Course description added below.
Reading files and lecture slides forthcoming.
Museum Resources 2025-2026
Course Outline
The Museum as Resource: Social, Cultural, and Economic Approaches
Taught by Dr Gemma Tully. Please use contact email – gemma.tully@guest.unibg.it
Key objectives
This class will provide a general overview of the current context of museum studies in relation to the global tourism industry. The class will consider historical understandings of museums and the development of the contemporary museum sector. It will demonstrate how museums are increasingly being perceived as tools for social and economic development, analysing the benefits and problems that this brings. Students will learn ways of understanding different types of museum value, and how these may be captured - in both qualitative and quantitative terms - in order to inform decision-making that promotes the long-term sustainability of the museum resource and its relevance to tourism and wider 21st century society.
Learning methods
Alongside lectures, the course will involve museum tours (in-person and/or online), discussions, brainstorming and practical activities linked to each session. No former museum or tourism experience is required but students should be willing to share their perceptions and experiences from personal engagement with theses sectors of society.
Readings and resources
Students are expected to read at least 2 of the key texts/resources for each class. Most of the readings are available online through the links specified in this document. Material not available online will be circulated to students as needed.
Fieldtrips
Fieldtrips to at least one museum should be possible, but if there are unexpected complications we will explore a selection of virtual tours.
Assignment
This course will be graded via a group project to be presented online after the teaching part of the course is complete. All members of each group will be awarded the same grade. If you have any problems working in a group, you can answer an essay question (contact me for details). Full details on the group project can be found at the end of this document.
Contact details
Students are encouraged to contact Dr Gemma Tully directly if they have any problems or are unable to attend lectures. Please use the following email: gemma.tully@guest.unibg.it
Lecture schedule (Monday 2 March 15:00-18:00)
Session 1: Introduction
Dr Gemma Tully
This lecture will introduce the course and its key objectives. It will present an overview of the history of the museum as an institution, considering how its more recent development has been contingent on and influenced by tourism. It will outline the established ways of thinking about museums and examine popular perceptions of the museum alongside official definitions used by international organisations. Students will be encouraged to think about how they view museums and the role of museums in society and how these perceptions interlink with official perspectives surrounding museums’ purpose and use. It will also introduce the concept of the Creative and Cultural Industries and examine the pressures on museums in the current social and political climate.
Key texts and resources:
Guardian Newspaper. 2025. ‘The ghosts are everywhere’: can the British Museum survive its omni-crisis? https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/jan/16/the-ghosts-are-everywhere-can-the-british-museum-survive-its-omni-crisis
Leighton, S. 2019. Position or no position? Museums, Leadership and Social Change. Research Centre for Museums and Galleries, University of Leicester [to be circulated]
Lord, B. 2002. Cultural Tourism and Museums. https://www.lord.ca/Media/Artcl_CltTourismMSeoulKorea_2002.pdf
Shelton, A. 2013. "Critical Museology: A Manifesto". Museum Worlds. 1 (1): 7–23. doi:10.3167/armw.2013.010102 [to be circulated]
Stam, D. 1993. The Informed Muse: The Implications of ‘The New Museology’ for museum practice. Museum Management and Curatorship, 12: 267-283 [to be circulated]
The history of museums website http://www.historyofmuseums.com/
Session 2: Museum and heritage interpretation (Tuesday 3 March, 16:00-19:00)
Dr Gemma Tully
This lecture will provide an overview of the work of a museum and the curating process. It will consider how objects enter a museum, are catalogued and studied, the legal and ethical frameworks by which museum practice is regulated, and it will introduce students to notions of exhibition planning and design. Students will learn how to critically review an exhibition and to understand the different factors that affect the final presentation of an object in a museum.
