REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA
LAW
ON MUSEUMS
8 June 1995 No I-930
(As last amended on 23 March 2023 – No XIV-1819)
Vilnius
The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania,
having regard to the mission of museums, which is to shape, in keeping with the principles of openness, cooperation, social responsibility and sustainable development, the historical, cultural and social experiences of people by exposing the public, in an active and engaging way and through both traditional and modern means of communication, to the tangible and intangible evidence of humanity and its environment, stored and researched in the museums;
affirming that the preservation and promotion of and the research on the tangible and intangible heritage of culture, history, nature and technology are of fundamental importance for all groups of society as well as for intercultural dialogue, social cohesion and sustainable development;
acknowledging that in developing and transferring knowledge, building civic awareness and creativity, and shaping collective identity, museums play a role in formal and non-formal education and lifelong learning;
noting that museum activities must be designed to ensure the preservation and promotion of and the research on the tangible and intangible heritage of culture, history, nature and technology;
underlining the importance of making museums accessible to all groups of society in line with the principle of equal treatment,
hereby passes this Law.
CHAPTER I
GENERAL PROVISIONS
Article 1. Purpose of the Law
This Law shall govern the management and financing of museum activities, the system of museums, the specific features of the legal regulation of museum activities and the employment relations of the heads of museums, the protection, documentation and storage of museum collections, and other relations associated with museum activities.
Article 2. Definitions
1. ‘Museum collection’ means museum valuables which are linked and structured by shared features and whose collection, storage and research form the basis of museum communication and museum education.
2. ‘Museum education’ means a public service and a component of cultural education, i.e. museum activities based on the principles of active, inclusive and creative teaching and learning which are carried out by using the valuables and knowledge stored in a museum and which contribute to the stimulation of personal cultural and educational needs, development of a creative individual, strengthening of the habits of cognition and experience of culture, history, art, nature and technology, and building of cultural and social knowledge and skills.
3. ‘Museum communication’ means the interactive and inclusive interaction of the museum with the public the main task of which is to ensure the public’s access to a variety of sources of information, ideas and views on the tangible and intangible heritage of culture, history, nature and technology through the research on museum collections and publication of their results as well as through permanent expositions, exhibitions, educational and other activities.
4. ‘Museum valuables’ means objects of tangible or intangible heritage of culture, history, nature and technology that are valuable from the archaeological, historical, artistic, ethnic, religious, scientific, memorial or other cultural point of view, as well as museum objects of collection, storage, research and museum communication and education which are entered into the documentation of museum collections, bearing a code number and an individual accounting number.
5. ‘Museum’ means a legal entity or a division of a legal entity the primary function of which is to collect, store, conserve, restore, research and promote the valuables of the tangible and intangible heritage of culture, history, nature and technology, in order to provide the public with the opportunities for learning, educating, studying, developing creativity, and enjoying quality recreation.
6. ‘Permanent exhibition’ means a space for museum communication created on the basis of museum valuables and their complementary elements that presents to the public a permanent museum collection.
7. ‘Storage’ means the creation and maintenance of a suitable environment for museum valuables and the care and timely conservation and restoration of these valuables by ensuring their stable condition and halting their deterioration.
8. ‘Chief curator of museum collections’ means a staff member of the museum who organises and coordinates the collection, care and administration of museum collections, ensures their documentation, protection, storage and research as well as access to and use of them, and participates in the activities of museum education and museum communication.
9. Other concepts used in this Law shall be interpreted as they are defined in the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on Budgetary Institutions, the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on the Budget Structure, the Civil Code of the Republic of Lithuania, the Labour Code of the Republic of Lithuania, the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on the Protection of Movable Cultural Property, the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on the Protection of Immovable Cultural Heritage, the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on the Management, Use and Disposal of State and Municipal Assets, the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on Public Administration, the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on Public Establishments, and the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on Local Self-Government.
