july07b.indd


internet
resources

Thomas R. Caswell 

Museum studies 
Online resources for students and practitioners 

Museum
studies,
sometimes
referred
to
as
 museology,
 is
 a
 growing
 fi
eld
 of

interdisciplinary
study
devoted
to
the
orga­
nization
and
management
of
museums
and

museum
collections.
Museology
can
also
refer

more
specifically
to
the
study
of
the
social,

political,
economic,
and
cultural
context
of

museums
and
other
cultural
institutions.
Many

universities
and
colleges
now
offer
degrees

and
 certificates
 in
 museum
 studies
 at
 both

the
undergraduate
and
graduate
level.
Most

of
the
degrees
granted
are
master’s
degrees

in
museum
studies
or
some
receive
a
master’s

degree
 in
 some
 other
 discipline
 (such
 as

anthropology,
 archaeology,
 history,
 art,
 art

history,
 education,
 law,
 or
 the
 sciences)

with
a
concentration
in
museum
studies
or

museology.


Museum
studies
literature
and
resources

may
 be
 produced
 and
 used
 by
 museum

practitioners
(such
as
curators,
museum
edu­
cators,
and
directors)
or
by
students,
research­
ers,
and
faculty
engaged
in
a
museological

academic
program.


Topics
 for
 research
 vary
 according
 to

specific
course
of
study
or
area
of
interest,

but
major
themes
include:
the
museum’s
role

in
society,
museum
management,
exhibition

design,
funding,
conservation,
preservation,

visitor
studies,
accessibility,
museum
educa­
tion,
 curatorship,
 collection
 management,

museum
ethics,
law,
and
the
impact
of
media

and
technology
in
museums.


The
 freely
 available
 online
 resources

listed
below
are
intended
to
help
researchers

and
 practitioners
 alike,
 as
 well
 as
 persons

interested
 in
 learning
 more
 about
 museum

management
and
organization.


Professional associations and 
organizations 

•
 American Association of  Museums 
(AAM).
For
more
than
100
years,
AAM
has

been
 setting
 standards
 and
 best
 practices

guidelines
 for
 museums
 in
 America.
 Their

Web
 site
 contains
 a
 dynamic,
 searchable

directory
 of
 more
 than
 3,000
 museums,
 as

well
as
a
subset
directory
of
more
than
750

museums,
which
have
been
accredited
by
the

organization.
The
latest
AAM
Code
of
Ethics

for
Museums
and
full­text
Ethical
Guidelines

are
 also
 available.
 Access:
 http://www.

aam­us.org/.


• American Association for State and 
Local History (AASLH). This
 organization

serves
 professionals
 and
 volunteers
 who

preserve
and
interpret
state
and
local
history

across
the
United
States.
The
association
is

currently
involved
with
the
Federal
Formula

Grant
 Initiative
 to
 bring
 federal
 grant
 op­
portunities
to
states
for
their
museums
and

archives.
Access:
http://www.aaslh.org/.


•
 Association of  Art Museum Directors 
(AAMD).
Membership
in
this
association
is

strictly
limited
to
directors
of
museums
in
the

United
States,
Mexico,
and
Canada,
and
then

only
one
representative
per
museum,
but
the

Web
site
contains
a
valuable
resource
in
its

collection
of
position
papers
and
reports
of

the
association.
These
documents
give
insight

into
 museum
 operations
 and
 how
 leaders

of
 art
 museums
 deal
 with
 sensitive
 topics,

such
as
Nazi­looted
art,
sacred
objects,
and


Thomas R. Caswell is the museum studies librarian at the 
University of Florida, e-mail: tcaswell@ufl.edu 
© 2007 Thomas R. Caswell 

C&RL News July/August 2007  422 

mailto:tcaswell@ufl.edu
http:http://www.aaslh.org
http:aam-us.org
http://www


corporate
sponsorship.
Access:
http://www.

aamd.org/.


