Open Forum

I would like to know which positions get background checks as part of the hiring process at your institution. Also, do you hire an outside firm to do them? Any additional details or advice would be helpful.

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Sarah Jencks
Director of Education and Interpretation
Ford's Theatre Society
Washington DC
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------Original Message------

I would like to know which positions get background checks as part of the hiring process at your institution. Also, do you hire an outside firm to do them? Any additional details or advice would be helpful.

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Sarah Jencks
Director of Education and Interpretation
Ford's Theatre Society
Washington DC
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------Original Message------

​The Harry S. Truman Little White House ( a 900 SF house museum with botanical gardens) located in Key west, FL  does a background check on all employees. We have a number of valuable artifacts that could be stolen and disappear through internet auctions. We have a number of school children that tour,  so must protect them from sexual predators. We need trustworthy individuals to protect our collections as guests tour the rooms. I think you get the point. We too pay around that $75-100 per employee , but consider it a wise investment in that one bad apple could far exceed that.

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Robert Wolz
Director
Harry Truman Little White House SHL
Key West FL
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-03-2019 02:06 PM
From: Delta Mello
Subject: Staff Background Checks

We at Sacramento History Museum do background checks on all employees.  We use an outside company that we send employees to.  It costs around $75 per person.  You establish the criteria, designate someone who will keep the information so that not all eyes see the results.  They then report pass or fail.

 

Hope this helps.   

 

Delta Pick Mello

Executive Director / CEO

 

Inspiring and connecting people through history 

Sacramento History Alliance

101 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814

Office: 916-808-7108

Cell: 916-769-7678

FAX: 916-808-5100

Email: dmello@cityofsacramento.org

Website: www.SacHistoryMuseum.org

 

 

 

Original Message------

I would like to know which positions get background checks as part of the hiring process at your institution. Also, do you hire an outside firm to do them? Any additional details or advice would be helpful.

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Sarah Jencks
Director of Education and Interpretation
Ford's Theatre Society
Washington DC
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I would also recommend background checks on volunteers for relevant positions, such as working with children or those having access to collections or money. Most thefts from museums are committed internally by employees or volunteers rather than externally.

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Joe Hoover
Field Services
Minnesota Historical Society
Saint Paul MN
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------Original Message------

I would also recommend background checks on volunteers for relevant positions, such as working with children or those having access to collections or money. Most thefts from museums are committed internally by employees or volunteers rather than externally.

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Joe Hoover
Field Services
Minnesota Historical Society
Saint Paul MN
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-02-2019 12:48 PM
From: Sarah Jencks
Subject: Staff Background Checks

I would like to know which positions get background checks as part of the hiring process at your institution. Also, do you hire an outside firm to do them? Any additional details or advice would be helpful.

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Sarah Jencks
Director of Education and Interpretation
Ford's Theatre Society
Washington DC
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I would also recommend ensuring there are background checks on volunteers who work with Collections. This is partially for theft prevention. This is partially to stay in compliance with federal law if your museum possesses firearms. 

**For the purpose of this post, I am using the federal definition of a firearm as a cartridge-firing arm manufactured after 1898. This does not apply to muzzleloaders and most cartridge arms manufactured during the 1800s (Spencers, Burnsides, Sharps, and Henrys come to mind).

Federal firearms law precludes certain people from coming into contact with firearms. The list of "Prohibited Persons" includes anyone: 

• convicted in any court of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year;
• who is a fugitive from justice;

• who is an unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance (as defined in section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act, codified at 21 U.S.C. § 802);

• who has been adjudicated as a mental defective or has been committed to any mental institution;

• who is an illegal alien;

• who has been discharged from the Armed Forces under dishonorable conditions;

• who has renounced his or her United States citizenship;

• who is subject to a court order restraining the person from harassing, stalking, or threatening an intimate partner or child of the intimate partner; or
• who has been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.

My vote is always to background check everyone, not just staff, not just volunteers who will come into contact with visitors. 

