Publications

The standard
references for
museum planning.

Museums 101

Mark Walhimer

Bloomsbury

Second Edition Forthcoming

Museums 101

How to plan, design,
and operate a museum.

The definitive guide for museum founders, directors, board members, and civic leaders.

Publisher

Bloomsbury Publishing

First Edition

2015

Used in

Museum studies programs worldwide

Museums 101 leads readers through every phase of museum creation — from the initial feasibility question through strategic planning, master planning, exhibition design, operations, and governance. It is the only book that treats the museum as a complete system rather than a collection of disciplines.

The second edition, currently in development, will incorporate AI-driven planning tools, post-COVID operational models, digital engagement frameworks, and the Museum Vitality Index methodology developed over the past decade.

Second Edition — In Development

Museums 101, Second Edition

The second edition updates the complete planning framework for the current era — AI-assisted planning, adaptive institutions, post-COVID operations, and the Convergence Era framework for museums as distributed interpretive systems. Contract with Bloomsbury Publishing. Publication date forthcoming.

Designing Museum Experiences

Mark Walhimer

Bloomsbury

Designing Museum Experiences

Visitor-centered design
for the modern museum.

A how-to guide for creating inclusive, emotionally resonant museum experiences.

Publisher

Bloomsbury Publishing

Published

2021

Companion site

museum-experiences.com

Designing Museum Experiences leads museum professionals through the tools and methodologies of visitor-centered design — empathy mapping, audience segmentation, visitor journey mapping, service design blueprints, and content strategy. The framework applies business-world user-centered design to the museum context.

The book addresses all three stages of the museum visit — pre-visit, in-person, and post-visit — with the goal of creating the conditions for repeat visitation and lasting institutional relationships.

About the Author

Mark Walhimer

Mark Walhimer is the managing partner of Museum Planning LLC, a museum consultancy founded in 1999. Over 25 years, the firm has completed 40+ projects across the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Asia — from community history museums to major national institutions.

Walhimer began his career in the studios of artists Judy Pfaff and Donald Lipski, and holds degrees from Skidmore College and Pratt Institute. His institutional work spans concept through opening day.

Fulbright Specialist Bloomsbury Publishing author Former faculty, Georgia Institute of Technology Former faculty, Tec de Monterrey, Mexico City Design consultant, Smithsonian Institution Project director, Children's Museum of Indianapolis

Forthcoming

Digital Museums

A third book is in early development — the public codification of the Convergence Era framework. Digital Museums will address the transformation of cultural institutions into distributed, AI-driven interpretive systems. Expected Phase 5 of the long-term practice development.

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