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Manual of Museum Planning

Edited by Barry Lord, Gail Dexter Lord, and Lindsay Martin
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Rowman & Littlefield
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As museums have taken on more complex roles in their communities and the number of museum stakeholders has increased to include a greater array of people, effective museum planning is more important than ever. The Manual of Museum Planning has become the definitive text for museum professionals, trustees, architects, and others who are concerned with the planning, design, construction, renovation, or expansion of a public gallery or museum.

Rewritten and reorganized, the third edition features revised sections on planning for visitors, collections, and the building itself, and new sections on operations and implementation, which have become an essential part of the planning process. This new edition of the Manual of Museum Planning has been updated to meet the needs of professional museum practice in the 21st century and includes contributions by leading museum professionals.

"The third edition of the Manual of Museum Planning is a welcome addition to cultural leaders around the world. Barry Lord, Gail Dexter Lord, and the team of experts from Lord Cultural Resources are the foremost global cultural thought leaders. The new edition’s emphasis on sustainability is timely and will help guide cultural institutions well into the 21st century. The new edition of the Manual of Museum Planning will definitely be a permanent fixture on my desk and nightstand."


About The Authors

Barry Lord

Barry Lord, Co-Founder and Co-President of Lord Cultural Resources, is internationally known as one of the world’s leading museum planners. Educated at McMaster and Harvard Universities. Barry co-founded Lord Cultural Resources with his wife Gail Lord in 1981. Barry has been instrumental in developing museum planning having co-authored with Gail Lord, five museum planning manuals that have been published in English, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, and Georgian. In 2010 Gail and Barry collaborated to write Artists, Patrons, and the Public: Why Culture Changes. Barry’s most recent book is Art & Energy, published by The AAM Press of The American Alliance of Museums in 2014.

Gail Lord

Gail Dexter Lord, Co-founder and President of Lord Cultural Resources. With Barry Lord, she is co-editor of The Manual of Museum Planning (1991, 1999, 2012), co-author of The Manual of Museum Management (1997 and 2009) and Artists, Patrons and the Public: Why Culture Changes (2010). She is co-author with Kate Markert of The Manual of Strategic Planning for Museums (2007). Gail has led cultural and tourism plans for cities as well as planning, management and exhibition assignments for museums, galleries and cities throughout Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, continental Europe, North America and Asia. In 2014, Gail was appointed Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters by the Minister of Culture of France. More recently, Gail Lord was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada. 

Lindsay Martin

Lindsay Martin, is a skilled arts strategist with ten years of experience in the field. 

  • "The third edition of the Manual of Museum Planning is a welcome addition to cultural leaders around the world. Barry Lord, Gail Dexter Lord, and the team of experts from Lord Cultural Resources are the foremost global cultural thought leaders. The new edition’s emphasis on sustainability is timely and will help guide cultural institutions well into the 21st century. The new edition of the Manual of Museum Planning will definitely be a permanent fixture on my desk and nightstand."
    Paul B. Redman, director, Longwood Gardens