Explore the world of public history and the vital role of museums in interpreting our shared past. Discover insightful articles on museum work, heritage, and engaging with the public. Start your journey here!
Table of contents
Museums: Exploring Collections, Exhibitions, and Visitor Engagement
20 of the world’s creepiest museums
Some of our worst fears are explored at these bizarre museums. They’ll give you the creeps for Halloween … or any other time of year
Antonia Wilson, The Guardian 2018
India’s new museums are more about memories than objects
Amulya Gopalakrishnan, The Times of India 2017
A New Museum in Sweden Is All About Failure
The museum’s curios highlight different kinds of failure. There are many examples of products that were short-sighted, short-lived or just silly.
Marissa Fessenden, Smithsonian.com 2017
Museums, the New Social Media Darlings
Kerry Hammon, The NY Times 2016
An Underwater Museum in Egypt Could Bring Thousands of Sunken Relics Into View
A new museum proposed for Egypt’s City of Alexandria aims to bring visitors to sunken treasures not seen by the public in over 1,400 years.
Michelle Z. Donahue, Smithsonian.com 2015
Two Museum Directors Say It’s Time to Tell the Unvarnished History of the U.S.
History isn’t pretty and sometimes it is vastly different than what we’ve been taught, say Lonnie Bunch and Kevin Gover.
Allison Keyes, Smithsonian 2018
What do the best museum websites all do?
We analysed 24 museum websites to distill the three groups of questions you need to answer for your visitors.
Pat Hadley, Cogapp 2017
Here’s How Much Money Museum Employees Really Make
It’s the first time the Association of Art Museum Directors has made their research public.
Julia Halperin, ArtNet.com 2017
How the Rich Are Hurting the Museums They Fund
For every $8 visitors spend at museums in North America, museums spend $55. Rich donors want their money to go to construction, not operations, so museums have difficulty maintaining and staffing their new buildings.
Ben Davis, NY Times 2016
Rep. Carolyn Maloney pushes for a Smithsonian Museum of American Women’s History in Washington
Stephen Rex Brown, NY Daily News 2017
Public History: Interpretation, Heritage, and Community Outreach
Ask a Consulting Historian: Patrick Cox
The National Council for Public History interviews Patrick Cox, Ph.D., an award-winning historian, author, and conservationist. His consultant firm specializes in historical research and projects for individuals, corporations, legal firms, and nonprofit organizations.
Patrick Cox, History at Work 2017
A Few Simple Tips for Public Historians Working with Confrontational Visitors
Public historians who work in interpretation and education often find themselves in a uniquely different setting from that of a classroom history teacher. In public history you must quickly learn how to work in small time spaces, and you never know who will walk through that door to visit your site.
Nick Sacco, AASLH Broadside 2016
Using Open-Source Software to Protect English Heritage
Two heritage managers explain why a partnership with the Getty to implement the open-source Arches platform will make it easier to protect buildings and sites in London and Lincoln.
Alexandria Sivak, The Iris 2017
The First Public Historian
The idea of public history, in which academics seek to address a wider audience, is considered to be a modern one, but, discovers Eleanor Parker, a form of it was practiced during the Middle Ages.
Eleanor Parker, History Today 2016
‘Give Africa its art back’, Macron’s report recommends
A new report on the status of African artefacts held in various French museums will recommend the president to return the pieces which were stolen or taken “without consent” during the colonial period.
This is Africa 2018
I used to lead tours at a plantation. You won’t believe the questions I got about slavery.
Margaret Biser, Vox 2017
In a digital age, more people than ever are visiting libraries, archives and museums. We can learn from that.
Guy Berthiaume & John G. McAvity, Ottawa Citizen 2016
Museums and Heritage in the Digital Age – Video Lecture
Diane Lees (Director-General of the Imperial War Museum Group) discusses some of the Imperial War Museum’s major digital projects and share lessons learnt.
Diane Lees, Univ of Oxford, 2016
On academic ambivalence towards public history
Catherine Fletcher Blog, 2016
Please Turn On Your Phone in the Museum
Cultural institutions learn to love selfies, tailor-made apps, and social media.
Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic 2016
Sidedoor: A Podcast from the Smithsonian
Where the public view of Smithsonian museums ends, Sidedoor begins. With the help of biologists, artists, historians, archaeologists, zookeepers, and astrophysicists, host Tony Cohn sneaks listeners through Smithsonian’s side door to search for stories. 34 episodes in 1st two seasons.
Smithsonian Museum
Up Close and Personal with Phyllis Diller’s Gag File
A tour of comedian Phyllis Diller’s library card cabinet of jokes, which she donated to the Smithsonian.
Hanna BredenbeckCorp, National Museum of American History blog 2017
Explore More Free Online Resources
Discover further collections of free online books and other free online materials on these Century Past pages.