ABSTRACT
In 1989, the American Association of Museums – the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) – created the Task Force on Museum Education, which produced Excellence and Equity: Education and the Public Dimension of Museums in 1992. In 1998, AAM created the Museums and Community Initiative to consider the potential for dynamic engagement between American communities and their museums. The Urban Network consortium museums looked critically at the internal and external criteria for effectively embracing their communities, and they created a set of questions and tools to guide other museums as they consider and commit to fuller community involvement. From 2002–2003, the consortium met and shared their experiences and lessons learned as they engaged in community involvement initiatives at each museum. They produced a book in 2003 entitled Urban Network: Museums Embracing Communities, with examples, case studies, and useful tools.
