ABSTRACT
Museums in the Life of a City evolved in response to the perception that Philadelphia's cultural institutions should and can play a larger role in fostering public appreciation of ethnic and economic diversity and thereby enhance the prospects for social harmony in the community. Particularly for partnerships consisting of organizations with no history of cooperation, establishing and maintaining effective staff contact proved difficult. The terms of the project grants called for equitable sharing of authority and responsibility among the partners. Community organizations and museums expressed concern over the low level of commitment by partners. Some partnerships revolved around objectives only tangentially related to the missions of the participating organizations. The leaders of partner organizations should formally and jointly endorse their partnership and participate personally in its planning, development, and implementation in more than token ways. Primary responsibility for partnership planning and management should rest with key members of each partner's core staff.
