Apr

Legal issues in museum administration

The annual Legal Issues in Museum Administration conference, co-sponsored by the Smithsonian, took place this year in Miami from March 24 to March 26. This longstanding conference, now in its 38th year, is also sponsored by the American Law Institute-American Bar Association with the cooperation of the American Association of Museums. The conference helps museum directors, administrators, trustees, legal counsel and others concerned with museum operations understand legal issues they may encounter. The focus is on practical ways to avoid or resolve problems.

Attorneys from the Smithsonian’s Office of the General Counsel have played an active role in planning and organizing this program since it began in 1972, and many have served as faculty. This year, two members of OGC, Lauryn Guttenplan and Craig Blackwell, co-chaired the program and other representatives from the Smithsonian, including Marsha Shaines, deputy general counsel, participated as faculty. Some of the topics covered by the conference included such timely issues as copyright in the digital era, electronic publishing, and the benefits and pitfalls of sharing free content online.

The conference drew more than 175 participants from around the country, including representatives from the Smithsonian, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Library of Congress, the National Archives and Records Administration, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment of the Arts, the Philadelphia Museum, the New York Public Library, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, and other museums and libraries.