I am pleased to report that Rowman & Littlefield has published my new book:
Museum Collection Ethics: Acquisition, Stewardship, and Interpretation. It is devoted solely to the ethical concerns museums face regardless of mission, subject, location, age, governing authority, or size. It looks at the intellectual and practical issues museums by definition assume. Differences between ethics and laws, customs and expectations, practices and potentials are reviewed in the context of museum operations. Controversies regarding museum collections are increasing. Debates now erupt with alarming regularity over stolen art and artifacts, especially items lost during times of war, political upheaval, and natural disaster. Countries once colonized are demanding the return of cultural materials purloined by the colonizers. Indigenous peoples want sacred and other objects back that are now found in museums. And, decisions about how and why museums remove collections continue to be questioned. As I note in the book, collections define museums - no collections no museum. Consequently this physical evidence of art, history and science collected for some public benefit is, or can be, fraught with ethical considerations. Some issues have been known for years others are new. For further information:
www.rowman.com. sh.miller2@verizon.net.
Thank you.
Steve