The Manual of Museum Learning

The Manual of Museum Learning is certainly a practical and thoughtful resource for those working or studying in the museum arena, and others can benefit from its broad offerings, too. Any professional working in an industry or institution with parallel goals as the learning museum can profit from its foundational approach to meaningful, systemic change. * Journal Of Museum Education * Based on the premise the learning within the twenty-first-century museum setting is informal, voluntary, and affective, this volume presents both theory and case studies on how to optimize that learning. Building on material in the widely held 2007 first edition, the authors explore new settings and formats for educational experiences, from school-museum partnerships to the possibilities (such as Makerspaces) made available by the digital world. By analyzing the different resources a museum has, from collections of rare and beautiful objects to interactive learning spaces, the authors enumerate the different learning spaces. Four case studies offer precise examples of the ideas being presented. The authors have a wide range of experience in the museum world, from art and textile museums to botanical gardens. They provide a panoply of approaches to enhance the visitors experience, and to increase their understanding of the collections and exhibits they encounter. Any reader interested in improving the learning experience, for people at any stage of life, will find this volume of interest and use. Academic libraries and any others serving an education clientele should consider this volume, even if they own the first edition. Museum study programs will be most interested in this information. * American Reference Books Annual * Rich in examples and hard-won experience, this fascinating book provides an invaluable survey for those administering, running, and publicizing museums, who need to attract new audiences. And if youre planning a museum, this is an admirable starting point, for the editors and contributors know of what they write and are bursting with ideas. Everyone who loves, and works with, museums should own this invaluable volume. -- Brian Fagan, former museum officer, Emeritus Professor of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, and author of numerous general books on the past This new edition of The Manual of Museum Learning is a collection of visionary, innovative approaches to museum learning that explores untapped potential in innovative partnerships, community collaborations and shared intellect. -- Patrice Farquharson, Associate Professor, Post University and Executive Director, West Haven Child Development Center, Connecticut For those interested in educational partnerships between museums and other types of organizations, this book provides an exciting survey of opportunities, as well as practical, how to; information from successful case studies. I highly recommend the book to anyone working in public education, whether it be a formal or informal learning institution, interested in how museums can help achieve shared educational goals. -- Mariana Borrego Hoffmann, General Advisor to the CEO, Petroleos Mexicanos and Project Lead, Museo Nacional de Energia y Tecnologia (National Museum of Energy and Technology), Mexico City

Brad King is a Vice President with Lord Cultural Resources in Toronto. He holds a PhD in History from the University of Toronto where he was a Doctoral Fellow of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Since joining Lord in 2000, Brad has led or contributed to a wide variety of museum and cultural planning projects and has been involved in some of the most interesting and ambitious projects of our time. He brings a wealth of international experience to his work, being recently active in the Arabian Gulf, South Asian and the Caribbean regions as well as in the United States and Canada. He is the author of chapters on collections analysis (The Manual of Museum Planning, 3rd ed.), on evolving museum-school relationships (The Manual of Museum Learning, 1st ed.) and is a frequent speaker at museum and academic conferences. The recently deceased Barry Lord, Co-President of Lord Cultural Resources, was internationally known as one of the world's leading museum planners. Based in Toronto but working globally, Barry brought over fifty years of experience in the management and planning of museums, galleries and historic sites to the hundreds of projects he has directed. With a B.A. in Philosophy from McMaster University followed by graduate work at Harvard University's Center for the Study of World Religions, Barry co-founded Lord Cultural Resources with his wife Gail Lord in 1981. Together they edited and wrote the world's first book on the subject, Planning Our Museums (1983) and three editions of The Manual of Museum Planning (1991, 1999 and 2012). Barry also co-authored The Cost of Collecting (1989) and The Manual of Museum Management (1997; 2nd edition, 2009), co-edited two editions of The Manual of Museum Exhibitions (2002 and 2014), and edited the first edition of The Manual of Museum Learning (2007). Barry co-authored Artists, Patrons, and the Public: Why Culture Changes with Gail in 2010. His most recent book, Art and Energy: How Culture Changes was published by the American Alliance of Museums in 2014.

Acknowledgments List of Contributors Prologue Brad King Section One: WHY Planning Basics 1. Introduction Brad King 2. Planning Strategically for Learning Brad King 3. Planning for Informal Learning: Understanding and Simplifying the Interpretive Process Jennifer Shepherd Section Two: WHAT A Framework for Museum Learning Introduction Brad King 4. Learning for Change Ngaire Blankenberg 5. The Changing Role of the Curator Sascha Priewe 6. Planning for Effective Learning Partnerships Brad King Case Study 6.1: Tine Seligmann, Project Learning Museum: collaboration between museums and the educational world, from project to concept 7. Museum Learning Outside the Museum Ngaire Blankenberg Case Study 7.1: Trish Savill, Campus Calgary/Open Minds Moving the Classroom into the Community; doing together what we cant do alone Section Three: HOW Transforming the Museum into a 21st Century Learning Institution Introduction Brad King 8. Managing Institutional Change Introduction Brad King 8.1 Re-Visioning the Museum as a Learning Institution Nannette V. Maciejunes and Cindy Meyers Foley 8.2 Thinking About Operations Charlie Walter 8.3 Banishing the Museum Position: Training Front-Line Staff for Effective Learning Kathleen Brown 8.4 Facility Planning for Museum Learning Heather Maximea 9. Planning for Audiences Introduction Brad King 9.1 Adopting New Habits for Visitor-Centered Learning Merilee Mostov Case Study 9.1: Anne Madden, Engaging Audiences: Climate Change Learning at the Memorial University of Newfoundland Botanical Garden 9.2 Childhood Learning in Museums Brad King Case Study 9.2 Candice Anderson, Cool Culture 9.3 Access for Museum Learning Katie Stringer 10. Planning Learning Programs Introduction Brad King 10.1 Use of Collections in Museum Learning Sascha Priewe 10.2 The Cultural Exhibition: A Museum Model for Cultural Works-in-Progress Andrea Sachdeva 10.3 Learning From Interpretation Katherine Molineux Case Study 10.3: Genia Hesser, The North Dakota State Museum: A Thematic Approach to History Exhibits 10.4 Tools and Technology for Museum Learning Shailoh Phillips 11. Conclusion Brad King Postscript Barry Lord Glossary Bibliography Index