Key texts and resources:
Collections Trust. 2012. Packing Museum Objects. Available at: https://collectionstrust.org.uk/resource/packing-museum-objects/
Collections Trust. N.d. Resources on Museum Loans (multiple articles and best practice guides). Available at: https://collectionstrust.org.uk/spectrum-resources/loans-in/
Desvallées A. and Mairesse F. (eds.), 2010. Key Concepts of Museology. Available at:
https://icom.museum/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Museologie_Anglais_BD.pdf
ICOM. 2018. Code of Ethics for Museums. Available at: https://icom.museum/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/ICOM-code-En-web.pdf
The J. Paul Getty Museum, 2011. Complete guide to adult audience interpretive materials:
gallery texts and graphics. Available at: https://www.getty.edu/education/museum_educators/downloads/aaim_completeguide.pdf
Maloney, B. and Mullins, C. 2020. American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) Blog - Curating During a Pandemic: A Lesson in Democracy and Fresh Air. Available at: https://aaslh.org/curating-during-a-pandemic/
Spectrum. N.d. Collections Management Tools. Available at: https://collectionstrust.org.uk/spectrum/
Session 3: The digital museum (Thursday 5 March, 09:00-12:00)
Dr Gemma Tully
This session will highlight how the digital revolution has affected interpretation in museums and the impact of COVID-19 on this process. The lecture will explore the use of digital tools to promote new ways of working with museum collections and audiences, alongside innovation in presenting objects in museums and online, and of approaching complex ethical issues. The lecture will unpack the links between digital tools, intangible heritage (among which UNESCO also recognises digital heritage), and heritage ethics. The session will also focus on current research and debates on the notion of authenticity applied to digital reproductions and the value of these reproductions in repatriation practices. It will touch upon a range of methods used by both museums and heritage sites, such as digital catalogues, crowdsourcing, social media, virtual museums and exhibitions, digital reconstructions, 3D digitalisations and 3D printing, mobile applications, gaming and storytelling approaches.
Key texts and resources:
Bird, A. 2021. The Black Country Living Museum offers tips on using the social media platform TikTok. Museum Association [to be circulated].
King, L., Stark, J. and Cooke, P. 2016. Experiencing the Digital World: The Cultural Value of Digital Engagement with Heritage, Heritage & Society, 9:1, 76-101. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/2159032X.2016.1246156 (open access, just download PDF).
Museums and Heritage Advisor. 2025. Report suggests ‘clear public appetite’ for collections in VR. https://museumsandheritage.com/advisor/posts/report-suggests-clear-public-appetite-for-collections-in-vr/
Museums Next. 2025. Bringing Memories to Life with Artificial Intelligence. https://www.museumnext.com/article/bringing-memories-to-life-with-artificial-intelligence/
Price, K. 2014. V&A Blog - How can technology improve the museum experience? Available at: https://www.vam.ac.uk/blog/digital/how-can-technology-improve-the-museum-experience
UNESCO, 2003. Charter on the Preservation of Digital Heritage. Available at: https://www.unesco.org/en/legal-affairs/charter-preservation-digital-heritage
Zuanni, C. N.d. Mapping museum digital initiatives during COVID-19. Available at: https://pro.europeana.eu/post/mapping-museum-digital-initiatives-during-covid-19
Session 4: Museum audiences (Friday 6 March, 15:00-18:00)
Dr Gemma Tully
This session will discuss who museums are for, unpacking the multifaceted ways museums reach different publics. Discussing the progressive opening up of museums to include new communities and the rise of participatory practices in the last few decades, the lecture will reflect on the social and cultural values of museums. The class will also cover the role of heritage sites for identity-making processes and the place of public programming in museums for learning and well-being activities. The lecture will therefore offer an overview of the different ways museums affect their visitors and present students with practical models to study the visitor experience.
