Museum Administration & Museology

The Leadership Partnership is volume two in the Museum Trustee Association's Templates for Trustees series. The book and customizable web-based templates feature tools that help boards to consider their options, identify their priorities, and plan their...

This is the first book to walk collections practitioners through this foundational collections stewardship function. Rooted in best practice theories, the book is based on the premise that collections preservation, security, and access are anchored in a...

Museum and Historic Site Management: A Case Study Approach utilizes the classic business case study approach to help museum and public history professionals think through different scenarios and understand/anticipate different points of view in resolving...

Museums have moved beyond exclusively collections-based missions, and the economics of museums have tightened considerably. As a result, the tenor of the discussion around the practice of deaccessioning and use of its proceeds has become livelier, if not...

Administrators of museums and other informal-learning centers often need to demonstrate, in some tangible way, the effectiveness of their institutions as teaching tools. Practical Evaluation Guide discusses specific methods for analyzing audience...

Interpreting Naval History at Museums and Historic Sites demonstrates the broad appeal of naval themed commemoration, centering on military aspects from both times of war and peace. Transcending place and time, naval history is shaped into public...

Fostering Empathy through Museums features fifteen case studies with clear take-away ideas, and lessons learned by vividly illustrating a spectrum of approaches in the way museums are currently employing empathy, a critical skill that is relevant to...

In small community museums, truck stops, restaurants, bars, barbershops, schools, and churches, people create displays to tell the histories that matter to them. Much of this history is personal: family history, community history, history of a trade, or...

Performing History: How to Research, Write, Act, and Coach Historical Performance addresses those areas that are of greatest challenge to novice historical performers. Historical performers must approach the process that is their work with a respect for...

Public historians working at museums and historic sites focused on the Civil War era are tasked with interpreting a period of history that remains deeply controversial. Many visitors have strong connections to historic sites such as battlefields and...

Gain insight into history organizations of all shapes and sizes in this book, which addresses the opportunities and challenges of public historians' work through the prism of the past, present, and future of our communities and institutions, as well as...

This book of five case studies demonstrates the critical role entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial thinking play in reinventing cultural organizations to make them relevant and sustainable for the twenty-first century and beyond. Through the twin lenses of...

Preventive Conservation for Historic House Museums is a primer on the preventive care practices that these unique sites need to slow the rate of deterioration and prevent damage and wear to the property and its collections. It proposes a collaborative...

During the twentieth century, dozens of protests, large and small, occurred across North America as American Indians asserted their anger and displayed their disappointment regarding traditional museum behaviors. In response, due to public embarrassment...

Effectively managing people, facilities, and partnerships can make or break an institution. Museum operations encompasses responsibility for the maintenance of your structure, the safety of your visitors, and the security of your staff and collections...

Every place has a story to tell, often found in historic sites or cultural traditions of the people who settled or currently live in a community, city, region or state. When these stories and places are shared with visitors, this activity becomes what is...

Great exhibits are never an accident. Planning effective exhibits is a demanding process that requires the designer to consider many different aspects and navigate numerous pitfalls while moving a project from concept to reality. In Museum Exhibition...

As the American Alliance of Museums' (AAM) Standing Professional Committees Council tells us "exhibitions are the public face of museums. The effective presentation of collections and information in exhibitions is an activity unique to museums, and it is...

Programs, tours and exhibits are the meat-and-potatoes of what most museums do to meet their missions to educate the public. Interpretation helps make small museums compelling so that the public understands that they are more than a repository of dusty...

Museums exist to serve their audiences; however, the scope of this charge is constantly being challenged and changed. This book looks at new roles small museums have taken as they find ways to become irreplaceable members of the community, engaging with...

Small museums must adopt policies of financial responsibility and stability if they are to last. Through an organized commitment to transparency and accountability, small museums can achieve sound financial management just like their larger counterparts...

Small museums face the same challenges as large museums on a tighter budget and with fewer resources. Navigating these obstacles requires strong leadership and effective governance. The creation and use of planning documents and a clear mission and...

Proper collections care, planning, and conservation is an essential responsibility for a museum of any size, but funding for these obligations often falls to the bottom of funding priorities because its constituencies are the quietest. Small museums need...

Purposeful Museum Programming Using Visitor Response Pedagogies offers museums of all sizes and genres practical, accessible, and inclusive programming ideas. Museums need to embrace a new model of educational programming, prioritizing and nurturing...

Purposeful Museum Programming Using Visitor Response Pedagogies offers museums of all sizes and genres practical, accessible, and inclusive programming ideas. Museums need to embrace a new model of educational programming, prioritizing and nurturing...

Beverly Serrell presents the reader with excellent guidelines on the process of exhibit label planning, writing, design, and production. One of the museum field's leading consultants and label writers, Serrell's 1996 edition of Exhibit Labels has been a...

Drawing on years of experience, Maria Piacente details the exhibition process in a straightforward way that can be easily adapted by institutions of any size. She and her contributing authors explore the exhibition development process in greater detail,...

The Manual of Museum Management, Third Edition presents a comprehensive and detailed analysis of:the principles of museum organization, the ways in which people work together to accomplish museum objectives, and the ways in which museums, large and...

This book will help readers take the steps needed to set their museums on a path to being welcoming and accessible. It features a variety of actions that museums, regardless of their size or budget, can implement.About the AuthorHeather Pressman has...

The New Art Museum Library addresses the issues facing today's art museum libraries through a series of scholarly essays written by top librarians in the field. In 2007, the publication, Art Museum Libraries and Librarianship, edited by Joan Benedetti,...

Displaying Organisation is a practical, step-by-step guide to planning and implementing exhibitions. Drawing on the author's in-depth experience of managing a wide range of exhibitions and installations, the book breaks down the process of exhibition...

The Inclusive Museum Leader offers insights and perspectives from two recognized museum leaders who have joined together to offer practical solutions and opportunities responding to the call for museums to play an active social justice role. About the...

Experts all agree that human beings can mitigate climate change by changing how we use energy for heat, light, movement, and production. Stewards of heritage sites and collections can engage the public at the grassroots level to raise awareness about the...

Designing Museum Experiences is a how-to book for creating visitor-centered museums that emotionally and intellectually connect with museum visitors, stakeholders, and donors.About the AuthorMark Walhimer is a managing partner of Museum Planning, LLC, a...

Designing Museum Experiences is a how-to book for creating visitor-centered museums that emotionally and intellectually connect with museum visitors, stakeholders, and donors.About the AuthorMark Walhimer is a managing partner of Museum Planning, LLC, a...

Creating Great Visitor Experiences: A Guide for Museum Professionals will help museums define their service, hire and train a dynamic frontline team, and spread a culture of service throughout their institution. About the AuthorColleen Higginbotham is...

A Guide to Closing a Museum answers your questions about closing a museum. Even if you are just considering your options during difficult times and planning for your future, this book takes you through all the legal, ethical, and operational questions to...

A Guide to Closing a Museum answers your questions about closing a museum. Even if you are just considering your options during difficult times and planning for your future, this book takes you through all the legal, ethical, and operational questions to...

This guide from the American Alliance of Museums utilizes recent research and insights from the fields of museum education and teacher education to provide a ready how-to guide of best practices for museums and sites offering professional development...

This theoretical and practical exploration of how museums can effectively support teacher thinking and practices demonstrates best practices for teacher professional development at sites and museums based on research and evaluation, and offers practical...