Article 3. Principles governing the activities of museums
Museum activities shall be organised in accordance with the following principles:
1) the principle of responsibility, meaning that museums must ensure the preservation of national identity, historical memory, and the heritage of culture, history, nature and technology, as well as the validity and objectivity of the historical, cultural and social knowledge conveyed by means of museum communication;
2) the principle of openness and non-discrimination, meaning that museums must respond to societal changes, expectations and needs, be open to innovative working methods and both modern and traditional technologies and modes of expression, provide services to all people regardless of their gender, race, nationality, citizenship, language, origin, social status, belief, convictions or views, age, sexual orientation, disability, ethnic origin, religion and/or other circumstances, and seek to make every person who visits the museum feel welcome and important;
3) the principle of excellence, meaning that museums must strive for the highest quality performance and fulfil their functions properly, while the museum staff must continuously improve their competences;
4) the principle of creativity, meaning that museums must apply a variety of tools of museum communication and public communication in their activities, enabling them to shape historical, cultural and social experiences, build civic identity, adapt to the changing conditions and requirements of their activities, changes in technology and organisation of work, and other circumstances, and enhance the role of museums as socio-cultural institutions;
5) the principle of transparency and publicity, meaning that museums must, in the conduct of their activities, be guided by the principles of fairness and transparency and prioritise the public interest; that the museum staff must avoid conflicts of public and private interest, refrain from seeking personal gain, avoid abuse of office, show no tolerance for bribery, protectionism, nepotism and fraud, and have zero tolerance for corruption; and that museums must use the funds and other assets allocated to them in a transparent, rational and effective way.
CHAPTER II
MANAGEMENT AND FINANCING OF MUSEUM ACTIVITIES
Article 4. Remit of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania, other ministries, and municipal councils in the field of management of museum activities
1. The Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania shall perform the following functions of management of museum activities:
1) shape the policy on museums as well as organise, coordinate and control the implementation thereof in cooperation with the museum community;
2) perform the functions of administration of the provision of public services, rendered by national and state museums, as referred to in Article 20 of the Law on Public Administration;
3) carry out the analysis and monitoring of the performance of museums and the conditions of protection, documentation and storage of museum valuables in museums;
4) establish criteria for assessment of activities of the museums the rights and obligations of the owner whereof are exercised by the Ministry;
2. Other ministries shall perform the functions of activity management, specified in points 4 and 5 of Article 4(1), of the museums the rights and obligations of the owner whereof are exercised by those ministries.
3. Municipal councils shall perform the following functions of management of museum activities:
1) the functions of administration of the provision of public services, rendered by the museums the rights and obligations of the owner whereof are exercised by the municipal councils, as referred to in Article 20 of the Law on Public Administration;
Article 5. Council of Museums
1. The Council of Museums shall be a collegial body acting in an advisory capacity under the Ministry of Culture and serving as both an expert and a consultant when addressing matters of museum policy formulation and implementation. The Minister of Culture shall lay down the procedure for setting up the Council of Museums and approve its regulations. The work of the members of the Council of Museums shall be remunerated in accordance with the procedure laid down by the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on Remuneration of Employees of State and Municipal Agencies and Members of Commissions.
2. The Council of Museums shall submit its conclusions and proposals to the Ministry of Culture regarding the following matters:
Article 6. Financing and funds of museums
1. The funds of museums shall consist of the following items:
1) funds of the state or municipal budget, including income from the sale of services rendered by museums as well as goods and biological assets of museums, and the lease of premises and other assets of museums;
3) funds received as sponsorship under the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on Charity and Sponsorship;
2. National and state museums shall be financed from the state budget and other lawfully obtained funds.
3. The activities of national and state museums the rights and obligations of the owner whereof are exercised by the Ministry of Culture shall also be financed from the state budget appropriations allocated to the Ministry of Culture for the implementation of the action plan, approved by the Minister of Culture, for the promotion of museum activities (hereinafter: ‘the Action Plan for the Promotion of Museum Activities’).
4. The Action Plan for the Promotion of Museum Activities shall be designed to ensure the continuity in acquiring, researching, restoring and spreading knowledge of movable cultural valuables. This Action Plan shall be implemented in the form of funded projects in accordance with the procedure laid down by the Minister of Culture.
5. Municipal museums registered as budgetary institutions shall be financed from municipal budgets and other lawfully obtained funds. Municipal museums registered as public establishments shall be financed in accordance with the procedure laid down by the Law on Public Establishments, and their activities may also be funded from municipal budgets.
CHAPTER III
SYSTEM OF MUSEUMS AND SPECIFIC FEATURES OF
THE LEGAL REGULATION OF MUSEUM ACTIVITIES
Article 7. System of museums
1. National, state, municipal and other museums and museum centres of excellence shall make up the system of museums in Lithuania.
2. The Ministry of Culture shall be informed of a decision regarding the establishment, reorganisation, transformation and liquidation of a museum, irrespective of its legal form, not later than within ten working days from the adoption of the relevant decision. This provision shall not apply to the museums the rights and obligations of the owner whereof are exercised by the Ministry of Culture.
