MATAHEF READS
For today ' s museum professionals, staying informed isn ' t just beneficial— it ' s essential. Matahef has selected valuable resources for the field— from practical guides to inspiring reads— hoping they will inform your practice and spark new ideas for your work.
Museum Master Planning: Basic Principles and Best Practices
by Guy Hermann and Sara Patton Zarrelli
A PRACTICAL GUIDE for creating new museums or making significant changes at established institutions. The authors draw on lessons learned from developing over 50 museum master plans and a combined 50-plus years working in the museum field to define a new, people-centered approach to museum planning. Unlike traditional plans that start with collections, this process begins by asking " Who is the museum serving?" and " How can it better serve existing and new constituents?"
Understanding a museum ' s distinct constituents brings into focus the collections, exhibits, programs, and facilities needed to meet specific needs. This analysis reveals mission and financial outcomes from serving each group, providing a framework for comprehensive master planning that addresses activities, staffing, facilities, and business models.
Leaning into Value: Becoming a User-Focused Museum
By John H. Falk
A PRACTICAL RESOURCE for museum leaders operating in today’ s challenging and rapidly evolving economic, political, leisure, and educational environment.
Provided is a concrete framework for maximizing institutional success, a continuous Value Realization process that enables museum leaders to effectively: 1) Calibrate the needs and interests of their current and potential users; 2) Articulate how and why they create value so they can foster enduring relationships with users; 3) Create an ever-evolving series of products and services that consistently deliver unique value to an ever-more diverse set of constituencies; and finally, 4) Validate their activities through empirical processes that promote evidence-based decision making and catalyze measurable, year-on-year improvements in their organization’ s community value.
The book offers a step-by-step process accompanied by field-tested tools and worksheets adaptable for museums of all sizes. Readers can implement this planning process to better understand their institution ' s needs and develop a master plan that achieves their goals.
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