Museum Basics

This fourth edition of Museum Basics has been produced for use in the many museums worldwide that operate with few, if any, professional staff and limited resources. The fourth edition has been fully updated to reflect the many changes that have taken place in the field of museums over the last five years. Museum Basics aims to help the museum practitioner keep up to date with new thinking about the function of museums and their relationships with the different communities and audiences they serve. The training materials provided within the book are also suitable for pre-service and in-service students who wish to gain a full understanding of work within a museum.

Drawing from a wide range of practical experience, the authors provide a basic guide to all aspects of museum work, from audience development and learning, through collections management and conservation, to museum management and forward planning. Museum Basics is organised on a modular basis with over 100 units in eight sections. It can be used both as a reference work to assist day-to-day museum management, and as the key textbook in pre-service and in-service museum training programmes, when it can be supplemented by case studies, project work and group discussion. This edition includes over 100 diagrams supporting the text, a glossary, sources of information and support as well as a select bibliography. Museum Basics is also supported by its own companion website providing a wide range of additional resources for readers.

Timothy Ambrose is an international consultant working in the field of museums and cultural heritage. He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London and a Fellow of the Museums Association. He has a particular interest in the role of museums in destination development and has published widely.

Crispin Paine is a former curator and consultant, now an author and museum volunteer. He is an Honorary Lecturer at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London, a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London, and a Fellow of the Museums Association. He has particular interests in local community museums and in the material culture of religion.