Key texts and resources:
ICOM. 2020. COVID-19, Recommendations - How to reach your public remotely
Available at: https://icom.museum/en/covid-19/resources/how-to-reach-your-public-remotely/
Morris Hargreaves McIntyre, 2016. Culture Segments Available at:
https://www.mhminsight.com/culture-segments/
Museum 2.0. 2010. How can you attract new audiences without alienating your base (blog). Available at: http://museumtwo.blogspot.com/2010/07/how-can-you-attract-new-audiences.html
Museum Planner. 2012. Museum Exhibition Design, Part VI, Exhibition Evaluation (blog). Available at: https://museumplanner.org/museum-exhibition-design-part-vi/
Publications, Research Centre for Museums and Galleries (RCMG), University of Leicester. This website provides multiple useful resources on the impacts of museums on users/audiences (e.g. LGBTQ representation, Museums and ‘wellness’ etc.). Reports are available at: https://le.ac.uk/rcmg/publications
Scott, C., Dodd, J., Sandell R. 2015. The cultural value of engaging with museums and galleries. The PDF is available to download at the bottom of this webpage page: https://le.ac.uk/rcmg/research-archive/engaging-with-museums-1
Simon, N. 2012. Opening up the Museum (TED talk). Available at:
Session 5: Museum visit (Monday 9 March, 15:00-18:00 - Sant’Andrea, Bergamo
Chiesa e Museo di Sant'Andrea, Via Porta Dipinta, 39, 24129 Bergamo)
Dr. Gemma Tully
This session will involve an in-depth study of a museum during an in-person visit. The session will enable students to put into practice some of the key concepts they have learned during the course so far. During the museum visit, students will be asked to evaluate the effectiveness of the display, the audience they believe the museum is targeted at and the ‘messages of display’.
Key texts and resources:
Google Arts and Culture, n.d. Museums. https://artsandculture.google.com/partner
Harknett, S-J., and Noble, K. No date. https://www.museums.cam.ac.uk/blog/how-to-evaluate-an-exhibition/
Museum Planner. 2011. How to review a museum. https://www.museumplanner.org/how-to-review-a-museum/
Straughan, C. 2019. Is the future of museums online and what might a virtual museum look like? Museums Next. Available at: https://www.museumnext.com/article/is-the-future-of-museums-online/
Tully, G. 2010. Methods for analysing museum displays. [to be circulated]
Wilson, T. 2020. 10 of the world’s best virtual museum and art gallery tours https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2020/mar/23/10-of-the-worlds-best-virtual-museum-and-art-gallery-tours
Session 6: Museum management and the commercial museum (Tuesday 10 March, 16:00-19:00)
Dr Gemma Tully
This session will focus on the ways in which museums are becoming increasingly commercialised, both in terms of their internal operations and how they are consumed by the public. It will offer a general overview of commercial activity before focussing on museum shops as a case study of how culture and commerce interrelate within the museum space itself. Students will consider the museum shop from a personal perspective and discuss how they relate to cultural commodities.
Key texts and resources:
Frey, B. S and Meier, S. 2011. Cultural Economics. In S. McDonald (Ed), A Companion to Museum Studies, London: Wiley-Blackwell, 398-414 [to be circulated].
ICOM. 2021. Museums and New Business Models. https://icom.museum/en/news/museums-new-business-models/
Larkin, J. 2016. All Museums will become Department Stores. Archaeology International, 19, pp. 109-121 [to be circulated].
McClellan, A. 2008. Commercialism. In: The Art Museum from Boulee to Bilbao. Oakland, CA: University of California Press, pp 193-232 [to be circulated].
Pardilla, A. 2020. The Best Museum Stores For Online Shopping, HuffPost Life. Available at: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/best-museum-gift-shops-online_l_5f078f94c5b63a72c33f4a28
Spence, D and Tanner, M. 2013. Discussion: Should museums measure themselves by their economic value? Museums Journal, June 2013 [to circulate].
Wajid, S. 2014. Working abroad can be lucrative for British museums, but how are they tackling the ethical issues that this can raise? Museums Association, September, 26-29 [to circulate].
Waterson, E. & Watson, S. 2013. Marketing the Past. In: The Semiotics of Heritage Tourism. Bristol: Channel View Publications, pp. 53-74 [to be circulated].
Session 7: Diversifying museum partnerships (Thursday 12 March, 09:00-12:00)
Dr Gemma Tully
This lecture will look at recent innovations in museum display and public engagement initiatives which utilise non-traditional curatorial partnerships. Through case studies of both community input and the use of contemporary art in non-art museums, we will observe how these methods are transforming public perceptions of what a museum ‘should be’ and ‘should do’. Students will be introduced to techniques for engaging in partnerships with non-traditional stakeholders and given the tools to brainstorm an innovative museum display, event or resource.