Article 8. National museums
1. A national museum shall collect, store, research, conserve, restore and present to the public the museum collections of national and international importance that meet the profile of collections of the museum and are most comprehensive and significant for the State. National museums shall be budgetary institutions owned by the State. Decisions regarding the establishment, reorganisation, transformation and liquidation of national museums shall be taken by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, while the other rights and obligations of the owner of these museums shall be exercised by the Ministry of Culture. Decisions on granting the status of a national museum to a state museum shall be taken by the Government.
2. A national museum shall perform the following functions:
2) collect and store the museum valuables of national and international importance that are most significant for the State, meet the profile of collections of the museum, and are consistent with the directions for assembling the collections of the museum;
4) carry out conservation and restoration of the collected museum valuables in accordance with the procedure laid down by the Law on the Protection of Movable Cultural Property;
7) implement museum education activities, creating the conditions for formal and non-formal education;
8) implement the activities intended for persons with disabilities and contributing to the creation of psychosocial and spiritual well-being of society;
9) carry out scientific and other research on museum collections either independently or in cooperation with higher education and research institutions, research organisations or scientists;
10) organise or implement the improvement of qualifications and the development of competences of the museum staff;
11) act as a methodological centre for the protection and documentation of and research on museum collections as well as for museum communication;
12) implement national and international projects, as well as those financed by the EU structural funds and other cooperation programmes, in the fields of museum development, culture, tourism, and psychosocial and spiritual well-being of society;
13) appoint representatives of the museum to take part in the assessment by the Ministry of Culture of the activities of state museums and of the documentation and protection of the collections stored therein;
14) participate in the activities of the international networks of museums in Europe and the world, and carry out joint activities with other national and international organisations operating in the field of museums;
15) gather information about the museum valuables that meet the profile of collections of the museum and are owned by other Lithuanian and foreign museums, institutions, organisations, or natural persons;
16) gather information about the missing museum valuables or those unlawfully removed from the Republic of Lithuania which meet the profile of collections of the museum;
18) draw up annual activity plans and submit them for approval to the Ministry of Culture, unless the approval of the annual activity plans has been entrusted by the Ministry of Culture to the head of the museum;
20) provide statistical data on the activities of the museum to the Ministry of Culture in accordance with the procedure laid down by the Minister of Culture;
Article 9. State museums
1. State museums shall be specialised museums. A state museum shall collect, store, research, conserve, restore and present to the public the museum collections that are consistent with the area of specialisation of the museum. State museums shall be state-owned budgetary institutions the rights and obligations of the owner whereof are exercised by the Ministry of Culture or other ministries.
2. A state museum shall perform the following functions:
2) collect and store the museum valuables that meet the profile of collections of the museum and are consistent with the directions for assembling the collections of the museum;
4) carry out conservation and restoration of the collected museum valuables in accordance with the procedure laid down by the Law on the Protection of Movable Cultural Property;
7) implement museum education activities, creating the conditions for formal and non-formal education;
8) implement the activities intended for persons with disabilities and contributing to the creation of psychosocial and spiritual well-being of society;
9) carry out scientific and other research on the museum collections either independently or in cooperation with higher education and research institutions, research organisations or scientists;
10) act as a methodological centre for the protection and documentation of and research on the museum collections, as well as for the museum communication, of municipal and other museums;
11) implement national and international projects, as well as those financed by the EU structural funds and other cooperation programmes, in the fields of museum development, culture, tourism, and psychosocial and spiritual well-being of society;
12) participate in the activities of the international networks of museums in Europe and the world, and carry out joint activities with other national and international organisations operating in the field of museums;
13) gather information about the museum valuables that meet the profile of collections of the museum and are owned by other Lithuanian and foreign museums, institutions, organisations, or natural persons;
14) gather information about the missing museum valuables or those unlawfully removed from the Republic of Lithuania which meet the profile of collections of the museum;
15) draw up annual activity plans and submit them for approval to the institution exercising the rights and obligations of the owner of the museum, unless the approval of the annual activity plans has been entrusted by the said institution to the head of the museum;
16) draw up annual activity reports and submit them to the institution exercising the rights and obligations of the owner of the museum;
17) provide statistical data on the activities of the museum to the Ministry of Culture in accordance with the procedure laid down by the Minister of Culture;
Article 10. Municipal museums
1. Municipal museums shall be state-owned budgetary institutions or public establishments. A municipal museum shall collect, store, research, conserve, restore and present to the public the museum collections which reflect the culture of the municipality and/or the region in the territory whereof the museum operates and which are significant for the local community.
