Museum Policy
Preservation. Documentation. Access. Use.
Museum collections are complex and take a great deal of expertise and care to manage. Ten bureaus and offices with very different missions manage Department of the Interior museum collections. Having standard, shared museum policy ensures all collections are handled professionally, responsibly, and ethically across the entire Department of the Interior. Our policies and guidance ensure museum collections are held to the highest professional standards, and our programs and staff serve as the best possible stewards of these invaluable American collections.
Policy
The Interior Museum Program develops policy to establish standards for all Department of the Interior museum collections. Our policies respond to laws Congress enacts, interpret requirements in the Code of Federal Regulations, and align with Department of the Interior priorities and U.S. Department of the Interior FY 2022-2026 Strategic Plan. Department of the Interior museum policy is also informed by and conforms with professional museum standards, practices, and ethics.
- Departmental Manual Part 411 Chapter 1, "Identifying and Managing Museum Property" is the primary policy for the preservation and management of museum collections.
- The DOI Museum Property Directives are single-subject policy documents building on the primary policy and informing all aspects of management, preservation, documentation, and use of museum collections.
Laws ⇒ Regulations ⇒ Policy ⇒ Guidance
Guidance
The Interior Museum Program also develops guidance to supplement Department of the Interior museum policy. Guidance documents are the instruction manuals for museum policy, assisting museum stewards in preserving, documenting, and managing museum collections.
- Guidance for Using the Facility Checklist for Spaces Housing DOI Museum Property provides additional information for evaluating facilities that manage Department of the Interior museum collections for compliance with our standards.
- Museum Cost Estimates (2013) provides estimates for equipment and supply costs for storage, exhibits, environmental monitoring, security, and fire protection.
- Guidance for Cataloging Department of the Interior Museum Collections provides additional information for cataloging Department of the Interior museum collections.
- Guidance for Incoming Loans of Museum Collections provides additional information on managing incoming loans.
- The DOI Museum Property Handbooks,written in the 1990s, provide guidance on all aspects of preserving, documenting, managing, and using museum collections.
Browse the Electronic Library of the Interior Policies