Am. Assoc. of Museums

Covering your assets; facilities and risk management in museums.

The American Association of Museums presents the results of a survey of over 1000 museums, on the issue of facilities and risk management. The book begins by discussing the survey methodology, and interpretation of the data, and presents profiles of responding institutions. The next sections address topics such as insurance, use of space, rentals, pest control, building structure, food service, and emergency preparedness for fire, flood, earthquake, bomb, theft, and toxic chemical. Following chapters organize data by type of museum, and are followed by a glossary, a list of the responding institutions, and a copy of the survey instrument. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Stewards of the sacred.

Arising from a conference organized by Harvard's Center for the Study of World Religions, these essays take on the problem of presenting sacred objects and themes in museums. The contributors, who are from museums throughout the world, champion disparate views about museums' obligations toward sacred objects and practices but, nevertheless, offer instructive examples and suggestions for developing draft policy guidelines. The volume includes sample international policy guidelines, a list of resources and a project bibliography. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)