Key texts and resources:
Art d’Egypte. No date. Website. Egyptian Arts and Cultural Initiatives to Explore - Art D'Égypte
Boursiquot, F. 2014. Ethnographic Museums: From Colonial Exposition to Intercultural Dialogue. In Chambers, I, et al. (eds). The Postcolonial Museum: The Arts of Memory and the Pressures of History, Taylor & Francis Group [to be circulated].
Casely-Hayford, A. 2002. A way of being: Some reflections on the Sainsbury African Galleries. Journal of Museum Ethnography, 14. 113-128 [to be circulated].
IIAS. 2024. Reconstructing Relationships between Heritage Sites and Present-Day Communities through “Art and Archaeology”. https://www.iias.asia/the-newsletter/article/reconstructing-relationships-between-heritage-sites-and-present-day
Oncuil, B. 2013. Community Engagement, Curatorial Practice and Museum Ethos in Alberta Canada. In V. Golding and W. Modest (Eds), Museums and Communities. Curators, collections and Collaboration. London: Bloomsbury, chapter 5 [to be circulated].
Parikh, D., Anyimadu, K. and Okeke, T. 2020. RePresent. University of Cambridge Museums. Available at: https://www.museums.cam.ac.uk/blog/2020/11/11/represent/
Simon, N. 2010. The Participatory Museum. Available at: http://www.participatorymuseum.org/read/
Tully, G. 2017. Re-imagining Egypt: Artefacts, Contemporary Art and Community Engagement in the Museum. In B. Onciul, M. Stefano, & S. Hawke (Eds.), Engaging Heritage, Engaging Communities, Boydell & Brewer, 91-106 [to be circulated].
Session 8: Museums and tourism (Friday 13 March, 15:00-18:00)
Dr Gemma Tully
This session will consider the key issues generated by the intersection of museums and tourism. It will examine current trends in cultural tourism, highlighting both the economic and cultural benefits, such as the role tourism can play in combatting poverty, as well as challenges, including the long-term impacts of Covid-19. The lecture will also consider ethical practice in tourism, particularly through the lens of dark heritage.
Key texts and resources:
AMA. 2013. The importance of museums to tourism. The importance of museums and heritage to tourism - CultureHive
Hartmann, R. 2014. Dark tourism, thanatourism, and dissonance in heritage tourism management: new directions in contemporary tourism research, Journal of Heritage Tourism, 9:2, 166-182 [to be circulated].
Richards, G. 2010. Cultural Tourism Research Methods. Oxford: CAB International [to be circulated].
Roberts, C., and Stone, P.R. 2023. Dark Tourism and Dark Heritage: Emergent Themes, Issues and Consequences. Cambridge University Press [to be circulated].
Timothy, D. 2014. ‘Contemporary Cultural Heritage and Tourism: Development Issues and Emerging Trends’. Public Archaeology, 13 (1-3): 30-47 [to be circulated].
Kimono Tea Ceremony Kyoto Maikoya. 2020. Future Travel and Sustainable Tourism after COVID-19: STUDY by Tea Ceremony Kyoto Maikoya https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/future-travel-and-sustainable-tourism-after-covid-19-study-by-tea-ceremony-kyoto-maikoya-301187271.html
Session 9: Museum Workshop (Monday 15 March 15:00-18:00 - Sant’Andrea, Bergamo
Chiesa e Museo di Sant'Andrea, Via Porta Dipinta, 39, 24129 Bergamo)
Following the museum visit (session 5), we will have a practical museum workshop session (within a museum, logistics allowing) in which we will design a new feature for the museum, such as an interpretation feature, online content, or policy. The session will provide students with practical experience of an element of museum management and/or curation.
Key texts will be allocated once the museum and workshop theme have been selected.
Session 10: Museums and economics (Tuesday 17 March, 16:00-19:00)
Dr. Gemma Tully
This session will consider some of the specific issues that arise when museums are treated as an economic resource. It will examine museum funding, fundraising, finance and budgeting. This will be followed by a detailed review of the concepts used to evaluate museum economics. Students will be instructed in how to perform museum budgeting and economic impact assessments through a theoretical modelling exercise.
Key texts and resources:
Bonacchi, C., Bevan, A, Keinan-Schoonbaert, A, Pett, D. & Jennifer Wexler. 2019. Participation in heritage crowdsourcing, Museum Management and Curatorship [to be circulated].
