Organizing and managing an art collection or museum is a difficult process.  About a hundred years ago, John Cotton Dana wrote a set of texts on museum planning that changed the way many organizations set up their collections.  It’s important to begin planning the theme of your museum before you even begin acquiring pieces for display, and the strategy discussion should involve a committee of planners drawn from the founders of the museum as well as input from the community the collection is designed to serve.  Important questions include the space and layout of the building itself (with accessibility concerns becoming more and more prominent), the placement of objects within the space, the hierarchy of curators who manage exhibits, and more.

This book lays out planning strategies for cultural organizations of all stripes, from museums and libraries to zoos and gardens.  It brings a modern touch to a very old task and presents a comprehensive picture of the steps involved in organizing and managing these sites.  Multiple case studies present ideas in a real-world context instead of just theory. Museums often form organically without any planning, and it shows -- numerous examples of haphazard organizations demonstrate the negative outcomes of a lack of organization.  Non-profit management and wealthy donors will find this book easy to access and thorough in scope, inspiring the task of planning the management and organization of an inclusive cultural site before the site even opens.

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