•
 Association of  Science-Technology 
Centers (ASTC).
 ASTC
 is
 an
 international

organization
of
not
only
science­technology

centers
and
science
museums,
but
also
na­
ture
centers,
aquariums,
planetariums,
zoos,

botanical
gardens,
space
theaters,
and
natu­
ral
 history
 and
 children’s
 museums.
 Search

this
site’s
online
directory
of
more
than
400

science­techology
 centers
 from
 around
 the

world,
or
browse
its
online
“Resource
Center”

for
information
on
designing
effective
science

exhibits
 for
 kids,
 adolescents,
 and
 elderly

visitors.
Access:
http://www.astc.org/.


• Inter national Council of  Museums 
(ICOM). ICOM
 is
 an
 international
 organi­
zation
 for
 more
 than
 21,000
 museums
 and

museum
 professionals,
 closely
 associated

with
the
United
Nations
Educational,
Scien­
tific,
and
Cultural
Organization
(UNESCO).
It

helps
set
minimum
standards
of
professional

practice
and
performance
for
museums
and

their
staff
by
publishing
and
maintaining
the

ICOM
Code
of
Ethics
for
Museums,
available

online
 in
 three
 official
 languages
 (English,

French,
and
Spanish)
and
several
unoffi
cial

versions.
Access:
http://icom.museum/.


•
 National Trust for Historic Preserva-
tion. The
National
Trust
is
a
nonprofi
t
orga­
nization
 devoted
 to
 saving
 and
 preserving

America’s
 historic
 buildings
 and
 neighbor­
hoods.
Links
for
educational,
advocacy,
and

funding
 resources
 are
 provided,
 as
 well
 as

links
 to
 current
 lists
 of
 America’s
 most
 en­
dangered
and
distinctive
historic
sites.
Access:

http://www.nationaltrust.org/.


Selected image collections 
• American Memor y.
 The
 Library
 of


Congress’s
American
Memory
project
is
a
free

and
open
collection
of
written
and
spoken

words,
 sound
 recordings,
 still
 and
 moving

images,
 prints,
 maps,
 and
 sheet
 music
 that

document
 American
 history
 and
 creativity.

Access:
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/.


•
 Artcyclopedia. Artcyclopedia
 links

users
to
online
collections
of
museums
from

around
 the
 world,
 with
 the
 unique
 ability


of
allowing
users
to
locate
museums
by
the

names
of
artists
they
have
collected
or
specifi
c

titles
of
works
of
art
owned
by
a
museum.

Access:
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/.


•
 Canadian Museum of  Civilization. 
Search
or
browse
more
than
200,000
digital

images
 of
 cultural
 objects,
 including
 ab­
original
art,
military
objects,
porcelains,
glass,

and
textiles.
Access:
http://www.civilization.

ca/collect/csintroe.html.


• Metropolitan Museum of  Ar t. The

Metropolitan
 Museum
 of
 Art
 in
 New
 York

City
has
been
around
since
1870,
and
its
per­
manent
collection
is
comprised
of
more
than

2
million
works
of
art
and
cultural
objects.

The
online
image
collection
is
comprised
of

more
than
6,500
important
works,
including

the
entire
European
Paintings
and
American

Paintings
and
Sculpture
collections.
The
im­
age
collection
is
one
of
the
most
scholarly
in

existence,
 with
 extensive
 physical
 descrip­
tions,
provenance
notes,
and
detailed
views

of
signatures
and
inscriptions.
Access:
http://

www.metmuseum.org/Works_of_Art/.


• National Gallery of  Art.
 Search
 the
 Na­
tional
Gallery’s
extensive
collection
of
paintings,

sculpture,
decorative
arts,
and
works
on
paper

that
spans
more
than
600
years
of
history
from

the
Middle
Ages
to
the
present
day.
Bibliog­
raphies,
exhibition
histories,
and
provenance

records
 are
 attached
 to
 many
 of
 the
 works.

Access:
http://www.nga.gov/collection/.


