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Alaska Museums Surveys and Data

Data gathered from museums surveyed around Alaska during 1984, 2000, 2010, and 2020.

The survey asked museums, "who governs them, who owns the collection, who owns the building, who maintains the building, and who pays salaries?"

Governance: (N=55)

Twenty-eight museums indicated they are part of a parent organization. Thirty-three are overseen by boards of directors and eleven by a department of government.
Non-Profit: 36 (a) [see details below]
Municipal: 12 (b)
State: 3
Federal: 3
For profit: 1 (c)
Tribal Organization 0
Non-profit governance
Entirely non-profit 17
Municipally owned building 10
Municipally owned building and collection 4
Federal, state or tribal owned building 3 (1 each)
Insufficient additional data 2
Municipal governance
Entirely city operated 9
Non-profit owned collections 3

For profit museums:

The Heritage Library and Museum at Wells Fargo Bank in Anchorage is the one for-profit museum included in the survey. Aside from governance and financial support, this museum functions like many other museums in the state, adheres to museum standards and participates in statewide museum activities. This survey does not include other for-profit facilities because they are managed as attractions and do not participate in the statewide museum community.