Manual of Museum Management - Third Edition

This is a book for museum leaders, managers, trustees and staff, and all those who care about museums and are curious about how they work.

This new edition of the classic Manual that first appeared in 1997 is an exciting guide to managing museums in a time of sweeping changes. Renowned museum planner Gail Dexter Lord applies her international museum experience to create this comprehensive and detailed guide to the tools and strategies to successfully address today’s issues and opportunities, including climate change and social justice, repatriation, teamwork, technological innovations, community connections and building on the huge reservoir of public trust in museums.

With new case studies by 30 creative museum leaders from across the globe (half of whom are BIPOC), the Manual demonstrates the innovation and resilience of the museum sector today working toward multiple perspectives in learning, content and exhibitions and a non- colonial philosophy of management, creating a more human museum experience of caring empathy and equity for staff and visitors.

Key Features

• Tackles challenging issues like racial and social justice, climate crisis, repatriation, colonialism, unionization, working conditions and governance controversies.
• Shares an incisive analysis of sweeping changes in the museum sector.
• Presents practical hands-on advice on writing collection policy, security plans and budget process.
• Contains a detailed Glossary specific to current museum management terms.
• Offers a selection of mission, mandate vision and values statements from leading museums that can help museums write their own.

About The Author

Gail Dexter Lord is one of the world’s foremost cultural planners. She is also an art critic, public presenter, and co-author of six museum planning manuals and several books, including “Cities, Museums and Soft Power” (AAM Press 2015). Lord Cultural Resources was founded by Gail and Barry Lord in 1981 and grew to become the world’s leading cultural planning firm focused on museums, cultural districts, and the creative economy. With offices in Toronto, New York, Los Angeles, Madrid and Mumbai, Lord Cultural Resources has helped to create places, spaces and experiences in over 2,700 projects in 57 countries and 450 cities.