Museum Studies Research Guide

Museum studies, also called museology, is the study of how to organize and manage museums and their collections.

Find Articles

Try searching the following databases but if you can’t find what you need contact a librarian for research assistance.

Also try: Education & Teaching | General & Multidisciplinary

Free Specialized Sources

AAAT Online: Abstracts of International Conservation Literature: Database of over 100,000 abstracts of literature related to the preservation and conservation of material cultural heritage. Free but registration required.
Bibliographies for Museum Studies: Developed in partnership with Professor J. Lynne Teather at the Museum Studies Program, University of Toronto. Search research material on new media, museums, visitor studies, etc. Museum Journal is indexed for the years 1890-1982, among other titles.
Conservation Online (CoOL): Compiled by the Preservation Department of Stanford University Libraries, CoOL is a full text library of conservation information, covering with information on the conservation of library, archives, and museum materials.
Museology Bibliography (BMUSE): Over 25,000 journals, journal articles, books, and reports published are referenced from 1900 to the present. Includes holdings from many international sources such as the UNESCO-ICOM Museum Information Centre, the Library of the Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI), and the Library of the Direction des Musées de France (DMF).

Find Print & Electronic Books

Find Print & Electronic Books: at WPI (library catalog) | Beyond (WorldCat)

Selected Subjects in Library Catalog:

Selected Books at Gordon Library

Caulton, Tim. Hands-on exhibitions [electronic book]: managing interactive museums and science centres. New York: Routledge, 1998.
D’Acquisto, Linda. Learning On Display [electronic book]: Student-Created Museums That Build Understanding. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2006.
Diamond, Judy. Practical Evaluation Guide : Tools For Museums And Other Informal Educational Settings. Walnut Creek, Calif: AltaMira Press, 1999. [GEN AM 151 D5 1999]
Leinhardt, Gaea. Listening In On Museum Conversations. Walnut Creek: Altamira Press, 2004. [GEN AM 7 L45 2004]
Falk, John H; Dierking, Lynn D; and Foutz, Susan. In Principle, In Practice : Museums As Learning Institutions. Lanham: AltaMira Press, 2007. [GEN AM 7 I43 2007]

Hands-on exhibitions: managing interactive museums and science centres

Selected WPI Student Projects

There are also many WPI student projects sponsored by museums worldwide. Search the Library Catalog for project reports on museums OR museum with the Project drop down limit. A few examples:

Arms and Armor of the Medieval Knight by Eric Stewart Clayton, Erik B Devolder, James Fyles, and Jonathan E Hayden with Professor Forgeng and the Higgins Armory Museum
Applications of Surface Metrology to Issues in Art by Ceren Altin and Ipek Ozil with Professor Brown and the Worcester Art Museum
Educational programs for children in the Charles Dickens Museum by Nicole DeCampo, Heather N Hassett, and Amanda B Olore advised by Prof. Brattin and Prof. Petruccelli

Directories

ARTINFO: Gallery Guide
Official Museum Directory (2001) [REF AM 10 A2 O4]
Art Museum Network: Online listing of major museums around the world.
Library Museum Pages: Worldwide directory of museums with a online presence

Online Journals

AVISO: A monthly dispatch from the American Association of Museums
Harvard Family Research Project: Evaluation Exchange: periodical that contains new lessons and emerging strategies for evaluating programs and policies, particularly those focused on children, families, and communities.
Informal Learning Review
Journal of the American Institute for Conservation
Journal of Conservation & Museum Studies
Museum international

AVISO: A monthly dispatch from the American Association of Museums

Professional Associations & Organizations

American Association of Museums (AAM)
American Association for State & Local History (AASLH)
Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD)
International Council on Museums: Publishes the ICOM Code of Ethics for Museums
Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC): Group of science-technology centers and science museums, as well as nature centers, aquariums, planetariums, zoos, botanical gardens, space theaters, natural history and children’s museums. Browse the online Resource Center for information on designing effective science exhibits and other topics.
Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE)
Center for Learning in Out of School Environments - University of Pittsburg: UPCLOSE is an academic home for informal learning, with links to articles, books and researchers in this area.
Exploratorium Institute for Inquiry : For researchers, teachers, and professional development specialists from the fields of science, mathematics, history, writing, and the arts.
InformalScience.org: A resource and online community for informal learning projects, research and evaluation.
National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST): Includes Journal of Research in Science Teaching and newsletter.
National Trust for Historic Preservation: Devoted to saving and preserving America’s historic buildings and neighborhoods. Includes links to current lists of America’s most endangered and distinctive historic sites.
Museum Studies & Arts Management Maintained by Vassar College, this site includes links to Arts Management Resources, Ethics, Laws & Mandates, Bibliographic Resources, Professional Education, and more.
Museum Computer Network (MCN): Network for information professionals from museum and cultural heritage institutions
Museum Studies: A Guide to Internet Resources: University of Delaware Library, Newark, Delaware.
Museum Studies Training Package: UNESCO and ICOM have jointly produced documents such as Running a Museum: A Practical Handbook
Museums USA: More than 15,000 museum listings & events.
Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies (SCEMS): Listings of courses, internships, fellowships, publications, and a gateway to the Smithsonian's Museum Studies Database.
Smithsonian Institution Research Information System: Search millions of records, with links to 138,000 images, video and sound files from dozens of Smithsonian libraries, archives, museums, and specialized research units.
Victoria & Albert Museum in London Research: Includes V&A Online Journal, information on visitor research and more.
Visitor Studies Association: A professional organization focusing on the visitor experience in museums, zoos, nature centers, visitor centers, historic sites, parks and other informal learning settings.

Local Museums

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Last modified: Oct 01, 2009, 15:38 EDT