Management
Most museums operate under some form of governing body. This body defines the general policy of the museum and provides and controls the necessary resources to deliver it. The appointment of the director and perhaps of other staff members usually is among its responsibilities. The director of a museum governed by this type of body is responsible for the formulation and implementation of policy and for the day-to-day running of the institution and generally provides the link between the governing body, the staff, and the museum's clientele.
The operation of a museum involves a wide variety of skills. These involve specialists in subjects relevant to museum collections (normally designated curators or keepers), information scientists involved in the documentation of collections and related scientific information (sometimes known as registrars), and conservators concerned with the scientific examination and treatment of collections to prevent deterioration. Another group is involved more actively with the public functioning of the museum. These include specialists in education, communication, and interpretation, designers, the security staff, and marketing and public relations personnel as well as administrative, maintenance, and other support workers. Such diversity can lead to complex staff structures. Many of the larger, older established museums with encyclopaedic collections have a large number of senior specialized personnel. In museums where the emphasis is on providing services for the general public and the collections are less wide-ranging, there are likely to be fewer curatorial and more service personnel. Nevertheless, museums are labour-intensive, and the extent to which new technologies can alleviate the need for labour is limited. In all t ...