The Future of Natural History Museums

In the changing landscape natural history museums find themselves The Future of Natural History Museums develops a cohesive discourse that balances the disparate issues that these institutions will face over the next twenty to fifty years. Thinkers from around the world, in a range of museums from the largest and most famous institutions to smaller and more nimble ones, focus on their specialisms, providing their unique perspectives on a comprehensive range of issues. Disassembling the topic into various key elements and, though commentary and synthesis, the book charts a cohesive prediction for the direction of the natural history museum sector.

Natural history museums are changing, both because of their own internal development and in response to changes in context. Historically, the aim of collecting from nature was to develop encyclopedic assemblages to satisfy human curiosity and build a basis for taxonomic information. Today, with global biodiversity in rapid decline, there are new reasons to build and maintain collections, while audiences are more diverse, numerous, and technically savvy. Institutions must learn to embrace new technology while retaining the authenticity of their stories and the value placed on their objects.

The Future of Natural History Museums begins to develop a cohesive discourse that balances the disparate issues that our institutions will face over the next decades. It disassembles the topic into various key elements and, through commentary and synthesis, explores a cohesive picture of the trajectory of the natural history museum sector.

This book contributes to the study of collections, teaching and learning, ethics, and running non-profit businesses and will be of interest to museum and heritage professionals and academics and senior students in Biological Sciences and Museum Studies.