Running a Museum: A Practical Handbook

by Patrick Boylan

Genres: Museology

231 pages

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Andi Isaac · Rating 4 out of 5]

at this point im gonna list on goodreads all the books ive read for my undergraduate thesis i dont care

[Karin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't decide if it was intentional or not, but this was a VERY conservative look at museum operations. The intro article on museum history and ethics is fantastic. I use it in my Museums 101 workshop as pre-workshop reading. And some of the other articles are very well done and contain great advice. But a number of them were very tame. Maybe I'm crazy, but I would much rather see a serious call to action, super high standards, and innovative ideas in a handbook like this. Doesn't that make more sense than writing something that suggests you aim for the middle ground? Now, if that was not the intention of the publishers, then I would say it's time to re-release this. Let's get the most innovative museums to step up and share some serious, practical advice on how to thrive as a community service organization.

[Victoria Whited · Rating 4 out of 5]

Running a Museum: A Practical Handbook is the first museum-related book I've read since I finished school. The book is a collection of essays written by knowledgeable museum specialists and professors from around the world. The essays provide a good overview of the responsibilities of museum staff and the various departments. I enjoyed reading Running a Museum because it provided a good refresher as well as information not covered in my museology courses. I recommend this book to beginning museum professionals and those looking for info on basic practical skills for museums.

[Eshe Mūrutani · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you intend to start a museum, this is an excellent book to read. It is very informative and in some instances provides workplans you could use towards building your museum. Highly recommend it!