Museums and Communities: Changing Dynamics

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Museums and communities - what are the connections? Who leads and who follows? This book draws on the experiences of the author as the director of the Cobb+Co Museum in Toowoomba, Australia since its opening in 1987. It charts the changing dynamics between the museum and its community that have provided enormous benefits to both the institution and the community itself. The engagement process and subsequent outcomes between museums and their stakeholder communities are often neglected by both practitioners and academics. Much has been written and spoken about the need for museums to engage with and be responsive to their communities, but many museums, in practice, still remain indifferent to their key stakeholders. Museums can play substantial leadership roles within communities. This occurs when the relationship between the museum and its community becomes entrenched with shared values. These values can facilitate social, cultural, and economic benefits for both museums and their communities. This book explores these values and their expression within a regional museum context.