Open Forum

Dear All

One interesting end of year question from a fellow member of AAM. 

What is the one book you would recommend to read as the most helpful preparation for what you have actually encountered in your museum career? For me the two books are Museum Education for today' Audiences by Potter and Cunningham and Change is Required by Decter, Semmel and Yelis. I find that these books have good advice and says things that need to be said about museums. I look forward to all responses and insight.

Thanks,

Rachel

Hi Rachel,

Good question! For me, it's Material Culture Studies in America edited by Thomas J. Schlereth. It helped me to develop perspective and techniques for thinking about objects. It has also helped me teach Department of Defense historians about artifacts as primary sources and carriers of information. There are a few other excellent go-to books in the same vein, but Schlereth's is foundational for me.

Cheers,

Doug

Dear All

One interesting end of year question from a fellow member of AAM. 

What is the one book you would recommend to read as the most helpful preparation for what you have actually encountered in your museum career? For me the two books are Museum Education for today' Audiences by Potter and Cunningham and Change is Required by Decter, Semmel and Yelis. I find that these books have good advice and says things that need to be said about museums. I look forward to all responses and insight.

Thanks,

Rachel

Hi Rachel,

Good question! For me, it's Material Culture Studies in America edited by Thomas J. Schlereth. It helped me to develop perspective and techniques for thinking about objects. It has also helped me teach Department of Defense historians about artifacts as primary sources and carriers of information. There are a few other excellent go-to books in the same vein, but Schlereth's is foundational for me.

Cheers,

Doug

Dear All

One interesting end of year question from a fellow member of AAM. 

What is the one book you would recommend to read as the most helpful preparation for what you have actually encountered in your museum career? For me the two books are Museum Education for today' Audiences by Potter and Cunningham and Change is Required by Decter, Semmel and Yelis. I find that these books have good advice and says things that need to be said about museums. I look forward to all responses and insight.

Thanks,

Rachel

Hi Rachel,

Good question! For me, it's Material Culture Studies in America edited by Thomas J. Schlereth. It helped me to develop perspective and techniques for thinking about objects. It has also helped me teach Department of Defense historians about artifacts as primary sources and carriers of information. There are a few other excellent go-to books in the same vein, but Schlereth's is foundational for me.

Cheers,

Doug

Dear All

One interesting end of year question from a fellow member of AAM. 

What is the one book you would recommend to read as the most helpful preparation for what you have actually encountered in your museum career? For me the two books are Museum Education for today' Audiences by Potter and Cunningham and Change is Required by Decter, Semmel and Yelis. I find that these books have good advice and says things that need to be said about museums. I look forward to all responses and insight.

Thanks,

Rachel

Hi Rachel,

Good question! For me, it's Material Culture Studies in America edited by Thomas J. Schlereth. It helped me to develop perspective and techniques for thinking about objects. It has also helped me teach Department of Defense historians about artifacts as primary sources and carriers of information. There are a few other excellent go-to books in the same vein, but Schlereth's is foundational for me.

Cheers,

Doug

Dear All

One interesting end of year question from a fellow member of AAM. 

What is the one book you would recommend to read as the most helpful preparation for what you have actually encountered in your museum career? For me the two books are Museum Education for today' Audiences by Potter and Cunningham and Change is Required by Decter, Semmel and Yelis. I find that these books have good advice and says things that need to be said about museums. I look forward to all responses and insight.

Thanks,

Rachel

Dear All

One interesting end of year question from a fellow member of AAM. 

What is the one book you would recommend to read as the most helpful preparation for what you have actually encountered in your museum career? For me the two books are Museum Education for today' Audiences by Potter and Cunningham and Change is Required by Decter, Semmel and Yelis. I find that these books have good advice and says things that need to be said about museums. I look forward to all responses and insight.

