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Are Museums Going in the Right Direction?
As you may remember, at the AAM annual meeting in L.A. this past May, the Pinky Show joined the CFM to ask museum professionals what they thought about the future of museums. The Pinky Show cats wrote a report on what they discovered and … -
The Backstory on Blobby
CFM’s recent post on natural history specimens as social media was wildly popular, attracting over 1,300 hits within one week. Given the evident fan base for Blobby (and Sue) it seems worth delving deeper into the story behind these … -
Planning a Golden Tomorrow
Last spring, at the AAM annual meeting, the California Association of Museums enlisted CFM’s help in a marvelous project. To celebrate CAM’s 35th anniversary, we collaborated on a forecasting session to peer into the future of … -
Natural History Specimens as Social Media Celebrities
The rise of social media is transforming the landscape of communication for all organizations, including museums. There are myriad new ways to connect directly with the public, and new spokespeople have stepped forth to fill these niches. … -
Scanning for Change: or How Important Work Can Sometimes Look Like Wasting Time
Last week’s mini-tutorial in futures studies was on the sneaky nature of change. How can we notice change as it creeps up or springs upon us? We can actively look for bits of information that give hints of the future. This information may … -
The Sneaky Nature of Change
This is part three in a series of short essays exploring the basics of Futures Studies and how they can be applied to the museum field. Find the whole series by clicking on “Futures Studies 101” in the blog’s tag cloud. Complacency is the … -
A Quick Look at the Future of Education
The start of a new school year is a good time to think about the future of education. The New Learning Institute has a 21st Century Learning section “featur[ing] 12 videos by educators explaining what works and what does not in our … -
Future Studies 101: Potential Futures
This is part two in a series of short essays exploring the basics of Futures Studies and how they can be applied to the museum field. Read part one here. Studying the future isn’t all that different from studying history. We start with … -
How Green is Your Museum? A Call for Case Studies
Rachel Madan, director of Greener Museums, is working on Sustainable Museums: Strategies for the 21st Century, a book being published by MuseumsEtc in November, 2010. Rachel has worked with many U.S. and U.K. organizations including Tate, … -
Using History to Build Community
This week’s guest post is by Dr. Tom Hanchett, staff historian at the Levine Museum of the New South, one of the museums profiled in AAM’s recent report on the challenge museums’ face in coming decades to serve an …
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How to respond to new threats to nonprofits
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Center for the Future of Museums Blog
Last week, I learned that the IRS is planning to propose regulations that would give it …
Take Action to Protect the Independence of the Smithsonian Institution and America’s Museums
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Advocacy Alert
Advocacy Alert – July 20, 2026 AAM statement on the independence of the Smithsonian …
AAM Statement on the Independence of the Smithsonian and America’s Museums
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Press Release
The American Alliance of Museums condemns the Administration’s continued attacks on the …