2. A municipal museum shall perform the following functions:
2) collect and store the museum valuables which reflect the culture of the municipality and/or the region in the territory whereof the museum operates and which are significant for the local community;
4) carry out conservation and restoration of the collected museum valuables in accordance with the procedure laid down by the Law on the Protection of Movable Cultural Property;
7) implement museum education activities, creating the conditions for formal and non-formal education;
8) implement the activities intended for persons with disabilities and contributing to the creation of psychosocial and spiritual well-being of society;
9) carry out scientific and other research on museum collections either independently or in cooperation with higher education and research institutions, research organisations or scientists;
10) implement national and international projects, as well as those financed by the EU structural funds and other cooperation programmes, in the fields of museum development, culture, tourism, and psychosocial and spiritual well-being of society;
11) participate in the activities of the international networks of museums in Europe and the world, and carry out joint activities with other national and international organisations operating in the field of museums;
12) draw up annual activity plans and submit them for approval to the institution exercising the rights and obligations of the owner of the museum, unless the approval of the annual activity plans has been entrusted by the said institution to the head of the museum;
13) draw up annual activity reports and submit them to the institution exercising the rights and obligations of the owner of the museum;
14) provide statistical data on the activities of the museum to the Ministry of Culture in accordance with the procedure laid down by the Minister of Culture;
Article 11. Other museums
2. Other museums shall perform the following functions:
3) carry out conservation and restoration of the collected museum valuables in accordance with the procedure laid down by the Law on the Protection of Movable Cultural Property;
4) implement museum education activities, creating the conditions for formal and non-formal education;
6) implement the activities intended for persons with disabilities and contributing to the creation of psychosocial and spiritual well-being of society;
7) provide statistical data on the activities of the museum to the Ministry of Culture in accordance with the procedure laid down by the Minister of Culture;
Article 12. Museum centres of excellence
Museum centres of excellence shall be public or private legal persons which, in accordance with the procedure laid down by the Minister of Culture and within the remit in the field and/or territory of museum activities assigned to them, shall perform the following functions:
1) coordinate, at the national and/or territorial level, the museum activities in the field assigned to them, and carry out the analysis and monitoring thereof;
2) provide structured information to the Ministry of Culture or other institutions on the statistical and performance indicators of the museum activities in the field and/or territory assigned to them;
3) provide expertise and methodological assistance to museums in the field and/or territory of museum activities assigned to them;
4) submit proposals to the Ministry of Culture regarding the legal regulation of the museum activities in the field assigned to them and regarding the improvement of services rendered by museums;
5) coordinate, within the field of museum activities assigned to them, the cooperation of Lithuanian and foreign institutions, agencies or organisations operating in the field of museums and other areas;
Article 13. Specific features of the legal regulation of museums
In addition to the requirements provided for in the Civil Code or laws governing individual legal forms of legal persons, the regulations or articles of association of each museum, regardless of its legal form, must specify the following information:
1) the abbreviation of the name of the museum, which is indicated in the documentation of museum valuables;
CHAPTER IV
SPECIFIC FEATURES OF EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS OF
THE HEADS OF MUSEUMS.
COUNCIL OF A MUSEUM. EMERITUS FELLOW OF A MUSEUM
Article 14. Specific features of employment relations of the heads of museums
1. The head of a national, state or municipal museum shall be appointed for a five-year term of office by the head of the institution exercising the rights and obligations of the owner of the museum or by the mayor by open competition in accordance with the procedure laid down by the Government, except for the cases where the head of a municipal museum is appointed without competition for the second five-year term of office as specified in Article 14(5).
2. Special qualification requirements applicable to the heads of national, state or municipal museums shall be established by the Minister of Culture.
3. The same person may not be appointed head of the same national museum for more than two consecutive terms.
4. The same person may be appointed head of the same state or municipal museum for an unlimited number of consecutive terms.
5. Upon the expiry of the five-year term of office, the head of a municipal museum may, by a decision of the mayor, be appointed without competition for the second five-year term of office, provided that every annual performance of the head of the municipal museum throughout the five-year term in office has been appraised as good or very good. The decision on the appointment of the head of the municipal museum without competition for the second five-year term of office must be taken not later than two months before the expiry of the term of office of the head of that municipal museum.
6. The head of a municipal museum who has not been appointed for the second five-year term of office without competition, as specified in Article 14(5), shall have the right to take part in an open competition for the position of the head of that museum.
7. The heads of national, state or municipal museums and candidates applying for the said positions must be of good repute. A person shall not be considered to be of good repute if the person:
1) fails to meet the requirements of good repute laid down by the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on the Civil Service;
2) has been recognised as having grossly violated the Rules on Professional Activities and Ethics of the Employees of Cultural Institutions approved by the Minister of Culture (hereinafter: ‘the Rules’) and less than three years have lapsed from the date of recognition of such violation. A violation of the Rules shall be deemed as a gross violation of the Rules where it is committed by an employee of a cultural institution on two or more occasions in the course of one year and is recognised as degrading human dignity and discrediting the reputation of the cultural institution.