•
 Smithsonian Institution.
 Explore
 the

world’s
 largest
 complex
 of
 museums
 and

other
affiliated
collections
via
the
Smithsonian

portal.
The
Smithsonian
collections
own
more

than
136
million
artworks,
objects,
and
speci­
mens,
and
each
museum
maintains
its
own

Web
site,
usually
comprised
of
thousands
of

online
images
and
hundreds
of
educational

materials.
Access:
http://www.si.edu/.


Databases and information gateways 
•
 Conser vation OnLine (CoOL): Re-

sources for Conser vation Professionals. 

July/August 2007  423 C&RL News 

http:http://www.si.edu
http://www.nga.gov/collection
www.metmuseum.org/Works_of_Art
http://www.civilization
http:http://www.artcyclopedia.com
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem
http:http://www.nationaltrust.org
http://icom.museum
http:http://www.astc.org
http:aamd.org
http://www


Served
up
by
Stanford
University,
CoOL
is
a
full­
text
library
of
conservation
literature
for
libraries,

archives,
and
museums.
Lots
of
information
on

pest
management,
digital
imaging,
and
even
di­
saster
planning
for
a
variety
of
media,
including

video
and
audio
materials
can
be
found
here.

Access:
http://palimpsest.stanford.edu.


•
 The Getty. The
 Web
 portal
 for
 the

J.
 Paul
 Getty
 Trust
 provides
 a
 gateway
 to
 a

wealth
 of
 information
 for
 museum
 studies­

related
research,
particular­
ly
the
databases
produced

by
 two
 of
 its
 main
 pro­
grams:
the
Getty
Research

Institute
 and
 the
 Getty

Conservation
 Institute.

Users
 can
 freely
 search


conservation
literature
abstracts,
a
provenance

database,
and
structured
vocabulary
databases

for
art,
architecture,
and
material
culture.
Ac­
cess:
http://www.getty.edu/.


•
 The Museum Studies Bibliographies. 
Made
 available
 through
 the
 Smithsonian
 In­
stitution
Research
Information
System
(SIRIS),

the
Museum
Studies
Bibliographies
portion
of

the
database
indexes
more
than
1,200
articles,

theses,
 and
 conference
 proceedings
 dealing

specifically
 with
 the
 role,
 function,
 history,

philosophy,
nature,
and
structure
of
museums.

Once
connected
to
SIRIS,
search
for
“museum

studies”
as
a
keyword
to
most
effi
ciently
search

and
retrieve
the
Museum
Studies
Bibliographies’

entries.
Access:
http://sirismm.si.edu/siris/siris

­museum­studies.htm.


•
 Museum Studies Training Package. 
Aimed
 at
 improving
 the
 knowledge
 and

competencies
of
museum
personnel
in
devel­
oping
countries
around
the
world,
UNESCO

and
ICOM
have
jointly
produced
and
made

available
 key
 documents,
 like
 Running
 a

Museum:
 A
 Practical
 Handbook,
 through

this
Web
site.
Access:
http://portal.unesco.org

/culture/admin/ev.php?URL_ID=32886&URL

_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.


•
 PACIN: The Packing, Art Handling 
and Crating Information Network. PACIN

is
one
of
the
Professional
Interest
Commit­
tees
of
the
American
Association
of
Muse­
ums,
and
its
Web
site
provides
a
forum
for


an
exchange
of
ideas
related
to
methods
and

techniques
and
materials
used
for
packing

and
transporting
works
of
art
and
museum

artifacts.
The
archives
of
articles
and
elec­
tronic
list
discussions
uncover
tricks
of
the

trade
 such
 as
 how
 to
 hang
 a
 large,
 heavy

painting
or
how
to
most
effectively
use
box

tape
 and
 bubble
 wrap.
 Even
 nonpractitio­
ners
of
the
museum
field
can
learn
a
great

deal
from
PACIN’s
“Materials
Defi
nition
List”

which
lists
the
pros
and
cons
of
using
vari­
ous
packing
materials.
Access:
http://www.

pacin.org/.


