Museums in Motion
An Introduction to the History and Functions of Museums
By (author) Edward P. Alexander, Mary Alexander, Juilee Decker Associate Professor, Museum Studies, Rochester Institute of Technology
Publication date:
24 February 2017Length of book:
390 pagesPublisher
Rowman & Littlefield PublishersDimensions:
263x183mm7x10"
ISBN-13: 9781442278790
Here is a complete introduction to the history of museums, types of museums, and the key roles that museums play in the twenty-first century.
Following an introductory chapter looking at what a museum is today, Part I looks at the history and types of museums:
art and design museums
natural history and anthropology museums
science museums
history museums, historic houses, interpretation centers, and heritage sites
botanical gardens and zoos
children’s museums
The second part of the book explores the primary functions of museums and museum professionals:
to collect
to conserve
to exhibit
to interpret and to engage
to serve and to act
The final chapter looks at the museum profession and professional practices. Throughout, emphasis is on museums in the United States, although attention is paid to the historical framing of museums within the European context.
The new edition includes discussions of technology, access, and inclusivity woven into each chapter, a list of challenges and opportunities in each chapter, and “Museums in Motion Today,” vignettes spread throughout the volume in which museum professionals provide their perspectives on where museums are now and where they are going. More than 140 images illustrate the volume.
Following an introductory chapter looking at what a museum is today, Part I looks at the history and types of museums:
art and design museums
natural history and anthropology museums
science museums
history museums, historic houses, interpretation centers, and heritage sites
botanical gardens and zoos
children’s museums
The second part of the book explores the primary functions of museums and museum professionals:
to collect
to conserve
to exhibit
to interpret and to engage
to serve and to act
The final chapter looks at the museum profession and professional practices. Throughout, emphasis is on museums in the United States, although attention is paid to the historical framing of museums within the European context.
The new edition includes discussions of technology, access, and inclusivity woven into each chapter, a list of challenges and opportunities in each chapter, and “Museums in Motion Today,” vignettes spread throughout the volume in which museum professionals provide their perspectives on where museums are now and where they are going. More than 140 images illustrate the volume.
This new, third edition of Museums in Motion tackles the challenge of updating a classic text on the history and relevance of museums with considerable elegance and aplomb. Important topics such as constantly changing information technologies, new approaches to inclusivity and accessibility, and the shifting nature of the museum profession cannot be tacked on to already existing chapters, but must be woven carefully into the substance of the text as an integrated whole. Juilee Decker faces this daunting task head-on, and the resulting book is a masterwork of research scholarship and professional practice that will prove invaluable to everyone wanting to improve their understanding of the functions, importance, and value of museums -- past, present, and future.