The Museum Trustee: Exploring Theory, Policy and Practice at Small Museums

The governance of small museums within the UK heritage sector presents distinct challenges that impact their strategic management, sustainability, and effectiveness. This research explores the mechanisms used to govern small museums, analysing board composition, trustee recruitment practices, board dynamics, and governance effectiveness. While small museums play a significant role in preserving cultural heritage, they often struggle with issues such as board diversity, informal recruitment of trustees, governance stagnation, and a lack of structured training. This study identifies the structural and operational challenges faced by small museum trustee boards. Findings indicate that many boards operate with outdated governance models, rely on informal networks for trustee appointments, and lack the strategic oversight required for long-term resilience. The study highlights the need for structured recruitment, diversity audits, term limits, formal training, and governance effectiveness assessments to enhance museum board performance. The research contributes to the academic and professional discourse by emphasising that governance challenges in small museums differ in both scale and nature from those in larger institutions. It provides practical recommendations, such as the adoption of shadow boards, trustee sponsorship programs, and governance audits, to improve leadership, inclusivity, and accountability. Ultimately, the study argues that strengthening governance in small museums is critical to their sustainability and continued contribution to the heritage sector. Practical contributions from this research are in the form of the Heritage Trustee Forum and the proposal for a digital tool for museum governance. These start to bridge the gap between governance best practice and the realities of governance in small museums.