•  S m i t h s o n i a n :  M u s e u m  S t u d i e s .  
Maintained
 by
 the
 Smithsonian
 Center
 for

Education
 and
 Museum
 Studies,
 this
 site

aggregates
 scholarly
 and
 professional
 re­
sources
for
museum
studies
on
national,
re­
gional,
and
international
levels.
Included
are

links
to
online
reference
works
and
journals,

federal
funding
sources,
accessibility
infor­
mation,
curriculum
materials,
and
archived

research
and
project
reports.
Access:
http://

museumstudies.si.edu/.


• Timeline of  Art History. The
 curato­
rial,
 conservation,
 and
 education
 staff
 of

the
 Metropolitan
 Museum
 of
 Art
 in
 New

York
City
produce
the
Timeline,
which
is
an

easy­to­use
geographical,
chronological,
and

thematic
representation
of
art
history.
Users

can
compare
and
contrast
works
of
art
from

around
the
world,
with
accompanying
the­
matic
essays
and
maps,
putting
each
work
of

art
in
cultural
and
historical
context.
Access:

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/.


E-journals, discussion lists, and blogs 
• The Attic.
 Museum
 studies
 students


at
the
University
of
Leicester
(in
the
U.K.)

run
this
blog,
providing
a
unique,
European

perspective
 on
 museum
 studies
 research.

Access:
http://attic­museumstudies.blogspot.

com/.


• AVISO. Browse
back
issues
of
the
As­
sociation
 of
 American
 Museums
 monthly

newsletter
 “AVISO”
 (December
 2005
 to

present).
 Full­text
 searching
 is
 available.

Access:
http://newsmanager.commpartners.

com/aama/issues/.


C&RL News July/August 2007  424 

http://newsmanager.commpartners
http://attic-museumstudies.blogspot
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah
http:museumstudies.si.edu
http:pacin.org
http://www
http:http://portal.unesco.org
http://sirismm.si.edu/siris/siris
http:http://www.getty.edu
http:http://palimpsest.stanford.edu


•
 Global Museum.
 An
 online
 museum

Webzine
 with
 headlines
 and
 news
 items

from
around
the
world.
Access:
http://www.

globalmuseum.org/.


•
H-Museum. This
is
a
moderated
mail­
ing
list
maintained
by
H­Net
(the
Humanities

and
 Social
 Sciences
 Network)
 connecting

thousands
 of
 scholars
 from
 around
 the

world.
 Even
 if
 not
 subscribed,
 users
 can

search
and
read
the
vast
archives
of
infor­
mational
postings
and
excellent
reviews
of

museum­related
 literature.
 Access:
 http://

www.h­net.org/~museum/.


•
Museum 2.0. This
blog
aims
to
increase

awareness
and
use
of
Web
2.0
applications

and
 technologies
 within
 museum
 settings

in
order
to
make
museums
more
engaging,

community­based,
and
user­defi
ned.
Access:

http://www.museumtwo.com/.


•
 Musematic. A
 blog
 devoted
 to
 the

latest
trends
in
museum
technology
and
in­
formatics.
Major
contributors
include
mem­
bers
 of
 the
 Museum
 Computer
 Network

and
 American
 Association
 of
 Museum’s

Media
and
Technology
Committee.
Access:

http://www.musematic.net/.


•
 MuseumBlogs.org.
 Initially
 devel­
oped
 by
 an
 interactive
 design
 company

that
 creates
 interactive
 exhibits
 and
 Web

sites
for
museums,
MuseumBlogs.org
is
a

virtual
directory
of
museum
and
museum­
related
 blogs,
 as
 well
 as
 a
 clearinghouse

for
 repostings.
 Access:
 http://www.mu­
seumblogs.org/.


Directories 
•
 Art Museum Network.
 An
 online
 di­

rectory
of
only
the
major
players
(in
terms

of
museums)
from
around
the
world.
More

than
200
museums
are
listed,
membership

in
 this
 organization
 is
 by
 invitation
 only.

