HERM 561: Advanced Issues in Interpretive Programming (Rev. C2) Report a Broken Link

Heritage Resource Management 561: Interpretive Programming explores foundational and applied issues in interpretive programming through a range of readings and assignments that deal with the purpose of museum interpretation, its central concepts and terminology, as well as the significant issues and debates in the field.

Unit 1


Introduction to Museum Interpretation
Roberts, Lisa C. “Changing Practices of Interpretation,” in From Knowledge to Narrative: Educators and the Changing Museum. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institute Press, 1997: 60–79.
Silverman, Lois H. “Making Meaning Together: Lessons from the Field of American History,” in Reinventing the Museum: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives on the Paradigm Shift, edited by Gail Anderson. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press, 2004: 233–242. [Reprinted from the Journal of Museum Education 18, no. 3 (Fall 1993): 7–11].
Hein, George E. “The Constructivist Museum,” in Learning in the Museum. London: Routledge, 1998, 155–179.
Castle, M. Christine. “Critiquing Tours and Public Programs” MERT [Museum Education & Interpretation Journal] 4, no. 2 (March 15, 2002): 1–5.
Lynn Uyen Tran and Heather King. “The Professionalization of Museum Educators: The Case in Science Museums.” Journal of Museum Management and Curatorship 22, no. 2 (June 2007): 131–149.
Pamela Carter-Birken. “Interpretation and the Role of the Viewer in Museums of Modern and Contemporary Art.” Curator 51, no. 2 (April 2008): 171–178.

Unit 2


Informal and Formal Learning Strategies
[Slideshow] Models of reconstructed buildings set into the floor at the Montreal Museum of Archaeology and History at Pointe-à-Callière appeal to many age groups and give visitors the chance to understand Montreal’s history and how it literally lies beneath their feet. Photos: Blaise MacMullin

Csikszentmihályi, Mihály, and Kim Hermanson. “Intrinsic Motivation in Museums: What Makes Visitors Want to Learn?” Museum News 74, no. 3 (May/June 1995): 34–37, 59–62.
Herrmann, Douglas, and Dana Plude. “Museum Memory,” in Public Institutions for Personal Learning: Establishing a Research Agenda, edited by John H. Falk and Lynn D. Dierking. Washington, DC: American Association of Museums Technical Information Service, 1995, 53–66.
Falk , John H., and Lynn D. Dierking. “The Contextual Model of Learning,” in Learning from Museums: Visitor Experiences and the Making of Meaning. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press, 2000, 135–148.
Castle, M. Christine. “Is Anybody Learning in Canada’s Museums?” MUSE (September/October 2005): 19–23.
Falk, John H. “An Identity-Centered Approach to Understanding Museum Learning.” Curator 49, no. 2 (April 2006): 151–166.

Unit 3


Interpretation in Museum Exhibitions
Graham Black. “Applying the Principles of Interpretation to Museum Display,” in The Engaging Museum: Developing Museums for Visitor Involvement. London: Routledge, 2005, 177–210.

Note: Please go to the first reading in Section 4.

Sue Allen. “Exhibit Design in Science Museums: Dealing with a Constructivist Dilemma,” in In Principle, In Practice: Museums as Learning Institutions, edited by John H. Falk, Lynn D. Dierking, and Susan Foutz. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press, 2007, 42–56.
Charlotte P. Lee. “Reconsidering Conflict in Exhibition Development Teams.” Journal of Museum Management and Curatorship 22, no. 2 (June 2007): 183–199.
Margaret Lindauer. “From Salad Bars to Vivid Stories: Four Game Plans for Developing ‘Educationally Successful’ Exhibitions.” Journal of Museum Management and Curatorship 20, no. 1 (2005): 41–55.
Julie Bowen. “Agents of Change: Co-Creating Exhibits,” in Visitor Voices in Museum Exhibitions, edited by Kathleen McLean and Wendy Pollock. Washington, DC: Association of Science-Technology Centers, 2007: 134–136.

