Hi Kevin:

This is a topic on which almost no research has been conducted. My forthcoming dissertation is tangential to museum closure and addresses the topic only to say that there isn't any research.

Couple of places to look:

If a tax exempt (TE) organization in the US does not file IRS form 990 for three consecutive years, its TE status is automatically revoked. That means it is not really functioning as a charity. You can look up these organizations that the IRS website https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/automatic-revocation-of-exemption-list. It might give you a hint of where to look for additional information about an organization that doesn't corporately exist any more. That, of course, does not mean that the museum has disappeared, it may remain as a locked building of stuff, but doesn't really have a board or any activities to speak of any longer.

There is one publication from AASLH about how to close a museum ...http://resource.aaslh.org/view/when-a-history-museum-closes/

Closing a museum is not a topic that gets a lot of discussion. The best sources really are local newspapers. You can also try a google scholar search for news articles.

hope this helps!

Erin Richardson

On Mon, Dec 18, 2017 at 12:07 PM, Kevin Schlesier <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Hi All,

Sorry for such a gloomy topic right before the holidays, but working on a community project about museums’ successes and failures.

I am wondering if there is a tracking of museums that have closed, and why over the past five years.

Any point towards articles/literature would be helpful

Kevin

Kevin P. Schlesier

Director, Exhibits

NASCAR Hall of Fame

A Division of the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority (CRVA)

www.NASCARHall.com

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Erin Elizabeth Richardson