101 Museum Programs Under 100

This book presents successful programs across the country that have been successfully presented in real museums across the country for under $100. Nearly 100 figures and photographs make this a stellar programming tool your museum will use throughout the year.

Teaching in the Art Museum investigates the mission, history, theory, practice, and future prospects of museum education. In this book Rika Burnham and Elliott Kai-Kee define and articulate a new approach to gallery teaching, one that offers groups of visitors deep and meaningful experiences of interpreting art works through a process of intense, sustained looking and thoughtfully facilitated dialogue.--[book cover].

Tremendous opportunities are opening up as architecture becomes more generalized and firms accept commissions for a widening range of building types. To take advantage of these opportunities, architects need instant information on the general issues, materials, systems, requirements, and general design guidelines associated with different types of structures. Building Type Basics books fulfill this need. Building Type Basics for Museums is a one-stop source for the essential information architects need to fast-start the design process. In this book, author Arthur Rosenblatt draws upon the expertise of leading architects from around the world to present all aspects of museum and cultural facility design. This book provides critical information on the process, potential problems, design concerns, and recent trends in museum and cultural facility design, along with complete coverage of energy issues, mechanical systems, and structural concerns as well as acoustic control, lighting, internal traffic, security, and other important topics. This indispensable guide: * Asks and answers twenty questions that frequently arise in the early phases of a project commission * Provides project photographs, diagrams, floor plans, sections, and details * Includes guidelines for art, science, and natural history museums; ethnic art and cultural centers; and more This conveniently organized quick reference is an invaluable guide for busy, dedicated professionals who want to get moving quickly as they embark on a new project. Like every Building Type Basics book, it provides authoritative, up-to-date information instantly and saves architects countless hours of research. Engineering consultants will also find a wealth of information to help them tackle museum commissions of all kinds.

In this second edition to Museum Librarianship, the author offers guidance in planning and providing information services in a museum—beginning or revitalizing the library; collection development and the bibliographic process; technical services; administration; space and equipment requirements; fundamental services; extended information services; and the information partnership between museums and their libraries. The Internet and other electronic resources are fully covered. The focus of this new edition has shifted slightly from mainly dealing with the start-up aspects to an emphasis on the goals of library and information services in a museum, and the processes through which such services can be achieved. The author’s underlying goal is to help enhance and enrich the encounter of the museum-goer with enduring objects, in a time when we all seem to be assailed on every side by random noise and flickering image.

Museums and Social Activism is the first study to bring together historical accounts of the African American and later American Indian civil rights-related social and reform movements that took place on the Smithsonian Mall through the 1960s and 1970s in Washington DC with the significant but unknown story about museological transformation and curatorial activism that occurred in the Division of Political and Reform History at the National Museum of American History at this time. Based on interdisciplinary field-based research that has brought together cross-cultural and international perspectives from the fields of Museum Studies, Public History, Political Science and Social Movement Studies with empirical investigation, the book explores and analyses museums’ – specifically, curators’ – relationships with political stakeholders past and present. By understanding the transformations of an earlier period, Museums and Social Activism offers provocative perspectives on the cultural and political significance of contemporary museums. It highlights the relevance of past practice and events for museums today and improved ways of understanding the challenges and opportunities that result from the ongoing process of renewal that museums continue to exemplify.

This substantially enlarged and expanded second edition of New Solutions for House Museums: Ensuring the Long-Term Preservation of America’s Historic Houses provides advice for historic site stewards that have concerns about the financial sustainability of their historic house museum and its relevance to its local audience. Seven new case studies have been added for the second edition. The new case studies reinforce the book’s central argument that not every historic house museum, whether founded 100 years ago or last month, can be sustained long-term. Three of the new case studies are from diverse historic sites, showcasing how African American, women, and other minority-focused historic sites are pioneering new ways to commemorate their histories and interpret fascinating stories to visitors, with the end goal of creating financially sustainable historic sites that are relevant to their audience. New interviews have been conducted with the ten existing case studies from the first edition to bring them up to date. The new edition adds two new reuse options to the eight introduced in the first edition. This chapter describes how to identify and implement a reuse decision, costs and advisors needed, and tips on decision making. There is a new chapter-long interview with Tom Mayes, Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, on recent legal and ethical issues facing historic sites. Another new chapter provides advice on the essential role of the historic site’s Board of Directors as the decision maker for any reuse exploration. The second edition of New Solutions for House Museums contains a new introduction to the second edition, an updated conclusion, bibliography, and index.