ABSTRACT
This chapter is about the search for meaning among various museums at a time when many of these institutions worldwide are struggling to maintain their stability in the face of the complex challenges of the non-profit world. These challenges range from declining attendance to finding the appropriate balance between earned revenues and public funding, and none of them are easily overcome. At the same time, a growing number of museums are moving beyond the imperatives of the marketplace, with its preoccupation with money and efficiency, to embrace activities that are remote from the bottom line (Janes and Conaty 2005). These museums are not only building new relationships with their communities, but they are also rethinking the meaning of accountability as social institutions. The purpose of this chapter is to explore the meaning of socially responsible museum work, beginning with an overview of several societal issues whose relevance to museum work may not be immediately obvious. This overview is followed by a consideration of why socially responsible museum work is important to the future of museums, including a discussion of several defining characteristics. This chapter concludes with some thoughts on how to embrace the challenges of this kind of work.
