Laws and Collection Management

Instructor: John Simmons
Course Date: August 4, 2025
Cost: $400
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The 4 week online course Laws & Collections Management provides an accessible introduction to the legal aspects of managing museum collections by presenting an introduction to national and international laws and regulations affecting museums. The course textbook, A Legal Primer on Managing Museum Collections, will be supplemented by a variety of readings and assignments.
    Course Syllabus
    During our four week Collections Management and Museum Law course we will cover:

    Week 1: Laws, Ethics, and Morals
    • Introduction to the course
    • Laws, ethics, and morals
    • Where do laws come from?
    • Museum law
    • What a museum is (and is not)
    • The legal organization of museums
    • The meaning of non-profit
    • Resources

    Week 2: Significant Laws and Regulations that Affect Museums
    • Museum Administration (OSHA, ADA, intellectual property, copyright, VARA)
    • Antiquities Act of 1906
    • Historic Sites Act of 1935
    • Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979
    • Pre-Columbian Art Act of 1979
    • Lacey Act
    • CITES
    • Endangered Species Act
    • Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA)
    • Immunity from Seizure Under Judicial Process of Cultural Objects Imported for Temporary Exhibition or Display
    • Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict
    • Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property (UNESCO Convention)
    • The UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects
    • Nazi Era Art

    Week 3: Laws and Regulations that Affect Museum Collections
    • Curation of Federally-Owned and Administered Archaeological Collections
    • Examples the application of US national laws and regulations
    • Examples of the application of international laws and regulations

    Week 4: Laws and Regulations that Affect Collections Management
    • Appraisals
    • Donations and gifts
    • Borrowing and lending objects
    • Cy pres and honoring the wishes of a donor
    • More on NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act)
    • What happens when good museum people go bad?

What do you need to know about the legal issues that affect collecting? In the webinar It’s the Law! An Introduction to Legal Issues for Collecting Objects John Simmons introduced the concept of museum law and provided an overview of the most significant national (US) and international laws and regulations that apply to collecting for art, history, and natural history collections, and how these may impact the acquisition and accessioning of collection objects.


Too learn more about taking an online professional development course with Museum Study visit What is involved in taking a Museum Study course?

Required Text:

Malaro, Marie C., DeAngelis, Ildiko 2012. A Legal Primer on Managing Museum Collections, Third Edition. Smithsonian, Washington, DC, 560 pages.


Laws & Collections Management addresses the American Association for State and Local History's Stewardship of Collections Standard 2, The Institution legally, ethically, and effectively manages, documents, cares for, and uses the collections.

  • Are staff and volunteers aware of laws and regulations with regard to collections?
  • Does the institution recognize the role of professional ethics regarding collections?


Comments from participants:

I rate this course Excellent. I liked the broad overview of material.