Must reads

There is a vast array of reading material to help prepare you for a museum studies course, and every course will have recommended reading for each module. It’s worth asking a tutor if you can see a reading list in advance, to give you an idea of the material you are expected to cover. Some or all of these are likely to feature on reading lists:

General reading

• Heritage, Museums and Galleries: An Introductory Reader, edited by Gerard Corsane (2005) London, Routledge 
• The Thing About Museums: Objects and Experience, Representation and Contestation, edited by Sandra Dudley, Amy Jane Barnes, Jennifer Binne, Julia Petrov and Jennifer Walklate (2012) Routledge
• Museums, Heritage and International Development, edited by Paul Basu and Wayne Modest (2014) London, Routledge
• Heritage: Critical Approaches, edited by Rodney Harrison (2013) London, Routledge
• Campaigns section of this website, including the Code of Ethics, Museums Change Lives and many other reports

Activism

• Museum Activism (Museum Meanings), edited by Robert Janes and Richard Sandell (2019) Routledge

Exhibitions

• Engaging the Visitor: Designing Exhibits that Work, edited by Stephen Bitgood (2014) MuseumsEtc

Conservation

• Preventive Conservation in Museums, edited by Chris Caple (2011) Routledge

Magazines and journals to look out for

• Cultural Trends
• Curator
• International Journal of Heritage Studies
• Journal of Education in Museums
• Museum Management and Curatorship
• Museums Journal

Memberships

The Museums Association offers membership to students at a reduced rate.