should be housed securely and respectfully, and carefully maintained as archival collections in scholarly institutions and be available for legitimate study on request. Research on such objects, their housing and care as well as any replication of them must be accomplished in a manner acceptable not only to fellow professionals but also to those of various beliefs, including particular members of the community, ethnic or religious groups concerned. Although there may be occasion to use sensitive material in interpretative exhibits, this must be done with great tact and with respect for the feelings of human dignity held by all peoples.

Furthermore, requests for removal from public display of human remains or material of sacred significance must be addressed expeditiously with respect and sensitivity. Requests for the return of such material should be addressed similarly. Museum policies should clearly define the process for responding to such requests.

6.7 Private Collecting

The acquiring, collecting and owning of objects by a museum professional for a personal collection may not in itself be unethical but may be regarded as a valuable way of enhancing professional knowledge and judgement. However, no member of the museum profession should compete with their institution either in the acquisition of objects or in any personal collecting activity. In some countries and in many individual museums, members of the museum profession are not permitted to have private collections and such rules must be respected. Where there are no such restrictions, a member of the museum profession with a private collection should, on appointment, provide the governing body with a description of the collection and a statement of the extent of the practised collecting. An agreement between the museum professional and the governing body concerning the private collection must be formulated and scrupulously followed. (See also 8.4 below).


7. Professional Responsibility to the Public

7.1. Upholding Professional Standards

Members of the museum profession should observe accepted standards and laws and uphold the dignity and honour of their profession. They should safeguard the public against illegal or unethical professional conduct. Every opportunity should be used to inform and educate the public in the aims, purposes and aspirations of the profession in order to develop a better public understanding of the purposes and responsibilities of museums and of the profession.

7.2. Relations with the Public

Members of the museum profession should always deal with the public efficiently and courteously and should respond promptly to all correspondence and enquiries. Subject to the requirements of confidentiality, museum professionals should share their expertise with the public and specialists, allowing legitimate researchers controlled but full access to requested material or ocumentation in their care even when this is subject of personal research or special field of interest.

7.3. Confidentiality

Members of the museum profession must protect all confidential information about the source of material owned by or loaned to the museum, as well as information concerning the security arrangements of the museum, or of private collections and locations visited during official duties (see also 2.7 above).

Items brought to the museum for identification and information associated with them can result in a strong conflict of interest over the professional requirement to disseminate and advance knowledge and the wish of a private person or institution to maintain confidentiality. The advantages of advancing knowledge should be explained to the informant but such information should not be passed to any other institution or person without specific authority from the owner. Information recorded for oral histories and other purposes must be treated in the same way. This situation is subject to a legal obligation to assist the police or other proper authorities in investigating possible stolen, illicitly acquired or transferred property.


8. Professional Responsibility to Colleagues and the Profession

8.1 Professional Responsibility

Members of the profession may properly object to proposals or practices which are perceived to have a damaging effect on a museum or museums, or the profession on matters of professional ethics. Such differences should be expressed in an objective manner.

8.2 Professional Relationships

Members of the museum profession have an obligation to share their knowledge and experience with their colleagues and with scholars and students in relevant fields. They should respect and acknowledge those from whom they have learned and should pass on such advancements in techniques and experience which may be of benefit to others without thought of personal gain.

The training of personnel in the specialised activities involved in museum work is of great importance in the development of the profession and all should accept responsibility, where appropriate, in the training of colleagues. Members of the profession who have responsibility for junior staff, trainees, students and assistants undertaking formal or informal professional training, should give these persons the benefit of their experience and knowledge and should also treat them with the consideration and respect customary among members of the profession.

Similarly, the development of beneficial volunteer work depends on a positive relationship between members of the museum profession and volunteers. The professional staff of museums should give constructive attention to volunteers to sustain a viable and harmonious working environment. (See 1.5 and 2.6 above)

Members of the profession form working relationships with numerous other people, professional and volunteer, within and outside the museum in which they are employed. They are expected to conduct these relationships with courtesy and fair-mindedness and to render their professional services to others efficiently and to a high standard.

8.3 Dealing

No member of the museum profession should participate in any dealing (buying or selling for profit), in cultural property. Dealing by museum employees can present serious problems even if there is no risk of direct conflict with the employing museum and should not be permitted. (See Article 7(5) of the ICOM Statutes)

8.4 Other Potential Conflicts of Interest

Generally, members of the museum profession should refrain from all acts or activities which may be construed as a conflict of interest. Museum professionals by virtue of their knowledge, experience and contacts are frequently offered opportunities, such as advisory and consultancy services, teaching, writing and broadcasting opportunities, or requests for valuations, in a personal capacity. Even where the national law and the individual's conditions of employment permit such activities, these may appear to colleagues, the employing authority, or the public, to create a conflict of interest. In such situations, all legal and employment contract conditions must be scrupulously followed and, if a potential conflict arises, the matter should be reported immediately to an appropriate superior officer or the museum governing body and steps must be taken to eliminate the potential conflict of interest.

Great care should be taken to ensure that outside interests do not interfere in any way with the proper discharge of official duties and responsibilities.

8.5 Authentication and Valuation (Appraisal)

Sharing knowledge and expertise with professional colleagues and the public (see 7.2 above) is integral with the purpose of museums. This service should be conducted to the highest scholarly standards. However, conflicts of interest can arise in the authentication and valuation or appraisal of objects. Opinions on the monetary value of objects should be given only on official request from other museums or competent legal, governmental or other responsible public authorities. Where the museum may be the beneficiary for financial or legal reasons, appraisal must be undertaken independently.

Members of the museum profession should not identify or otherwise authenticate objects which they believe, or suspect, have been illegally or illicitly acquired, transferred, imported or exported. They should not act in any way that could be regarded as benefiting such activity, directly or indirectly. Where there is reason to believe, or suspect, illegal or illicit conduct, the appropriate authorities should be notified.

8.6. Unprofessional Conduct

Every member of the museum profession should be conversant with national and local laws, conditions of employment, as well as rules concerning corrupt practices. They should avoid situations which could be construed as corrupt or improper conduct of any kind. No museum official should accept any gift, hospitality, or any form of reward from any dealer, auctioneer or other person as an improper inducement of soliciting favour or in respect of the purchase or disposal of museum items or any other benefit.

A museum professional should not recommend a particular dealer, auctioneer or appraiser to a member of the public to avoid any suspicion of corruption. Nor should a museum employee accept any "special price" or discount for personal purchases from any dealer with whom the individual or employing museum has a professional relationship.