ABSTRACT

Natural history museums are changing, both because of their own internal development and in response to changes in context. Historically, the aim of collecting from nature was to develop encyclopedic assemblages to satisfy human curiosity and build a basis for taxonomic information. Today, with global biodiversity in rapid decline, there are new reasons to build and maintain collections, while audiences are more diverse, numerous, and technically savvy. Institutions must learn to embrace new technology while retaining the authenticity of their stories and the value placed on their objects.

The Future of Natural History Museums begins to develop a cohesive discourse that balances the disparate issues that our institutions will face over the next decades. It disassembles the topic into various key elements and, through commentary and synthesis, explores a cohesive picture of the trajectory of the natural history museum sector.

This book contributes to the study of collections, teaching and learning, ethics, and running non-profit businesses and will be of interest to museum and heritage professionals and academics and senior students in Biological Sciences and Museum Studies.

 

 

 

chapter |9 pages

Introduction

part 2|54 pages

The future of natural history museum visitor experiences

chapter 8|15 pages

The Natural Futures Museum

Interactivity and participation as key instruments for engaging audiences

part 3|60 pages

Interfaces

part 4|28 pages

Commentary and synthesis

chapter 13|14 pages

The future of natural history museums

Commentary

chapter 14|14 pages

The future of natural history museums

General discussion