In the spring of 2009, Museum-Ed conducted a survey of the educational programming at art museums across the United States. Ninety-eight museums replied, answering questions on nine topics: tours; informal gallery learning; libraries in museums; community, adult and family programs; classes and other public programs; partnerships with other organizations; school programs; online educational resources; and social media.
The 2009 survey expanded on a similar survey conducted in 2003 by Museum-Ed. The results from both 2003 and 2009 surveys are presented in this report, allowing a comparison in changes over time at U.S. art museums. Chief among the changes was a predictable increase in online resources and the usage of social media (which was practically nonexistent in 2003). Other changes, such as a drop in the number of Community Advisory Boards, were unexpected, and invite further research. At the same time the 2009 U.S. art museum program survey was conducted, an identical survey of European museums was undertaken by Cora Steffen, a graduate student from the University of Lugano, Switzerland. Sixty-two European museums from 13 countries completed the European survey, and the results of the U.S. and European surveys are also compared in this report.