ICOM. 2020. Museums, museum professionals and COVID-19: ICOM and UNESCO release their full reports. Available at: https://icom.museum/en/news/museums-museum-professionals-and-covid-19-survey-results/
International Council of Museums. 2020. Museums and COVID-19: 8 steps to support community resilience https://icom.museum/en/covid-19/resources/museums-and-covid-19-8-steps-to-support-community-resilience/
Lawson-Tancred, J. 2025. The British Museum Is Throwing a Gala to Match the Met—and Not Everyone’s Impressed. Artnet. The British Museum Is Throwing a Gala to Match the Met—and Not Everyone’s Impressed
NESTA. 2013. Working the Crowd. A short guide to crowdfunding and how it can work for you. https://media.nesta.org.uk/documents/working_the_crowd.pdf
Norris, S. 2022. Will Museums be a Casualty of the Cost of Living Crisis?
https://bylinetimes.com/2022/09/20/will-museums-be-a-casualty-of-the-cost-of-living-crisis/
UK Government. 2011. Fundraising activity in arts, culture, heritage and sports organisations: a qualitative study. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/186823/CASE_fundraising_report_Sep11.pdf
Session 11: Museums and AI (Thursday 19 March, 09:00-12:00)
This session will consider some of the ways Artificial Intelligence (AI) is beginning to transform museums. We will look at examples of museums which are harnessing the potential of AI to enhance visitor experiences, streamline operations, and inspire innovation. We will also look at the ethical concerns linked to the use of AI, including the creation of AI ‘art’, and issues of governance and sustainability. The overall aim of the lecture is to consider how both the challenges and possibilities liked to AI can be addressed to best help museums benefit their users.
Key texts and resources:
Collins, F. 2024. Nemo presents recommendations for AI in museums. Museums Association [online]. Nemo presents recommendations for AI in museums - Museums Association
Cuseum, 2025. AI for Cultural Institutions — Where Museums are using AI in 2025. Cuseum [online]. Implementing AI for Cultural Institutions - Part 1 | Cuseum
Koreth, M. 2025. Beyond the Scroll: Museums, AI, and the Value of Attention. The Harvard Crimson [online]. Beyond the Scroll: Museums, AI, and the Value of Attention | Arts | The Harvard Crimson
Murphy, O. and Villaespesa, E. 2022. THE MUSEUMS + AI NETWORK - AI: A Museum Planning Toolkit, UKRI. The Museums and AI Network - AI: A Museum Planning Toolkit
Styx, L. 2024. Museums Next - How Are Museums Using Artificial Intelligence? Museums Next [online]. https://www.museumnext.com/article/artificial-intelligence-and-the-future-of-museums/
Museums next conference – happening in May 2026 (some of you may be interested in attending online). MuseumNext : Museum AI Summit 2026 - Virtual Conference
Session 12: Conclusion: Museums, tourism, and the future (Friday 20 March, 15:00-18:00)
Dr. Gemma Tully
This session will consider potential future advances in the museum and tourism sector, including the experience economy and the impact of Covid-19 in driving innovation. This lecture will also be an opportunity for students to reflect on aspects of the course and address any concerns or questions they may have.
Key texts and resources:
Future Everything, 2024. The Futures of Museums and Art Institutions by 2050. #Report: The Futures of Museums and Art Institutions by 2050 final
Gensler. 2015 Engage: The Future of Museums. Gensler ltd. Available at: https://www.gensler.com/uploads/document/395/file/gensler_museum-research-interim-report.pdf
Janes, R. 2007. Museums, Social Responsibility and the future we desire. In S. Knell (ed). Museum Revolutions. London, Routledge [to be circulated]
Museum ID, N.d. The #FutureMuseum Project
Museums Next. 2025. From Loneliness to Belonging: 5 Trends are Hacking the Museum Experience. https://www.museumnext.com/article/from-loneliness-to-belonging-5-trends-are-hacking-the-museum-experience/
Museums of the Future. 2020. The Future of Museums. Virtual Seminar. Available at:
Tully, G. 2020. Are we living the future? Museums in the time of Covid-19
In F. Burini (ed.), Tourism facing a pandemic: from crisis to recovery / edited by
Bergamo: Università degli Studi di Bergamo, pp. 229-242. Available at: https://aisberg.unibg.it/retrieve/handle/10446/160699/363608/Volume_formatoIRIS.pdf
Group Project
Task: Alone, or in groups of up to 6, brainstorm ideas for a new museum project linked to a specific location. You have a budget of up to 1.5 million Euros to set up your museum, so you can be quite ambitious.
