The Small Museum Toolkit

As a small museum staff person, you are responsible for a lot, including areas outside of your expertise or training. You need a quick reference that makes the process of becoming a sustainable, valued institution less overwhelming. The Small Museum Toolkit is a collection of six books that serves as a launching point for small museum staff to pursue best practices and meet museum standards. These brief volumesaddress governance, financial management, human resources, audience relations, interpretation, and stewardship for small museums and historic sites. The Small Museum Toolkit, written by thirty-four experienced museum professionals, helps you define the questions you should be asking, gives you tools to achieve your goals, and guides you where to go for help.

Books in the Small Museum Toolkit set
Book One – Leadership, Mission, and Governance
Book Two – Financial Resource Development and Management
Book Three – Organizational Management
Book Four – Reaching and Responding to the Audience
Book Five – Interpretation: Education, Programs, and Exhibits
Book Six – Stewardship: Collections and Historic Preservation

Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko is chief executive officer at the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor, Maine. She was the founding chair of the AASLH Small Museums Committee and serves as a peer reviewer for the American Association of Museums.
Stacy Klingler is assistant director of Local History Services at the Indiana Historical Society. She serves as chair of the AASLH Small Museums Committee and is a member of the Field Services Alliance.