Unit 4


Different Forms of Exhibition
Hugh A. D. Spencer. “Advanced Media in Museum Exhibitions” in The Manual of Museum Exhibitions. Edited by Barry Lord and Gail Dexter Lord. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press, 2002, 234–257.
Elaine Heumann Gurian. “Noodling Around with Exhibition Opportunities” in Exhibiting Cultures: The Poetics and Politics of Museum Display. Edited by Ivan Karp and Steven D. Lavine. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1991, 176–190.
Timothy Luke. “Memorializing Mass Murder: The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum” in Museum Politics: Power Plays at the Exhibition. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2002, 37–64.
Elise Dubuc. “Reproductions and Museums: A Question of Ethics?” Muse [Journal of the Canadian Museums Association] 9, no. 2 (Autumn 1991): 61.
Erminia Pedretti. “Challenging Convention and Communicating Controversy: Learning Through Issues-Based Museum Exhibitions” in In Principle, In Practice: Museums as Learning Institutions. Edited by John H. Falk, Lynn D. Dierking, and Susan Foutz. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press, 2007, 121–135.
Leslie Bedford. “Lost Cases, Recovered Lives: Suitcases from a State Hospital Attic, The New York State Museum at Albany.” Curator 48, no. 2 (April 2005): 213–220.

Unit 5


Interpretation Using Print
June Fraser. “Signs of the Times.” Museum Practice 7, no. 2 (2002): 50–53.
Glen Kaye. “Why Johnny Won’t Read Labels” in Visitor Studies: Theory, Research and Practice 6 (1994): 20–23.
Peter White. “Thoughts on Exhibition Publishing” in Beyond the Box: Diverging Curatorial Practices. Edited by Melanie Townsend. Banff: Banff Centre Press, 2003, 3–11.
Stephanie Weaver. “Chapter 10: From Toilets to Typefaces” and “Chapter 11: Craft Your Words Carefully” in Creating Great Visitor Experiences: A Guide for Museums, Parks, Zoos, Gardens, and Libraries. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press, 2007, 85–101.
Bill Watson. “Writing to Learn in Museums” in Visitor Voices in Museum Exhibitions. Edited by Kathleen McLean and Wendy Pollock. Washington, DC: Association for Science-Technology Centers, 2007, 151–155.
Beverly Serrell. “Ten Deadly Sins and 14 Helpful Research Findings.” Exhibit Labels: An Interpretive Approach. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press, 1996, 233–236.
Beverly Serrell. “Types of Labels in Exhibitions.” Exhibit Labels: An Interpretive Approach. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press, 1996, 21–36.

Unit 6


Interpretation Using New Media
[Slideshow] New media in heritage.

Photos 1–3: LoicT (cc), Photo 4: Anna L Conti (cc)

Canadian Museum of Nature: Interactive Displays

Yumi Awano. “Brief Pictorial Description of New Mobile Technologies Used in Cultural Institutions in Japan.” Journal of Museum Education 32, no. 1 (Spring 2007): 17–26.
M. Christine Castle. “Teaching in the Virtual Museum.” Toronto: Ontario Museum Association, 2004, 1–12.
Barbara Soren. “Best Practices in Creating Quality Online Experiences for Museum Users.” Journal of Museum Management and Curatorship 20 (2005): 131–148.
Angelina Russo, Jerry Watkins, Lynda Kelly, and Sebastian Chan. “Participatory Communication with Social Media.” Curator 51, no. 1 (January 2008): 21–31.
Paul F. Marty. “Museum Websites and Museum Visitors: Digital Museum Resources and their Use.” Journal of Museum Management and Curatorship 23, no. 1 (March 2008): 81–99.

Unit 7


Bringing History Alive: First and Third Person Interpretation
[Slideshow] Fortress of Louisbourg, National Historic Site of Canada, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Photos: Martin Cathrae (cc)

John A. Veverka. “The Language of Live Interpretation: Making Contact” in The Languages of Live Interpretation: Animation in Museums. Edited by Jean-Marc Blais. Gatineau, QC: Canadian Museum of Civilization Mercury Series Directorate Paper 9, 1997: 80–86.
Jeff Camhi. “Pathways for Communicating about Objects on Guided Tours.” Curator 51, no. 3 (July 2008) 275–294.
Castle, M. Christine. “Intellectual and Seductive: Teaching in Museums, Galleries, and Parks” in Proceedings of the Sixth Ontario Museum Association Colloquium on Learning in Museums, Waterloo, ON, 2001: 19–25.
Tessa Bridal. “Historic Interpretation.” Exploring Museum Theatre. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press, 2004, 149–157.
Jane Malcolm-Davies. “Borrowed Robes: The Educational Value of Costumed Interpretation at Historic Sites.” International Journal of Heritage Studies 10, no. 3 (July 2004): 277–293.
Dramamuse. Justice in New France (video clips). Gatineau, QC: Canadian Museum of Civilization, 2009.

