Where to go for museum blogs
There is quite a diversity of museum blogs these days. Some are manned by museum staff and some are by individuals. A few report on the latest exhibits, and some share photos and videos of museums and installations, and their latest events.
A study on museum blogs found that almost all blogs allowed visitor comments, and that there were no clear software preferences. Hopefully, with the popularity of museum blogs, there will be even more in the making.
After all, not everyone has the resources to visit museums and check out exhibits and collections up close and personal. The Internet makes it possible to check out the famous museums, the Smithsonian Institute for example, from afar.
Before clicking on the the blog links, here are some prime resources on the museum experience:
- Museum 2.0 - Nina Simon discusses participatory museum experiences.
- Museum Strategy - find out more about museum communication and PR
- Audience Research - how does audience research work?
- New Curator - what is the future of museums?
- Smithsonian 2.0 - the latest online efforts from the Smithsonian
- Ideum - for museum exhibit and design news
- Museum People - how to become part of the museum community
- Experienceology - Stephanie Weaver gives advice on how to create great visitor experiences
- ExhibiTricks - learn about the tricks of the trade in exhibits and museums
- The Museum Detective - Dr. Joanna Cobley tells behind-the-scenes stories about museums
- Cultural Interpretation & Creative Education - how to connect education, tourism and cultural politics
- Museum-Ed - for the museum educator community
After the experience, check out the blogs of these curators and museum staff:
- Taking Liberties - on British Library curator Matthew Shaw’s experience with the “Taking Liberties: The Struggle for Britain’s Freedoms and Rights” exhibit
- Adventures of a Museum Maven - on visits to museums and historical sites
- Palaeo Manchester Blog - a peek into a day of the Manchester Museum curator of Palaeontology
- Museum People’s Journal
Now, we move on to the art and history museum blogs:
- Face to Face - blogging about the National Portrait Gallery
- Eye Level - produced by the Smithsonian American Art Museum
- Tenement Museum - tells the story of immigrants to America
- Found History - digital and public history can be found on this blog
- Yesterday.sg - for the latest updates on Singapore’s Heritage, Museums and Nostalgia
- Chicago History Museum - for Chicago History Museum’s collections, events and multimedia
- Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts
- The Children’s Museum Blog
- The Katzen Arts Center at American University
And last, but not the least, here are the science blogs and other miscellaneous museum blogs:
- American Museum of Natural History Climate Change Blog
- Museum Victoria - behind the scenes with the zoologists of the Melbourne Museum
- Adventures in Earth and Space - about NASA Earth and Space science missions
- Science Circus - the world’s biggest traveling science outreach center
- Beyond Bones - for updates on the Houston Museum of Natural Science
- The Pet Museum - museum on the lives, times, art and history of pets.
- Design Museum - about design museums around the world.
- Whaling Museum Blog - records museum happenings and offers ways to connect to the museum
- greenmuseum.blog - to learn about pollution, preservation, and other green issues
- food museum blog - has eclectic reporting on all things food
- The Women’s Museum - inside look at the National Women’s History Museum.
- Around the Mall - updates on Smithsonian museums and more
- Science Buzz Science Museum of Minnesota
Sources:
“Museum blogs.” Retrieved November 25, 2009 from
http://www.ideum.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2006/03/museumblogs3-6-06.pdf
Thomas, Emily. “100 Best Curator and Museum Blogs.” Retrieved November 25, 2009 from
http://www.onlineuniversities.com/blog/2009/07/100-best-curator-and-museum-blogs/
(Published 14 December 2009, Smart Communications Inc.)
