Museum Educator's Handbook

Described by GEM as 'a very informative and practical book...worth having on any museum shelf', the "Museum Educator's Handbook" is a realistic guide to setting up and running education services in all types of museums, even the smallest. This new edition has been thoroughly revised and updated, with advice on the use of websites, interactive displays, databases and other technology added throughout, and a new chapter on loan services, reflecting new research into their importance. The new edition reassesses funding, curriculum needs and educational policy in the light of recent reports and gives more advice on meeting informal education needs, from evening classes to museum-initiated courses. The implications of the latest developments in teacher training are explained in the expanded Chapter 3, The Museum Educator, and Chapter 4, Setting Up, places particular emphasis on website use for background research, on computer skills, and on constructing websites and related issues. Producing an Education Policy (Chapter 5) reflects the increasing emphasis on seeking external funding and guides the reader through new jargon and current advice on policy creation. The chapter on User Groups highlights neglected groups, such as over sixteens no longer in education and unemployed, as well as providing up-to-date advice on providing for those with special educational needs and those with physical disabilities. This new edition of "Museum Educator's Handbook" offers straightforward advice and background information to museum educators, updating readers on recent developments. Teachers and students of museum studies, education specialists, other museum staff and exhibition designers will also find it a useful guide to support their work.