The Visitor Studies Guide: Theory and Practice for Heritage Contexts

The Visitor Studies Guide offers an up-to-date overview of the rapidly expanding field of theory and research practice relating to the public use of museums, galleries, libraries, archives, memorials, zoos, aquariums, planetariums, gardens, urban parks, arboretums, nature centres, historic sites, and protected areas. It surveys the field’s evolution, current challenges, and future possibilities. It reviews the most recent applications and theoretical advances in Visitor Studies and connects theory and practice through a diverse range of case studies from practitioners around the world and an introduction to the basic principles of research design. It outlines an agenda for building a more integrated and theoretically driven field which is interdisciplinary and embraces critical perspectives. It shows how Visitor Studies can be a vital tool for heritage agencies to fulfil their missions for positive social and environmental impact. It also provides a platform for a more globally connected community of practice by profiling voices from previously under-represented regions, such as China, Latin America, and Aotearoa New Zealand. Aimed at a global audience, The Visitor Studies Guide is an introduction to the field for students and heritage practitioners and will be a valuable resource for teaching in museum and heritage programmes. For experienced practitioners, it offers a comprehensive view of current trends, new approaches and methods across different heritage contexts, and a reflection on the future scope and direction of the field.

Table of Contents:
List of figures; List of Tables; List of boxes; Acknowledgements; INTRODUCTION; PART I: INTRODUCING VISITOR STUDIES – Chapter 1: Visitor Studies past, present and future; Chapter 2: Contexts, purposes, and problems; Chapter 3: Theory; PART II: VISITOR STUDIES IN PRACTICE – Case Study 1. Pride, Belonging and Identity: Pacific peoples and museums in Aotearoa New Zealand; Case Study 2. Públicos de proximidad: Researching local publics and their relationships with Casa Histórica — Museo Nacional de La Independencia (Tucumán, Argentina); Case Study 3. Relationship-Building through Evaluation: Engaging with families in designing a children’s exhibition at Saint Louis Zoo; Case Study 4. Participatory Practice in a Mexican Museum: Engaging visitor voices to create spaces for connection and dialogue after a global pandemic; Case Study 5. Empathy-Building Through Free Nature Play in an Urban Park: Saint Louis Zoo Preschool, US; Case Study 6. Building Theory on Person-led Tours for Adults: A study of German museum guides; Case Study 7. Visitor Preferences, Meaning-making and the Whole-visit Experience; Case Study 8. Working with AIM: A systematic framework for visitor engagement and impact at Te Papa, Aotearoa New Zealand; Case Study 9. Museum Visitor Empirical Studies in China: A systematic review of an emerging field; PART III: A GUIDE TO VISITOR RESEARCH PRACTICE – Chapter 4: Designing and doing research; Appendix: Resources for Visitor Studies Practice; List of Contributors; Index.

About the Author :
Lee Davidson is Associate Professor in Museum and Heritage Studies at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington in Aotearoa New Zealand. She has been teaching Visitor Studies to postgraduate students for more than 20 years, as well as doing projects with the local heritage sector and her own research on visitors at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and touring exhibitions in France, Canada, and Mexico. She is co-author, with Leticia Pérez Castellanos, of Cosmopolitan Ambassadors: International Exhibitions, Cultural Diplomacy and the Polycentral Museum (also available in Spanish).