
Last week marked the three-month anniversary of the Louvre Museum robbery; arguably the most notorious art heist of the 21st-century. A daring crime that was first and foremost in the news cycle for nearly two weeks was quickly replaced by more current events. Three months later the Louvre heist merits sporadic attention in the media.…

Complacency, underfunded security, and misplaced trust have left the world’s collections more vulnerable than ever. The recent thefts from the Louvre should shake every museum director and curator to their core. Prestige does not equal protection. A world-renowned name will not stop a determined thief. The world watched priceless works disappear from one of the…

Inventory controls – what is in your collection, where it is located, and who is responsible for maintaining that information – is perhaps the most important aspect of collections management. According to the AAM Code of Ethics for Museums, U.S. museums are organized as public trusts with the responsibility to ensure the collections in their…