Thanks,

Rachel

Hi Rachel,

The one book that I would recommend for anyone who is considering starting a museum is Starting Right - A Basic Guide to Museum Planning,

Gerald George and Cindy Sherrell-Leo offer 20 steps that, if followed, will help ensure a successful and perpetual museum. One of the big take-aways from the book is that one should allow three years to complete the 20 steps with actually opening the museum scheduled for late in the third year. I volunteer for a museum whose founder did not follow the steps, and the museum has struggled to survive from day one.

Peter H. Hames, BSME, MBA, Master's degree in Maritime and Naval Studies

Volunteer - Houston Maritime Center and Museum

maritime65102@gmail.com

Dear All

One interesting end of year question from a fellow member of AAM. 

What is the one book you would recommend to read as the most helpful preparation for what you have actually encountered in your museum career? For me the two books are Museum Education for today' Audiences by Potter and Cunningham and Change is Required by Decter, Semmel and Yelis. I find that these books have good advice and says things that need to be said about museums. I look forward to all responses and insight.

Thanks,

Rachel

Dear All

One interesting end of year question from a fellow member of AAM. 

What is the one book you would recommend to read as the most helpful preparation for what you have actually encountered in your museum career? For me the two books are Museum Education for today' Audiences by Potter and Cunningham and Change is Required by Decter, Semmel and Yelis. I find that these books have good advice and says things that need to be said about museums. I look forward to all responses and insight.

Thanks,

Rachel

Dear All

One interesting end of year question from a fellow member of AAM. 

What is the one book you would recommend to read as the most helpful preparation for what you have actually encountered in your museum career? For me the two books are Museum Education for today' Audiences by Potter and Cunningham and Change is Required by Decter, Semmel and Yelis. I find that these books have good advice and says things that need to be said about museums. I look forward to all responses and insight.

Thanks,

Rachel

Dear All

One interesting end of year question from a fellow member of AAM. 

What is the one book you would recommend to read as the most helpful preparation for what you have actually encountered in your museum career? For me the two books are Museum Education for today' Audiences by Potter and Cunningham and Change is Required by Decter, Semmel and Yelis. I find that these books have good advice and says things that need to be said about museums. I look forward to all responses and insight.

Thanks,

Rachel

What a great question! The Museum Educator's Manual 2nd Edition by Anna Johnson, Kimberly Huber, Nancy Cutler, Melissa Bingmann, and Tim Grove was my go to when I first started in the field. I love the included case studies and applicable tips for execution. 

Dear All

One interesting end of year question from a fellow member of AAM. 

What is the one book you would recommend to read as the most helpful preparation for what you have actually encountered in your museum career? For me the two books are Museum Education for today' Audiences by Potter and Cunningham and Change is Required by Decter, Semmel and Yelis. I find that these books have good advice and says things that need to be said about museums. I look forward to all responses and insight.

Thanks,

Rachel

Dear All

One interesting end of year question from a fellow member of AAM. 

What is the one book you would recommend to read as the most helpful preparation for what you have actually encountered in your museum career? For me the two books are Museum Education for today' Audiences by Potter and Cunningham and Change is Required by Decter, Semmel and Yelis. I find that these books have good advice and says things that need to be said about museums. I look forward to all responses and insight.

Thanks,

Rachel

Great list. Thank you!

When I started my museum many recommended to me Museum Administration 2.0 (from the American Association for State and Local History). This has been invaluable to me, making sure I know where to put my attention and when. 

And, if it's okay to make a plug, that's why I wrote Making Dinosaurs Dance: A Toolkit for Digital Design in Museums (American Alliance of Museums)
both as a toolkit for place-based designers but also as the career memoir I wish I'd had when I started, about what its like to work at a major museum, from hiring to firing (American Museum of Natural History). 

Dear All

One interesting end of year question from a fellow member of AAM. 

What is the one book you would recommend to read as the most helpful preparation for what you have actually encountered in your museum career? For me the two books are Museum Education for today' Audiences by Potter and Cunningham and Change is Required by Decter, Semmel and Yelis. I find that these books have good advice and says things that need to be said about museums. I look forward to all responses and insight.

Thanks,

Rachel