Captures the multidisciplinary approach to the study of the development, roles, and significance of museums in contemporary society.

By exploring the processes of collecting, which challenge the bounds of normally acceptable practice, this book debates the practice of collecting 'difficult' objects, from a historical and contemporary perspective; and discusses the acquisition of objects related to war and genocide, and those purchased from the internet, as well as considering human remains, mass produced objects and illicitly traded antiquities. The aim is to apply a critical approach to the rigidity of museums in maintaining essentially nineteenth-century ideas of collecting; and to move towards identifying priorities for collection policies in museums, which are inclusive of acquiring 'difficult' objects. Much of the book engages with the question of the limits to the practice of collecting as a means to think through the implementation of new strategies.

Environmentally friendly practices are crucial to the mission of museums, which, as houses of preservation, are uniquely suited to modeling green behavior and sustainability. The Green Museum remains the leading handbook for museums seeking to learn ways to implement environmentally sustainable practices at their institutions, whether they are planning new construction or want to find out how to "green" their day-to-day operations. As environmental sustainability becomes the rule rather than the exception for businesses of all kinds, this new edition features updated standards, techniques, and information as well as new case studies.

A comprehensive discussion of the legal questions faced by museums as they acquire, use, and refine their collections

Since the first edition was published in 1958, Museum Registration Methods (now known as MRM6 in its 6th edition) has defined the profession and served as a fundamental reference to all aspects of collections registration, care, and management. The sixth edition is a comprehensive guide to registration and collections management of museum collections, from acquisition, use, and deaccessioning.

The Museum Experience Revisited paints a thorough picture of why people go to museums, what they do there, how they learn, and what museum practitioners can do to enhance these experiences.

Showcases how the use of technology in museums should be understood as factors directly related to the museums' notion of community. This is accomplished through five case studies at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Walker Art Center, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), and Brooklyn Museum.

Explores the vital role played by presenters in both establishing why history matters and communicating the past to audiences within and outside academia. Through case studies this book looks critically at alternative literary and visual ways of presenting the past as both academic history and popular history.

Programming for People with Special Needs: A Guide for Museums and Historic Sites will help museums and historic sites become truly inclusive educational experiences. The book is unique because it covers education and inclusion for those with both intellectual and learning disabilities.

Looks at museums not simply as storehouses of old things but as the products of meaningful relationships between curators, the public, history, and culture. A refreshing and hopeful look at museums, illuminating reflection of who we are.

Explores adult education that takes place outside the the formal system-local non-formal education.It offers a more responsive framework for making sense of different forms of adult education through an investigation of five non-formal educational sites museums, state parks, literacy, and consumer education.

One of the world's leading museum directors, Cuno, argues that nationalistic retention and reclamation policies impede common access to common heritage and encourage a dubious and dangerous politicization of antiquities and of culture itself.

This multivolume work is a cross-disciplinary source for researchers that need to document and analyze periods of contemporary American social history. The work consists of 10 volumes covering the decades 1900-1999 (volumes 1-10).

Volume 11 in the American Decades series. Covers everything from monumental events and groundbreaking individuals to the fascinating details of Americans' daily lives. Supports historical research in disciplines from the arts and business to law, medicine, technology and social trends.

This fascinating encyclopedia explores the rich and varied cultural traditions of folklife in America - from barn raisings to the Internet, tattoos, and Zydeco - through expressions that include ritual, custom, crafts, architecture, food, clothing, and art. The editor, Dr. Simon J. Bronner, is Distinguished Professor of American Studies and Folklore Emeritus at Penn State Harrisburg and is currently the Dean of the College of General Studies and Distinguished Professor of Social Sciences and Business at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

This reference focuses on processes and people - how they chose sites for towns and built their homes, how they led their lives, how they modified and were modified by their physical surroundings. Race, gender, ethnicity, work, culture, technology, education, and family history are included.