A report from the US Government Accountability Office reveals that 85% of the nation's museums have problems with delayed maintenance or serious repairs. More than three-quarters of the museums said that structural problems with their buildings were serious enough to risk their collections. 

The US has around 16,700 museums. Alongside the flagship national institutions in Washington and major cultural sites in Los Angeles and New York are many small, poorly funded museums that are often struggling to survive. Historic homes that are appropriate to their collections are proving expensive to maintain and improve. 

About 50% of the museums in the survey said they needed to spend at least $100,000 to bring their basic maintenance up to date. 

The result can be improvised solutions that risk damage to collections.  

Attempts to make older buildings accessible to everyone can also be expensive. 

Most museums need to raise money privately to pay for major capital projects. Delayed maintenance means that many institutions would find it more cost-effective to move to a new home than repair their current one said the report. 

The GAO report comes as Congress decides how to fund the Institute of Museum and Library Services. That agency currently has $300 million to spend. 

Will it be granted the extra money it needs to make America's crumbling museum infrastructure at least fit for purpose again?