This is an interesting subject and view point.  As a sometime board member
and sometime professional manager of various historical and museum agencies
and organizations, however, I strongly disagree with the opinion that board
members -- in their capacity as board members -- should become involved with
day-to-day management.

In my opinion, if an organization has reached the point where it requires
the services of a full-time professional, the board should focus on
establishing its vision of the organization's future, determining policy and
making policy decisions, conducting periodic review and evaluation of fiscal
matters and programs, and working with the professional staff on
fund-raising and representation in the community.

To do otherwise negates the value of having a professional staff, wastes the
money paid for staff, and opens the door to management by comittee, a
practice that is rarely effective.

Bill Hanable
Managing Director
Westport Maritime Museum
-----Original Message-----
From: Trevor Reynolds <[log in to unmask]>
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.museum-l
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Friday, April 09, 1999 3:06 AM
Subject: The role of the Board (was: Exhibits Committee)


I am somewhat concerned about some of the views about Boards which have been
expressed recently.

Surely the Board (either Board of Directors or Board of Trustees) is by
definition responsible for everything that happens in the museum.  In larger
museums they will hire staff to provide professional input and advice and
carry out functions on their behalf.  In small and medium sized museums they
may not employ professional staff but instead get advice from various
professional advisors as and when necessary.

In a small community museum the Board may be entirely made up from amongst
the volunteers who run the museum. There is of course no reason why some of
the Board members should not be museum professionals themselves.

In a small museum the Board may take all the day to day decisions.  In a
very large museum they may have delegated all of these to paid staff and may
concern themselves solely with the strategic view.  But if something goes
wrong (the accountant runs off with the money or the curator sells the
exhibits) the Board is still ultimately responsible.

Staff (and indeed volunteers) with professional qualifications and/or
experience should carry out any delegated functions in accordance  with the
appropriate professional code of ethics.  Staff should also give the Board
unbiased advice on issues where the Board has not delegated its authority.

So give the Board your best advice, including the likely consequences of not
following it.  If they ignore it then (depending on the issue) you may need
to make a report to an appropriate regulatory body.

The detail of how it works will of course depend to a large extent on the
size of museum and its legal status (museums which are part of a larger
corporate entity often don't have a Board of their own).

------------------------------------------------------------------
The views expressed are not necessarily those of English Heritage

Trevor Reynolds
Registrar, English Heritage
Address: 4 CS, 23 Savile Row, London, W1X 1AB, UK
Telephone:  +44 (0)171 973 3482  [GTN 3503 3482]
Email: [log in to unmask]