Reinventing the Museum: The Evolving Conversation on the Paradigm Shift offers 44 seminal articles representing the changing perspectives about the role of museums in contemporary times. The book includes iconic pieces from the 20th century and presents the latest thinking of the past decade. The book begins with foundational writings that provide a thorough history of museum thought and theory. With this context established, Anderson presents articles that trace the emerging ideas in 21st-century museum studies on public engagement, frameworks, and leadership. In conjunction with introductory material and recommended additional readings, these articles will help students grasp the leading ideas and the essentials of the dialogue taking place in the museum field.

Table of Contents:
A Framework: Reinventing the Museum Part I Pivotal Moments in the 20th-Century Dialogue 1.The Gloom of the Museum (1917), by John Cotton Dana 2.What Is a Museum? (1942), by Theodore Low 3.The Museum, a Temple or the Forum (1971), by Duncan Cameron 4.Museum Accountability: Laws, Rules, Ethics, and Accreditation (1991), by Willard L. Boyd 5.Deft Deliberations (1991), by Dan L. Monroe and Walter Echo-Hawk 6.Deaccessioning: The American Perspective (1991), by Marie C. Malaro 7.Museums in the Age of Deconstruction (1992), by Michael M. Ames 8.The Real Multiculturalism: A Struggle for Authority and Power (1992), by Amalia Mesa-Bains 9.Mining the Museum: An Installation Confronting History (1993), by Lisa G. Corrin 10.The Constructivist Museum (1995), by George Hein 11.Creampuffs and Hardball: Are You Really Worth What You Cost or Just Merely Worthwhile? (1999), by Stephen E. Weil 12.Savings Bank for the Soul (1996), by Elaine Heumann Gurain 13.Changing Practices of Interpretation (1997), by Lisa C. Roberts 14.The Experience Economy (1999) , by B. Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore 15.From Being About Something to Being For Somebody: The Ongoing Transformation of the American Museum (1999), by Stephen E. Weil  Part II The Emerging 21st-Century Ideology 16.Change and Complexity in the 21st-Century Museum: The Real Relics in our Museums May Be the Ways We Think and Work (2004), by Lois Silverman and Mark O'Neill 17.The Relevant Museum: A Reflection on Sustainability (2006), by Emlyn Koster 18.The Case for Holistic Intentionality (2007), by Randi Korn 19.Museum Collections, Documentation, and Shifting Knowledge Paradigms (2005), by Fiona Cameron 20.Sustainable Stewardship: Preventative Conservation in a Changing World (2008), by Jerry Podany 21.Culture and Museums in the Winds of Change: The Need for Cultural Indicators (2010), by Douglas Worts 22.Embedding Civic Engagement (2010), by Graham Black Part III Perspectives on Meaningful Public Engagement 23.Do Museum Exhibitions Have a Future? (2007), by Kathleen McLean 24.The Exploded Museum (2008), by Peter Samis 25.The Visitors’ Bill of Rights: A List of Important Human Needs, Seen From the Visitors' Point of View (2000), by Judy Rand 26.The Museum Visitor Experience: Who Visits, Why and to What Affect? (2010) , by John Falk 27.Principals of Participation (2009), by Nina Simon 28.What Is to Be Done, Sandra?: Learning in Cultural Institutions of the Twenty-First Century (2010), by Anna Cutler 29.Threshold Fear: Architecture Program Planning (2005), by Elaine Heumann Gurian Part IV Shifting Frameworks and Infrastructures 30.Creating a New Business Model (2009), by John Falk and Beverly Sheppard 31.New Ways of Experiencing Culture: The Role of Museums and Marketing Implications (2001), by Neil Kotler 32.Comprehensive Interpretive Plans: A Framework of Questions (2008) , by Marianna Adams and Judy Koke 33.From Knowing to Not Knowing: Moving Beyond “Outcomes" (2010), by Andrew Pekarik 34.Legal and Ethical Considerations in Museum Acquisitions (2006), by Marilyn Phelan 35.Collections Planning: Pinning Down a Strategy (2002), by James B. Gardner and Elizabeth Merritt 36.It’s Easy Being Green (2006), by Sarah Brophy and Elizabeth Wylie Part V Strategic Implications for Leadership 37.Emotional Intelligence, Passion and Museum Leadership (1999), by Sherene Suchy 38.Governance as Leadership: Bringing New Governing Mindsets to Old Challenges (2004), by Richard P. Chait, William P. Ryan, and Barbara E. Taylor 39.The Source: Twelve Principles of Governance That Power Exceptional Boards, by Boardsource 40.On the Job: For Nonprofits, Final Accountability Rests in the Board's Hands, by Boardsource 41. Multicultural Organizational Development in Nonprofit Organizations: Lessons from the Cultural Competence Learning Initiative (2010), By Laurin Mayeno and Steve Lew 42.Museums and Libraries in the 21st-Century: New Contexts and Skills Definitions (2009), by the Institute of Museum and Library Services 43.The Mindful Museum (2010), by Robert R. Janes 44.Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail (2007), by John P. Kotter Selected Bibliography About the Editor