Self-Care for Museum Workers (Book)
Our new book, Objective Lessons: Self-Care for Museum Professional, focuses on the people who make museums work. Self-care is basically the practice of ensuring that you maintain your best self. This book is a focused look at the professionals working in the cultural sector. This active workbook blends object-based learning and creative expression. This is …
Interpretation, Content, and the Use of Text in Museums
Interpretation is a word used in the museum situation to denote the function of creating information about collections. Most often this sector deals with text read on walls, like labels and panels. The term for me isn’t quite right. It sounds like you are translating between audiences, implying the need for an intercessor. I do …
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Labels in the World of Information Overload (Blog / Graphics )
From the museum point of view, they help audience connect to collections Visitors differ in their needs by sector. Designing one label for multiple audiences is impossible Visitor evaluation will help evolve labels to meet new needs Digital content needs to be a priority and purpose-built While text abounds in museums, the most ubiquitous element …
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The Inclusive Museum : The Ideal State of Being for a Museum
The Japanese concept of Ikigai has been rolling around the Internet. The graphic describes when you are in the ideal state of being by balancing various states of work, life, meaning, and hope. The concept is either aspirational or depressing depending on your circumstances. The image did get me thinking. The museum has two …
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Are Museums Writing for Today’s Audience? Looking at the Changes in Literacy & Knowledge-Creation in Society
When our visitors walk into their museums, they will have already consumed a great deal of information and fast at a rate of, on average, 23 words per second. Over the course of a day, people read an average 105,000 words. They walk into your museum, only to use text to find the bathroom, learn about …
Museums have a Problem with Fun (Data)
Museums need visitors. Anyone who flips through an annual report or glances on a website can attest to that fact. But, how do you get them there? You entice them, of course. But, how do you do that? I can share how I did that. When I used to run programs, I would try to …
Bill of Rights for Museum Visitors
Museum visitors have rights. Museums are storage lockers without visitors. And, visitors have certain rights. Visitors have: The right to wander at will, The right to feel smart, And the right to demand NOT to be made to feel stupid. They have the right to spend hours or look at ONE thing and …
Inclusive Interpretation Tips #museums
In my recent #MuseumNext Talk, I spoke about trust. Trust isn’t something you offer blindly. It takes practice and effort. In museums, in order to include visitors into the trust equation, we need to up the game on our interpretation. We need to move from anonymous authority to informed communicator. This requires some major shifts …
Trust the Revolution
Museums need a revolution of trust. The word trust is a common one in the museum field, embedded in mission statements and uttered by venerable directors. However, in both instances, museums use the word most commonly in terms of their holdings. Museums keep collections in trust for people. Spend a moment considering that language. Museums …
The Role of Relevancy and Museum (Data)
The average American is exposed to more than 5,000 branded messages every day. These messages can be everything from the logo on your tea bag to the ads that run while you are streaming NPR. In this saturated environment, how do you choose what to consume? Research indicates that many consumers are carefully privileging socially-responsible …