State funding for the Bishop Museum - Legislative Reference Bureau

STATE FUNDING FOR THE BISHOP MUSEUM
Bishop Museum, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Fieid
Museum of Natural History have all changed from having research as the
primary activity of the museum to having research as one of several primary
activities of the museum.
The Bishop Museum is the only institution that had less professional
staff in 1986 than in 1971. In 1971, the Bishop Museum had the lowest
starting salaries for professional staff, which no longer was the case in 1986.
However, its highest salary for nonprofessional staff is the lowest of the
independent museums surveyed.
In 1971, the Bishop Museum's income was well below the other
independent museums that responded to the survey, which was not true in
1986. Although the Bishop Museum's sources of income have expanded since
1970, its growth has not been as dramatic as the American Museum of Natural
History or the Field Museum of Natural History. The Bishop Museum's
expenditures have shifted, so that currently the emphasis is on research and
administrative and general operating costs, whereas in 1971, the emphasis was
on research.
Attitudes of Museum Administrators Toward Museum Funding
The Bureau also surveyed administrators at these institutions about their
attitudes toward museum funding, in the 1987 questionnaire. For example,
they were asked what they perceived to be the most desirable funding
arrangement for their museum, and the advantages and disadvantages of
regular government support to museums and museum affiliation with
government. The main points of museum administrators who responded to our
inquiries are set forth below.
Indiana State Mu~eum.~' The most desirable financial arrangement for
this Museum is a mixture of state and private funding, and grants.