Four Imperatives for Making Museum Evaluation More Relevant, Credible, and Useful
by Hallie Preskill
Abstract
In this article, I invite readers to think outside of evaluation’s current boundaries and to see the deep connectedness between what museums hope to achieve and how we evaluate the extent to which these aspirations may be realized. To do this, I present four imperatives for making museum evaluation more relevant, credible, and useful: 1) Link program activities with intended outcomes and hoped-for impact. 2) Take a systems-oriented evaluation approach. 3) Use affirmative data collection approaches based on assets and strengths. 4) Engage in courageous conversations.
- Hallie Preskill (hallie.preskill@fsg-impact.org) is executive director of the Strategic Learning and Evaluation Center at FSG Social Impact Advisors, Seattle, Washington.
DOI: 10.1111/j.2151-6952.2010.00072.x
© 2010 The California Academy of Sciences
