Human resources management in the education departments of museums: A worldwide survey

Museums are dynamic institutions, which place themselves in the service of the society by interpreting the collections they posses and developing various educational programs. This paper presents the place education has in museums around the world with an emphasis on the specific realities in Europe and in the United States. Education is one of the main functions of museums; therefore the way management approaches it influences not only the outcome of educational activities, but also the way in which a museum reaches its mission. The survey of more than 300 museums around the world shows a relatively homogenous approach, a general recognition of the role of education, as well as local specificities in developing an education department and human resource management of these departments. At the same time, it highlights a tendency to acknowledge more and more the importance of education within as well as outside education departments of museums. The research also identifies different approaches between the museums in the United States and those in Europe, when considering the number and characteristics of volunteers involved in museum educational programs and the age of educators. Differences are to be observed between the two regions also when considering the policy of training their staff and volunteers.