ABSTRACT
As museums have developed over the centuries, so those working in them have sought to establish codes of rules and professional behaviour to regulate their work. Some of this is enshrined in law, although legislation affecting museums varies significantly from country to country. To help provide an international standard on which different countries and museum organisations can draw in developing their own codes of ethics, the International Council of Museums (ICOM) has established its Code of Ethics for Museums. The Code has been designed to provide a means of professional self-regulation and is regularly reviewed in the light of changing circumstances. ICOM’s Code is based around a set of minimum standards of professional conduct and performance and serves as a benchmark against which those working in and for museums can assess their performance.
