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A Fragile but Resilient Eco-System: Santa Barbara’s Museum Community and Natural Disasters

By Bruce Robertson

Santa Barbara, as it is known to the world, is a small city that is a major tourist destination—on the Pacific with great beaches, close to Los Angeles but far enough away to leave the stress of the metropolis behind, and a very pretty …
From Stodgy to Story – Glensheen’s historic transformation

By Lucie B. Amundsen

In 2013, it was clear that Glensheen, the historic Congdon estate on Lake Superior was in decline—and it wasn’t just a brick and mortar problem. “Our attendance that year was at a low of 61,000, down from a high of 139,000 in the early …
Museums & Climate Change: A Global Response

By Sarah Sutton

At the first International Symposium on Museums & Climate Change*, held April 10 – 13 in Manchester, UK, seventy-five or more attendees gathered to explore how museums can and should respond to climate change on behalf of their …
Gorilla Warfare: How to Handle Exhibition Errors

By David Whitemyer, AIA

It’s not a matter of if, but when. Whether an exhibition is 500 square feet with a few labels and a curator’s catalogue, or a whopping 50,000 square feet with hundreds of graphic panels and artifacts, at some point during the design and …
Meet the #AAM2018 Social Media Journalists

By Cecelia Walls

We’re excited to introduce our #AAM2018 Social Media Journalists, selected from a national pool of applicants who are passionate about museums, education, and social media. We were truly impressed by the amazing contribution each of the …
The World Doesn’t Need Another Website

By Robert Stein

And so begins perhaps the world’s worst headline for launching a website. But let’s get real, the last thing this world needs is just another website. Recent data shows that the Internet is made up of some 1.8 billion websites and Google …
Don’t Raid the Cookie Jar – A Few Thoughts About Risk Factors

By Ellen Endslow

Ellen Endslow is the director of collections/curator at the Chester County Historical Society in West Chester, PA. Last December, a group of thoughtful and concerned museum professionals from across the country participated in Don’t Raid …
Designing Exhibits for Historic Structures: 6 Things to Keep in Mind

By David Whitemyer, AIA

“They aren’t purpose-built white-box spaces,” says Ken Turino, comparing historic house museums with a typical, larger institution gallery. “The rooms aren’t square. And you have to be very sensitive to the structure and every surface.” …
Proving the Power of Place

By Erin Carlson Mast

The “Lincoln shiver” is what most people called it during the restoration of President Lincoln’s Cottage. The words were meant to evoke the feeling one gets just by being in the house, or on the grounds—here at the Soldiers’ Home, on a …
10 Tips for First-Time Annual Meeting Attendees

By Josette Souza

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