I think museum professionals in all disciplines (art, history,
science) make the mistake of assuming the value of our work is
self-evident. We must not believe that our museums are some kind of
"field of dreams."  If we build it, they will not necessarily come.

I recently left a position in a small museum still struggling to
market itself. For years, the board of directors assumed its audience
was self-defining. That was --and is-- a foolish assumption.

All educational institutions must hire top-notch public relations and
marketing professionals. AND, we must make sure those professionals
understand our educational/non-profit/research goals in order to
communicate them to a chosen public.

In short, we better learn to use the media. There is ample evidence
that when we do not, the media defines our failures for us.

Just my two cents.


Denise D. Meringolo
Benjamin Banneker Research Fellow in Public History
The George Washington University
American Civilization
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