ABSTRACT
Crossings of methodological research boundaries have transformed the nature of literacy, which for more than a decade has been defined to include diverse multimedia usage (Alvermann, 1997; Flood & Lapp, 1995). As well, crossings from in-school literacy research areas into out-of-school contexts are popular topics in academic circles, especially given the expanding uses of new technologies (Hagood, Leander, Luke, Mackey, & Nixon, 2003; Hull & Schultz, 2001). Aligned with these notions, a purpose of this chapter is to present information about one such out-of-school literacy setting: the museum. Museums are especially useful sites to study and practice literacy as it is now conceived because their longstanding multimodal exhibits and practices often reflect the uses of diverse blends of communication media found in everyday contemporary life.
