Here is the definition of "museum" in New York State law.  Museums are chartered by the State Board of Regents.  Chartering has the same legal effect as incorporation.  The Regents in addition set standards for museums.  (See our web site under "Rules of the Regents" for the standards.)  

From:  Rules of the Regents, section 3.27 

Chartering and registration of museums. [Additional statutory authority: NY Education Law, §216] 

   (a) Definitions. Whenever used in this section, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated: 

   (1) Museum. The term museum means a facility operated by an organized nonprofit institution, essentially educational or aesthetic in purpose, with professional staff, which owns and utilizes tangible objects, cares for them, and exhibits them to the public on some regular schedule. 

   (2) Organized institution. The term organized institution means an unincorporated association or a corporation formed under the laws of the State of New York. 

   (3) Professional staff. The term professional staff means at least one paid employee who commands an appropriate body of special knowledge and the ability to reach museological decisions consonant with the experience of his peers and who also has access to and acquaintance with the literature of the field. 

   (4) Care. The term care means the keeping of adequate records pertaining to the provenance, identification and location of a museum's holdings, and the application of current professionally accepted methods to their security and to the minimizing of damage and deterioration. 

   (5) Schedule. The term schedule means regular hours which constitute substantially more than a token opening, so that access is reasonably convenient to the public. 



David W. Palmquist
Head, Chartering Program
NY State Museum
State Education Department
3090 Cultural Education Center
Albany NY 12230
518-473-3131
FAX 518-473-8496
e-mail:  [log in to unmask]
web site:  www.nysm.nysed.gov/charter/

>>> [log in to unmask] 12/05/00 11:57AM >>>
Hello Lister's,

        I have recently been asked if I wanted to take on the task of coming
up with a definition for "Museum".
I seem to remember this topic being discussed earlier but thought I would
throw it out again. In general I am looking for what you think makes a
museum  a museum. I hope this makes sense.

Tom Hunter
Collections Assistant
Museums and Collections Services
Ring House # 1
University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta
Canada, T6G 2E1
Tel. Office (780) 492-0653
      Cell    (780) 405-0167
      Fax    (780) 492-6185

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