“To preserve, restore, and operate the farm as a historical, educational, and recreational resource to serve
the general public as a museum, education center, and recreation park.”
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
The Dudley Foundation has an obligation to
1) accept, preserve, maintain, or dispose of collected items in a manner which makes each collection and its accompanying data available for research by the museum and by cooperating institutions; 2) comply with all pertinent laws and regulations while making collections or acquiring specimens; 3) develop exhibitions and conduct programs which illustrate, interpret, and explain the agricultural and sociological history of North Guilford.
GOVERNANCE
Museum governance is a public trust responsible for the institution’s service to society.As the governing authority, the Board of Directors of the Dudley Foundation (Foundation)protects and enhances the museum’s collections and programs and its physical, human and financial resources. It ensures that all these resources support the museum’s mission.
The Board of Directors ensures that:
Conflict of Interest
The Board of Directors, staff, and volunteers should never abuse their official positions or their contacts within the Museum community, compete with Foundation, or bring discredit or embarrassment to the Foundation in any activity, museum-related or not.
No individual may use his or her position in the Foundation for personal gain or to benefit another at the expense of the Foundation, its mission, its reputation, and the society it serves.
The terms and restrictions listed in this Code should be clearly understood by all Directors, staff, volunteers, interns, contractors, or vendors doing business with the Foundation.
Volunteers
Volunteers play an active and important role in the daily operation of the Foundation. Directors and staff must be supportive of volunteers, receive them as fellow workers, andwillingly provide them with appropriate training.
Volunteers have a responsibility to the Foundation as well, especially those with access to collections, programs, and privileged information. Access to the Foundations activities is a privilege that does not free the volunteer from adherence to these standards.
THE COLLECTIONS
Management, Maintenance, and Conservation
The stewardship of collections requires the public trust and carries with it the presumption of rightful ownership, permanence, and accurate documentation, as well asconservation, accessibility, and responsible disposal or deaccession. Therefore the museum must consider the interests of the public for which it holds the collections in trust, a donor’s intent in the broadest sense, and the institution’s own financial well-being. Procedures established for the evaluation of the condition of the collections and for their general and special maintenance must be followed. Failing this, the Foundation is ethically obliged either to correct the deficiency or to dispose of the collections.
Acquisition and Disposal
If the Foundation inadvertently acquires an object that is later determined to have been exported or recovered in violation of the Foundation’s acquisition policy, the Foundation will promptly return it to the owner or to another appropriate recipient.
Objects in the collections should be retained if they continue to be useful to the purposes and activities of the Foundation; if they continue to contribute to the integrity of the collections; and if they can be properly stored, preserved, and used. Objects may be disposed of by deaccessioning when the above conditions no longer exist, or when such action would ultimately improve or refine the collections.
Proceeds from the sale of nonliving collections shall be used only for the acquisition or direct care of collections.
Appraisals
No member of the Foundation staff shall, in his or her official capacity, give appraisals for the purpose of establishing the tax-deductible value of gifts or purchases offered to the Foundation. The U.S. Internal Revenue Service prohibits appraisals from a recipient institution that is directly involved in the transaction. Only appraisals from disinterested third parties are accepted. No member of the Foundation staff knowingly shall appraise, identify, or otherwise authenticate objects for other persons or agencies under circumstances that could encourage or benefit illegal, unethical, or irresponsible traffic in such objects. Identification and authentication may be given for professional or educational purposes.
Accessibility
The public must have reasonable access to the collections on a nondiscriminatory basis. A primary responsibility of the Foundation is to safeguard its collections; therefore, it may regulate access to them.
PROGRAMS
Truth in Presentation
Exhibits are to be historically and scientifically honest and avoid perpetuating myths or stereotypes, and further the museum’s mission. Thus, the museum ensures that
Approved by BOD March 12,2015
Reviewed:_____________ Reviewed:____________ Revised:_________