You can use a spider diagram format, or text if you prefer, but try to be concise – I just want to get an overview of your idea. I do not need all the details! Please use plenty of images to help give me an idea of the kinds of objects, design and mood that you are aiming for. You can use multiple spider diagrams/pages, whatever works best for you (there is no right or wrong way – I just want to see your ideas).
Your museum can be of any kind (ecomuseum, art, history, outdoor – anything, even a new kind of museum if you can think of a different category, so please feel free to be creative). Your concept does not need to be 100% polished (I do not expect you to design the whole museum, just to come up with the key ideas/concepts). By considering the below, you should be able to cover most the key points.
You will be awarded a mark as a group, so everyone in your group will get the same grade. Everyone in the group must take part and should have their name and student number on the document you submit. Remember to submit everything at least two weeks before the exam deadline.
Content for your museum brainstorm (you can add more details to each point, as you think is needed – this is totally up to you).
Give me a maximum of a few of sentences for each point on the ‘arms’ or your spider diagram. You can make each point (1-17 below) a new page/new spider diagram – it is totally up to you. Do whatever works best in order to add the detail you need).
Your work could look something like this for each point
Or it could be more complex like this
Add images for the different points where relevant and make the design however you like. Be creative. There is no right or wrong. Do what works best for you and your ideas.
1. Museum name: What is your museum called? Do you have a tag line? Tell me where the name comes from, i.e. what’s the background context for how you picked the name. Does it have additional meaning?
2. Location: Where are you and why did you pick that place? You could give me a few tourist stats for the place to justify your choice (maybe nobody goes there and you want to attract people, or maybe it is already a busy place that needs something new – you decide).
3. Mission: Write your mission.
4. Values: Write your values.
5. Building/architecture: Where will your museum be housed? How will you find the place/building? Who might you need to work with? What will it look like? How many rooms will it have? What facilities will if have – shop/café etc.?
6. Policies: What policies will you have?
7. Collection: What will you have in your museum? How will you acquire it? How will you store it? Will you loan it out or accept loans yourself?
8. Display: How will your collection be displayed? What will be the main themes of your different display areas/rooms?
9. Audience: Who is your museum for? How will you attract visitors (in person/online) and work with them? What role will your museum play in society?
10. Public programming/participation: What activities/events will you offer? How will you reach out to different partners?
11. Digital tools: What digital tools will you use?
12. Sustainability and access: How will you be sustainable – socially, environmentally, economically etc.? What accessibility features will you have for people with different disabilities/mental health or learning needs?
13. Marketing/branding: How will you market yourself? What sort of branding style might you go for (you do not need to design your brand, just share some ideas on things like colour scheme or the atmosphere you want to create surrounding your brand)
14. Budget: Give a very brief idea about budget – i.e. estimated cost for building, staff, energy etc. for one year, but also possible income – i.e. will you charge for entry, how much, and how much do you think you will generate in your first year (estimate visitor numbers based on relevant tourist statistics for your area). For all of this, just give me an idea based on some basic research, don’t go crazy trying to figure this out!).
15. SWOT analysis: Give me a list of your museum’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats (just some bullet points).
16. Museums around the world: Give me some examples of museums you looked at that provided inspiration and tell me what inspired you from each (just a few bullet points and some images as relevant, not loads of information)
17. REFERENCES – don’t forget to include any reading and websites you looked at on a page at the end so I can see where your ideas came from. You can include specific refences/quotes/stats in your main text/spider diagram too if that’s helpful.
Important notes:
1 – Use plenty of visuals/images to help bring your pitch to life.
2 – Be creative, be bold – there are no wrong answers!
- Docente: tully gemma