Background check everyone. 

Good Luck! 

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David Kennedy
Curator of Collections and Exhibits
US Marshals Museum
Fort Smith, AR
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-03-2019 02:39 PM
From: Joe Hoover
Subject: Staff Background Checks

I would also recommend background checks on volunteers for relevant positions, such as working with children or those having access to collections or money. Most thefts from museums are committed internally by employees or volunteers rather than externally.

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Joe Hoover
Field Services
Minnesota Historical Society
Saint Paul MN
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We conduct criminal background checks on all volunteers, docents, and staff members as we all have access to children.
I use an outside local employer association and was able to negotiate a lower cost for the volunteers and docents who have no wage associated with the position and pay a higher fee for our internal employees.

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Lisa Penkwitz-DeMartino
Dir. of HR & Labor Relations
Milwaukee Public Museum
Milwaukee WI
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-03-2019 02:39 PM
From: Joe Hoover
Subject: Staff Background Checks

I would also recommend background checks on volunteers for relevant positions, such as working with children or those having access to collections or money. Most thefts from museums are committed internally by employees or volunteers rather than externally.

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Joe Hoover
Field Services
Minnesota Historical Society
Saint Paul MN
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I agree with Joe Hoover's response.  We run background checks on all of our adult volunteers since they all have the opportunity to work with children. 

We use Verified First and the cost can vary based on what types of reports you need.  Our reports on volunteers typically cost $77, but can be much more expensive if they've lived under different names, or require county records from some of the more expensive counties (New York counties cost about triple what most of the country costs, for instance).  The service is very good, though I think it's a little pricey at times. 

Hope this helps!

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Paul Bishop
Volunteer Programs Supervisor
Space Center Houston
Houston TX
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-03-2019 02:39 PM
From: Joe Hoover
Subject: Staff Background Checks

I would also recommend background checks on volunteers for relevant positions, such as working with children or those having access to collections or money. Most thefts from museums are committed internally by employees or volunteers rather than externally.

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Joe Hoover
Field Services
Minnesota Historical Society
Saint Paul MN
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In Washington, DC you cannot ask about criminal history until a conditional offer of employment is made. Then you can conduct your check.

i would recommend that, if you don't have an in house Human Resources professional, that you hire one to draft a policy for you and set up a system, perhaps preparing and RFP and helping you choose a vendor. Keep in mind that using an third party to conduct the checks requires conformity with the Fair Credit Reporting Act. 

That being said, you should consider what level of checks you want for specific classifications of employees/volunteers. For example, certain states require child abuse clearances in addition to criminal background and FBI clearances for anyone working with children and certain executives. Others prohibit credit checks for certain jobs such as retail. So, you really should not tackle this on your own!

Here is a resource for you:

https://ohr.dc.gov/page/returningcitizens/applicants

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Roslyn Schaffer, SHRM-SCP, SPHR
Chief Human Resources Officer
Philadelphia, PA
roz.schaffer@rhd.org
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Hello!

At our museum we require all paid and non paid staff to have a criminal background check, child abuse clearance and FBI fingerprint check. This is in addition to a background check for paid staff that happens before they are hired. My department absorbs the price for the background check, and the individual is required to get their clearances. If the individual provides us proof that they have current clearances, we accept that in lieu of having them complete the process again. 

I hope this helps! Good luck! :)

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Apryl Peroney
Program Manager, Interactive & Traveling Exhibits
Carnegie Science Center
Pittsburgh PA
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The State of Missouri conducts background checks on all full & part-time museum staff​ and volunteers.  Being a state agency ours likely go through the highway patrol.  It is a good investment for any institution because if no check is preformed and something happens it could cost you more. Now just because someone has a legal history doesn't necessarily preclude them from employment it would depend on the crime, how long ago it was committed, and their intended role at the museum.

Kate

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Katherine Owens
Curator of Collections
Missouri State Museum
Jefferson City, MO
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