Welcome!

Welcome to the museumed.net blog...a forum for sharing ideas & information in the museum world.

Working with museums around the New England region and beyond, clients constantly ask me what the 'buzz' is in the museum world.   What is happening that they need to be aware of or know about to stay current?   Most of the requests for knowledge come in the form of what I call the 3 T's...Trends, Technology, and Transitions.    Transitions seem to be everyone's favorite topic - transitions involving colleagues, former colleagues, friends, and long-time museum professionals who are interesting to follow because let's face it, it masks itself as what it is - professional gossip!

Working with one museum recently, I stumbled on a transition of another kind, one that we should all be gossiping about.  The transition involved a change of title from Curator to 'Director of Collections & Learning.'   Wow - for a museum, that is a big shift.    This staff person has been with their museum over a decade.  Their title has changed before as they assumed additional responsibilities at various junctures in the museum's lifecycle.  This time the responsibilities have shifted significantly, including one key element - they work as part of a team in every museum initiative.  The museum is focused on blending the curatorial versus education 'department' theory, having them work synergistically to focus on teaching and learning in every initiative - programs and exhibits and the blending of the two.   Both the collections and the visitors are 'top of mind,' in a truly unique balance.

Clearly this is not a museum that is afraid to explore new paths.  So what does this transition really mean and why did it happen?  As our world widens and the pace of life quickens, museums of all disciplines and sizes are combining and reallocating resources to achieve their goals.  The messages we are communicating, the communities and audiences we wish to reach, and the resources we have to work with to achieve these goals are in a constant state of flux, and, as we all know, sometimes the current models just don't cut it any more.

A fresh perspective and a new lens to peer through allow us to stay current and to stay aware - of the present and of the future.  Sometimes a small modification or transition can represent much, much more.

What does this mean for your museum and the museum world as a whole?    We welcome your feedback and contributions to this blog.