Useful Links

Visitor Studies, Research & Evaluation
Learning
Organisations of Related Interest
University Courses
Online Journals
Online Bookstores
Other Useful Links

Visitor Studies, Research & Evaluation

Australian Association for Research in Education
AARE facilitates contact between educational researchers, and encourages and works towards the development of all aspects of educational research. The site includes a a large selection of archived papers from annual conferences, and editions of the AER journal.

Australian Museum Audience Research Centre (AMARC), Australia
The AMARC undertakes a broad range of visitor research and evaluation projects.Their website provides a wide range of evaluation and audience research resources.

British Educational Research Association (BERA), UK
The aim of the BERA is to sustain and promote a vital research culture in education.

Dana Centre (London, UK) - science dialogue event evaluation
The Dana Centre is the Science Museum's venue for science dialogue events. This section of the website includes evaluation of science dialogue as well as models for successful events.

European Evaluation Society (EES)
The EES aims to promote theory, practice and utilisation of high quality evaluation especially, but not exclusively, within European countries.

Evaluation and Visitor Research Special Interest Group (EVRSIG), Australia
The EVRSIG is an Australian based group of museum professionals dedicated to advocating for the visitor voice within museum practice.

Exploratorium Visitor Research and Evaluation Department, USA
The Exploratorium is an interactive Science Centre located in San Francisco. Their website provides a range of research reports and publications.

Informalscience
Informalscience is a resource for informal learning. It aims to promote the field of informal learning in science. This website has a wide range of relevant research and evaluation reports.

Media Evaluation & Research Center, USA
The Centre works with the National Park Service Social Science Program to gather useful knowledge about park visitors and the public.

Natural History Museum, London, UK
The Natural History Museum website has a section dedicated to Visitor Research. It offers information about methods and a wide range of evaluation reports; exhibition evaluation as well as evaluation of learning programmes.

Research Centre for Museums and Galleries (RCMG), UK
The RCMG was established in 1999 in response to the growing need for research and evaluation within the sector, in particular around the relationship between museums, galleries and their audiences. It is is based within the University of Leicester's Museum Department of Museum Studies.

The V&A, London, UK
A wide range of visitor research reports can be accessed on the V&A website. These include research conducted for specific galleries, as well as research into the wants and needs of different visitor groups. The V&A website also has an introduction to visitor research and a related reading list.

Visitor Studies Association (VSA), USA
The VSA is a US based group of practitioners and academics who share a passion for improving the quality of visitor experiences through audiences research and evaluation.

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Learning

Campaign for Learning through Museums and Galleries (CLMG) UK
The CLMG is a think tank for the cultural sector, which aims to encourage fresh thinking and innovation in a sector that can change people’s lives.

Centre for Informal Learning and Schools (CILS), USA
CILS conducts research on informal learning, the informal science education infrastructure, and the connections between in- and out-of-school science learning. It is a partnership of the Exploratorium, King's College London, and the University of California Santa Cruz.

George Hein, Lesley University, USA
George E. Hein is Professor Emeritus in the Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences and Senior Research Associate at the Program Evaluation and Research Group at Lesley University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. His site contains online papers and lectures about museums and learning, with a focus on constructivism.

Group for Education in Museums (GEM) UK
GEM promotes the importance of learning through museums, galleries and other cultural organisations. It is based in the UK but has members around the world. The site includes an index of back issues of the Journal of Education in Museums.

Inspiring Learning for All (ILFA), UK
ILFA describes what an accessible and inclusive museum, archive or library which stimulates and supports learning looks like. Includes a toolkit for measuring learning.

Institute for Learning Innovation (ILI), USA
ILI is committed to better understanding the nature of free-choice learning and its role in a Learning Society. They disseminate the results of their esearch, evaluation, and planning efforts through publications, presentations, workshops and professional trainings.

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Organisations of Related Interest

American Association of Museums (AAM), USA
Organisation for professional in mueums and museum related fields, with an annual conference. Their site also hosts a good book store.

Association for Heritage Interpretation (AHI), UK
AHI is the key UK forum for anyone interested in interpretation: the art of helping people explore and appreciate our world. AHI aims to promote high standards in the provision of interpretation and to gain wider recognition of interpretation as a professional activity.

Association of Science Technology Centres (ASTC) USA
ASTC is an organisation of science centres and museums dedicated to furthering the public understanding of science among increasingly diverse audiences. Their visitor studies section includes abstracts and articles about front-end, formative, and summative studies of exhibits and programmes.

British Interactive Group (BIG), UK
BIG is the organisation for people involved interactive science communication projects in the UK.

Committee for Education and Cultural Action (CECA)
CECA is one of the international committees of ICOM (International Council of Museums). Members are professionals working in different sectors of the museum field or in institutions related to this field, as educators, curators, professors, communication agents or interpreters interested in education and cultural action applied to a particular sort of heritage.

engage, UK
engage is a leading international association for gallery educators, artist educators and other arts and education professionals

Museums Association (MA), UK
The MA represents the people and institutions constituting Britain's museums and galleries.

Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA), UK
The MLA is the lead strategic agency for museums, libraries and archives in the UK, working with the nine regional agencies to improve people’s lives by building knowledge, supporting learning, inspiring creativity and celebrating identity.

Scottish Interpretation Network, UK
The Scottish Interpretation Network is an informal network with the aims of encouraging discussion, sharing ideas and supporting contact between interpreters in Scotland.

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University Courses

Newcastle University, International Centre for Cultural and Heritage Studies
Offers programmes of study in Art Museum and Gallery Education, Art Museum and Gallery Studies, Heritage Education and Interpretation, Heritage Management, and Museum Studies.

University College London, Institute of Archaeology
Offers a programme of study in Museum Studies.

University of Leicester, Department of Museum Studies, UK
Offers programmes of study in Museum Studies, Art Museum and Gallery Studies, and Interpretive Studies

University of St Andrews, School or Art History
Offers a programme of study in Museum and Gallery Studies.

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Online Journals

The Australian Educational Researcher
This site lists the content of every edition of the journal since its beginning in 1974. Articles in editions from 2003 onwards are available to online.

Evaluation Journal of Australasia
The EJA is publishes articles on any subject connected with evaluation. It is published twice a year, and issues are available for downloading six months after publication.

Gas Quarterly
Quarterly marketing e-journal for busy arts professionals with in-depth coverage and international expertise.

The Informal Learning Review (ILR)
Published six times per year, each issue of the ILR offers articles, essays and listings that provoke thought, explore trends and issues, present case studies and book and exhibition reviews, and provide basic practical information. Selected articles from past issues are available online.

Interpret Scotland, UK
Interpret Scotland comprises members drawn from organisations working with a national remit in interpretation at Scotland's natural, cultural and historic sites. Current and past editions of the Interpret Scotland magazine are available for download.

The Visitor Studies Association Archive
This archives holds the publications of the Visitor Studies Association, including the entire run of their journals 'Visitor Behaviour' (1986-1997) and 'Visitor Studies Today' (1998 - 2006).

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