I’ve been getting more and more into art and museums and I want to learn properly rather than just skim internet or whatever ranks first on Google. I’m looking for sources that people who really know the field actually respect. Unfortunately, don't fully trust LLM too.

Could you share your most trusted:

• Books, both good introductions and deeper dives
• Podcasts
• YouTube channels or video series
• Free online resources, like open courses, museum archives, or open-access collections

I’m interested in everything from art history foundations to simply learning how to look at and understand a work. Free or low-cost is a bonus, but I mostly care that it is accurate and well-regarded. Thanks in advance, I’ll happily compile and share back what people recommend.

Hello! I’m reaching out to ask if you have any recommendations or preferences regarding guided museum tours. As part of my university’s social service program, I’ll be leading tours—it’ll be my first time in this role! I’m a bit nervous, but I’m hopeful that it will go well. Any tips or examples you could share would be incredibly helpful!

Fully zoomable and explorable without jumping

In our museum storage space we have a Japanese teaset brought back from a sailor on board the USS Louisiana, around 1908 when they visited Japan. Aside from whats pictured here, there are 4 more teacup-saucer pairs.

We're in the process of getting more shelving, and these items are a top priority for getting rehoused. The larger teapot especially, since its current method of storage is laying on its side in a ethofoam-lined drawer that has just shy of an inch clearance between its "tallest" part and the top of the drawer.

Would anyone have any insight into the best way to store a teaset like this? As much as possible, we'd like for them to be enclosed in cabinets or (larger) drawers? Thank you!

(Apologies if this is the wrong subreddit!)

Hi everyone. I’m Kaveh from the Museum of Synthesisers. We are focused on the history and culture of synthesisers and electronic sound.

We want visitors to experience the objects in our future collection rather than only see them behind glass. In our case, that includes giving people the opportunity to play the instruments. Making this possible is an important part of how we’re shaping the museum.

We’d like to hear from people who have developed similar experiences with their collections. What methods have you explored, and how have they worked in practice? How did you organise access while caring for the objects? What did you learn from visitors’ responses?

Experiences from any type of museum would be welcome. We’d also be interested in research you’ve found useful or approaches that didn’t work as expected.

Has anyone done practical exercises in an archivist job interview? What were they and do you think they were an effective part of the interview process?