ABSTRACT
Bringing together and comparing the philosophy and practice of convergence, Chapter 5 presents a realistic and evidence-based assessment of the capacity of hybrid collecting institutions to enrich our understanding of the cultural materials they hold. Contrary to the optimism surrounding the ‘first wave’ of convergence represented by the case studies, Robinson argues that management structures and everyday barriers to interpretive practice can conspire to impede both physical and intellectual access to collections, producing institutions that achieve, from a meaning-making perspective, potentially less than the sum of their individual parts. The chapter introduces the concept of ‘interpretive sustainability’ as vital to future iterations of museum, library, archive and gallery convergence. The chapter culminates with a range of suggestions for professional training, organisational design and management, providing a timely, evidence-based intervention into a rapidly evolving sphere of cultural policy.