Access:
http://www.amn.org/.


•
 H i s t o r i c  H o u s e  M u s e u m s  i n  t h e  
United States. This
site
contains
a
dynamic

directory
 that
 allows
 users
 to
 fi
nd
 historic

house
museums
in
the
United
State
by
name,

state,
region,
and
even
time
period
(Colonial,

Victorian,
Antebellum,
etc.).
Access:
http://

www.housemuseums.us/search.htm.


•
 Vir tual Librar y Museum Pages. A

multilanguage
worldwide
directory
of
mu­
seums
 with
 a
 Web
 presence,
 subdivided

geographically
or
keyword
searchable.
Ac­
cess:
http://icom.museum/vlmp/.


•
 Virtual Museum Canada (VMC).
 This

gateway
connects
museums
across
Canada
and

provides
access
to
online
exhibits,
educational

materials
for
download,
and
vast
image
collec­
tions.
Access:
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/.


Technology and museums 
•
 C a n a d i a n  H e r i t a g e  I n f o r m a t i o n  

Network (CHIN). A
 network
 of
 more

than
 1,200
 not­for­profit
 collections
 across

Canada,
 this
 Web
 site’s
 mission
 is
 to
 de­
velop,
promote,
and
archive
digital
heritage

content.
 The
 knowledgebase
 archived
 on

this
site
contains
hundreds
of
online
docu­
ments
 devoted
 to
 collection
 management,

intellectual
 property,
 museum
 standards,

conservation
 principles,
 and
 strategies
 for

creating
and
managing
digital
content.
Ac­
cess:
http://www.chin.gc.ca/.


•
 Museums and the Web.
 An
 annual

conference
organized
by
Archives
and
Muse­
um
Informatics
allows
museum
professionals

and
developers
of
Web
applications
for
mu­
seums
to
exchange
information
on
an
inter­
national
scale.
Past
papers
of
the
conferences

back
to
1998
are
searchable
and
available
in

full
text.
Access:
http://www.archimuse.com

/conferences/mw.html.


•
 Museum Computer Network (MCN). 
MCN
 is
 a
 network
 for
 information
 profes­
sionals
from
museum
and
cultural
heritage

institutions
 devoted
 to
 examining
 and
 ex­
changing
 ideas
 concerning
 digital
 media,

intellectual
 property,
 metadata
 standards,

collections
management,
and
Web
develop­
ment.
Access:
http://www.mcn.edu/.


• National Initiative for a Networked 
Cultural Heritage (NINCH).
Unfortunately,


July/August 2007  425 C&RL News 

http:http://www.mcn.edu
http:http://www.archimuse.com
http:http://www.chin.gc.ca
http:http://www.virtualmuseum.ca
http://icom.museum/vlmp
www.housemuseums.us/search.htm
http:http://www.amn.org
http:seumblogs.org
http:http://www.mu
http:MuseumBlogs.org
http:MuseumBlogs.org
http:http://www.musematic.net
http:http://www.museumtwo.com
www.h-net.org/~museum
http:globalmuseum.org
http://www


the
 Web
 site
 has
 not
 been
 updated
 since

2003
while
a
Transition
Committee
considers

its
future,
but
the
site
still
contains
the
very

exhaustive
and
informative
NINCH
Guide
to

Good
Practice
in
the
Digital
Representation
&

Management
of
Cultural
Heritage
Materials

(242
pages
in
length)
for
anyone
undertaking

or
thinking
of
undertaking
a
digitization
proj­
ect
involving
cultural
objects
and
resources.

Access:
http://www.ninch.org/.


•
Steve.Museum.
An
art
museum
social

tagging
project.
Access:
http://tagger.steve.

museum/.


Employment opportunities 
•
 AAM Job Search (American Associa-

tion of  Museums). Search
 or
 browse
 hun­
dreds
of
museum
jobs
by
category
(curators,

education,
registrars,
etc.)
and/or
by
state/prov­
ince/country.
 Access:
 http://museumcareers.

aam­us.org/search/index.cfm.


