Thank you for your interest in Museum, the bimonthly membership magazine of the American Association of Museums (AAM). The magazine has a circulation of approximately 18,000. Most of our readers are AAM members-professionals who work in a variety of capacities in the nation's many different types of museums. Included are museum directors, registrars, curators, educators, security personnel, development officers, and public relations/marketing professionals. Also among our subscribers are libraries, companies that provide products and services to the museum community, and a variety of other individuals with an interest in museums. While most of our readers live in the United States, the magazine is also distributed internationally. It is not available on the newsstand.

The majority of Museum articles are written by editorial staff members at AAM and by museum professionals. Occasionally, we publish the work of freelance writers. In general, we are looking for timely, well-written, well-informed pieces on issues of importance to museum professionals. Museum articles offer a more comprehensive, insider's look at museum-related stories than the mainstream press. We prefer to work with writers who have background in and/or very good access to the U.S. museum community and its concerns. Because the magazine is circulated nationally, we only publish pieces that will be of interest to a wide range of readers in museums across the country. We do not publish articles of primarily local interest.

As the publications department of a nonprofit organization, we unfortunately have a very limited budget for paying outside writers. We pay freelance writers on occasion for their work; our rates are competitive with similar association publications. Our editorial policy prohibits us from accepting articles from commercial firms.

We encourage writers to send a query letter outlining a proposed article before sending a complete manuscript. Your query should explain what museum professionals will be able to learn from your proposed article, outline the major points you would make, and list some of the sources upon which you would rely. Please send your query to: Museum, American Association of Museums, 1575 Eye St. N.W., Suite 400, Washington, DC 20005. If you wish to submit a complete article for consideration, please send typed, double-spaced copy to the same address. In general, Museum articles run about 1,000-3,000 words in length.

If you would like a sample copy of the magazine, please send a check for $10 ($7 for the publication; $3 for postage and handling) payable to the American Association of Museums at:

American Association of Museums
1575 Eye St., NW
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20005