Unit 8


Visitor Studies
Marilyn Hood. “Staying Away: Why People Choose Not to Visit Museums” in Reinventing the Museum: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives on the Paradigm Shift. Edited by Gail Anderson. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press, 2004: 150–157. [Reprinted from Museum News (April 1983)].
Judy Rand. “The 227-Mile Museum, or a Visitors’ Bill of Rights.” Curator 44, no. 1 (January 2001): 7–14.
Barbara J. Soren. “Audience-Based Measures of Success: Evaluating Museum Learning” in The Manual of Museum Learning, edited by Barry Lord. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press, 2007, 221–251.
Douglas Worts. “Gallery Enhancement: Forging a New Partnership with the Public” in Visitor Studies: Theory, Research and Practice. Albuquerque, NM: Visitor Studies Association, 1994, 176–197.
Jill Stein, Marianna Adams, and Jessica Luke. Thinking Evaluatively: A Practical Guide to Integrating the Visitor Voice. AASLH Technical Leaflet #238. Nashville, TN: American Association of State and Local History, 2007, 1–8.
Deborah Perry. “The Museum Impact and Evaluation Study: How Visitors Relate to Science and Technology Museums” in Visitor Studies: Theory, Research and Practice. Albuquerque, NM: Visitor Studies Association, 1993, 254–259.

Unit 9


Community Partnerships and Interpretation
Shelley Ruth Butler. Chapter 1 “Entering the Debates” and Foreword by Anthony Shelton in Contested Representations: Revisiting Into the Heart of Africa. Peterborough, ON: Broadview Press, 2007, 1–3 and 7–19.
Ruth B. Phillips. “Community Collaboration in Exhibitions: Introduction” in Museums and Source Communities, edited by Laura Peers and Alison K. Brown. New York: Routledge, 2003, 155–170.
Ann B. Alger and Peter H. Welsh. “Creating Hybrid Space: The Native American High School Student Guide Program at the Heard Museum.” Journal of Museum Education 25, no. 3 (Fall 2000): 14–19.
Sherry Anne Chapman. “Forward Through the Past: Reminiscence Theatre and Museums.” Muse 16, no. 3 (1998): 22–24.
Despina Kalessopoulou. “Children’s Museums in Hospitals” in Museums, Society, Inequality, edited by Richard Sandell. London: Routledge, 2002, 190–199.
Turning the Page: Forging New Partnerships Between Museums and First Peoples. Ottawa: Canadian Museums Association and Assembly of First Nations, 1992.

Unit 10


School Programs in Museums
[Slideshow] Displays at the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Photo: Brigitte Hamon

Graeme K. Talboys. “The School Curriculum” in Museum Educator's Handbook. Hampshire, UK: Gower Publishing, 2000, 147–153.
Michael L. Bentley. “Community-Connected Science Education: Southwest Virginia's New Museum High School” in The Manual of Museum Learning. Edited by Barry Lord. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press, 2007, 83–94.
Elizabeth Kruk. “Glenbow Museum School: Visions of the Past: Envisioning the Future.” Alberta Museums Review 23, 4 (Winter 1997): 51–52.
M. Christine Castle. “Teaching History in Museums.” Ontario History no. 1 (Spring 2002): 1–18.
Stephanie Downey, Jackie Delamatre, and Johanna Jones. “Measuring the Impact of Museum-School Programs: Findings and Implications for Practice.” Journal of Museum Education 32, no. 2 (Summer 2007): 175–188.
Gillian Kydd. “The Chevron Open Minds Project and Current Research.” Alberta Museums Review 23, 3 (Spring 1997): 39–40.
Gillian Kydd. Beyond the Classroom. Gibsons, BC: Ivy Miller, 2008.