•
 Archivists, Curators, and Museum 
Te c h n i c i a n s  ( O c c u p a t i o n a l  O u t l o o k  
Handbook). A
standard
reference
source
for

persons
looking
for
a
snapshot
of
a
particular

job
or
industry,
the
Bureau
of
Labor
Statistics’

Occupational
 Outlook
 Handbook
 provides

a
 brief
 overview
 of
 the
 various
 positions

within
museums
and
museum­related
work,

the
nature
of
the
work
therein,
qualifi
cations

desired,
typical
earnings,
and
future
demand

for
occupations
in
these
areas.
Access:
http://

stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos065.htm.


•
 Cultur eWor ks (Canadian Cultural 
Human Resources Council).
 Find
 museum

and
cultural
heritage
careers
across
Canada.

Access:
 http://www.cultureworks.ca/jobs/

search/index.asp.


Grants 
•
 The Getty Foundation. Access:
http://


www.getty.edu/grants/.

•
 Institute of  Museum and Librar y 

Services. Access:
http://www.imls.gov/.

•
 National Endowment for the Ar ts. 

Access:
http://www.arts.gov/grants/.

• National Endowment f or the Hu-

manities. Access:
 http://www.neh.gov

/grants/.


• National Historical Publications and 
Records Commission. Access:
 http://www.

archives.gov/nhprc/.


• National Science Foundation.
 Access:

http://www.nsf.gov/funding/.


Other resources 
• Academy of  Certifi ed Archivists. Ac­

cess:
http://www.certifi
edarchivists.org.

• American Institute for Conser vation 

of  Historic and Ar tistic Works. Access:

http://aic.stanford.edu.


• National Association of  Government 
Archivists and Records Administrators. 
Access:
http://www.nagara.org.


•
 Society of  American Archivists. Ac­
cess:
http://www.archivists.org/.


(“Getting
the
most...”
continued
from
page


420)


Organizational
 Achievement,
 3rd
 ed.
 (San


Francisco:
Jossey­Bass,
2004):
15.



3.
Bryson,
6–7.

4.
Henry
Mintzberg,
“Rethinking
Strategic


Planning
Part
I:
Pitfalls
and
Fallacies,”
Long

Range
Planning
27
no.
3
(1994):
19.


5.
Loizos
Heracleous,
“Strategic
Thinking

or
Strategic
Planning?”
Long
Range
Planning

31,
no.
3
(1998):
485.


6.
Jeanne
M.
Liedtka,
“Strategic
Thinking:

Can
It
Be
Taught?”
Long
Range
Planning
31,

no.
1
(1998):
122–24.


7.
Gary
Hamel,
“Strategy
Innovation
and

the
 Quest
 for
 Value,”
 Sloan
 Management

Review
39,
no.
2
(Winter
1998):
12–13.


8.
Hamel,
12.

9.
 Jeanne
 M.
 Liedtka,
 “Linking
 Strategic


Thinking
 With
 Strategic
 Planning,”
 Strategy

&
Leadership
26,
no.
4
(1998):
34.


10.
Hamel,
13.

11.
Bryson,
12.

12.
Liedtka,
“Linking
Strategic
Planning,”
34.

13
Henry
Mintzberg,
The
Rise
and
Fall
of


Strategic
 Planning:
 Reconceiving
 Roles
 for

Planning,
Plans,
Planners
(New
York:
Free

Press,
1994).


C&RL News July/August 2007  426 

http:http://www.archivists.org
http:http://www.nagara.org
http:http://aic.stanford.edu
http:edarchivists.org
http://www.certifi
http://www.nsf.gov/funding
http://www
http:http://www.neh.gov
http://www.arts.gov/grants
http:http://www.imls.gov
www.getty.edu/grants
http://www.cultureworks.ca/jobs
http://museumcareers
http://tagger.steve
http:http://www.ninch.org