8. Where it transpires that the head of a national, state or municipal museum fails to meet the criteria of good repute specified in Article 14(7), the head of the institution exercising the rights and obligations of the owner of the museum or the mayor shall take the decision to terminate the employment contract concluded with the head of the museum.
Article 15. Right of the head of a museum to engage in other work
1. The head of a national, state or municipal museum shall be permitted to engage in other work and receive remuneration for it, provided that it:
2. A decision on granting permission to the head of a national, state or municipal museum to engage in other work and to receive remuneration for it shall be taken respectively by the head of the institution exercising the rights and obligations of the owner of the museum or by the mayor in accordance with the procedure laid down by him or her.
Article 16. Council of a museum
1. A collegial Council of a museum acting in an advisory capacity shall function within a national, state or municipal museum.
2. The Council of a museum shall perform the following functions:
2) submit proposals to the head of the museum on projects significant for the activities of the museum and on the potential financing of these projects;
3. The composition of the Council of a national, state or municipal museum shall be approved by the head of the museum.
4. The Council of a museum shall be headed by a member of the Council who is not the head of the museum.
5. At least one third of the members of the Council of a museum must be experts that are employed outside the museum. A representative delegated by the institution exercising the rights and obligations of the owner of the museum or by the mayor shall be included in the Council of the museum.
Article 17. Emeritus fellow of a museum
1. Upon the expiry of the employment contract with the museum of a museum employee who has made a significant contribution to the activities of the national, state or municipal museum, the head of the museum may confer the title of an emeritus fellow of a museum on the said employee for his merits to the Lithuanian culture, protection of cultural heritage, and activities that have facilitated the implementation of the objectives of the museum. The title of an emeritus fellow of a museum shall be conferred in accordance with the procedure laid down by the Minister of Culture.
2. The emeritus fellow of a museum shall, in accordance with the procedure laid down by the head of the national, state or municipal museum, be provided with the conditions to contribute to the improvement of qualifications and development of skills of the museum staff, consult the museum staff on the issues pertaining to the activities of the museum, and participate in the activities of museum communication and museum education.
CHAPTER V
MUSEUM COLLECTIONS AND ENSURING OF THE PROTECTION, DOCUMENTATION AND STORAGE THEREOF
Article 18. Museum collections
1. Museum collections shall be compiled based on the profile of collections of the museum and the predominant museum valuables, as well as by taking into account the history of the collections of the museum and the relevant cultural needs of society.
2. Museum valuables stored as part of museum collections shall not be returned to their previous owners, except for the cases where they were entered into the museum collections unlawfully after 11 March 1990 or where international treaties to which the Republic of Lithuania is a party provide otherwise.
Article 19. Ensuring of the protection, documentation and storage of museum valuables
2. The Minister of Culture shall determine the composition of museum collections and the procedure for the assembly, management, protection, documentation and storage thereof, the requirements for the display, conservation, restoration and digitisation of museum valuables, and the responsibilities of the museum staff whose functions are related to the documentation, protection, storage, display, conservation, restoration and digitisation of museum valuables.
3. The protection, documentation and storage of museum collections at national, state or municipal museums shall be directed and ensured by the chief curator of museum collections acting as deputy head of the museum. Other museums may establish either the post of a chief curator of museum collections or another position the main functions of which would be related to the protection, documentation and storage of museum collections.
4. Special qualification requirements applicable to the chief curators of museum collections of national, state or municipal museums shall be established by the Minister of Culture.
5. A Commission for Assembling Museum Collections shall be established within a national, state or municipal museum for the purpose of ensuring proper assembly and management of, and communication on, museum collections. The Commission for Assembling Museum Collections shall be composed of the staff of the museum. The chief curator of museum collections shall be the chair of the Commission for Assembling Museum Collections. The procedure for setting up a Commission for Assembling Museum Collections and the remit of the said Commission shall be established by the Minister of Culture.
6. A Conservation Council shall be established within a national museum, and may be established within a state museum, for the purpose of ensuring proper conservation and restoration of the museum valuables stored in the museum. The Conservation Council shall consist of restorers working in the museum or other museums and certified in accordance with the procedure laid down by legal acts. The chief curator of museum collections shall be the chair of the Conservation Council. The procedure for setting up a Conservation Council and the remit of the said Council shall be established by the Minister of Culture.
I promulgate this Law passed by the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania.
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC ALGIRDAS BRAZAUSKAS