Louise Douglas and Ruth Lane

Invited Speaker: Ruth Lane

Affiliation(s): (1) National Museum of Australia
(2) National Museum of Australia

Title: Dr Ruth Lane Position: Murray-Darling Basin Project Coordinator Organisation: National Museum of Australia Contact email: r.lane@nma.gov.au Contact phone: 02 6208 5330

Keywords: engagement, outreach, museums, learning

Museums are changing and reinventing themselves in many ways. In order to address pressing issues of the day, they are repositioning themselves as forums for debate, rather than simply sources of authority. To do so, they must develop new capacities for engaging with diverse communities, some of which will never actually visit a museum building. These capacities have broader significance for any form of public engagement, including agricultural extension. We focus here on some of the more innovative approaches developed by the National Museum of Australia as it attempts to set new benchmarks for engaging a diverse range of communities in contemporary issues. As a national institution, there is an expectation that the organisation will provide a range of products and programs to reach all Australians, and the ability of remote users to access the Museum’s resources and programs will positively impact upon its credibility with key stakeholders.

Key learning points

• Interpretation as a platform for engagement
• Creating forums for public debate
• Facilitating learning