Each year, the Museum Education Roundtable compiles a list of board-member-recommended reads near the holiday season, perfect for gift-giving or for making use of cozy winter nights. Have a look at this year’s picks, below:

The More We Look, the Deeper It Gets: Transforming the Curriculum Through Art by Nicola Giardina

What is this book about?
Hot off the presses, this book offers inspiration and practical guidance for teaching with works of art in order to deepen engagement and improve student learning.
Why did you pick this book? How does it inform your work?
I was a colleague of Nicola’s at The Met while she was conducting the research that underpins this book, and I was impressed by her approach to working with classroom teachers to adapt their practice to lead effective gallery discussions.
Recommended by:
David Bowles, J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA

 

Museum Gallery Activities: A Handbook by Sharon Vatsky

What is this book about?
This fresh new book explores ways that we invite visitors to respond to works of art through writing, drawing, movement, and other modalities. It’s a lively read and full of good ideas to help improve practice.
Recommended by:
David Bowles, J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA

 

 

The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker

What is this book about?
Seconding a recommendation from Nina Simon, The Art of Gathering is a quick read that provides thoughtful insight and practical steps to take in organizing gatherings of all kinds.
Why did you pick this book? How does it inform your work?
Readers will walk away with new ideas for planning and and facilitating school programs, staff meetings, community focus groups, fundraising dinners…the list of possible applications for Parker’s approach in the museum workplace is endless.
Recommended by:
Elisabeth Nevins, Seed Education Consulting

 

Uncivil – a podcast by Gimlet media

What is this podcast about?
Uncivil brings you stories that were left out of the official history of the Civil War, ransacks America’s past, and takes on the history you grew up with. Hear stories about resistance, covert operations, corruption, mutiny, counterfeiting, antebellum drones, and so much more. The podcast hosts connect these forgotten struggles to the political battlefield we’re living on right now. The story of the Civil War — the story of slavery, confederate monuments, racism — is the story of America.
Why did you pick this podcast? How does it inform your work?
Sometimes I feel like all I do is read and reread words on paper (or worse on a computer screen), so I thought I’d offer up a podcast, something that you can listen to while, say, you’re going for a walk or practicing another form of self-care. I love this particular podcast, because as an employee of a history museum, we are always engaging visitors with difficult histories.  Particularly we talk a lot about slavery and the Civil War, so I appreciate the perspectives and new information that this podcast gives me. It helps me to challenge the single narrative that so many Americans know about the Civil War (and some museums still unfortunately put forward).
Recommended by:
Sarah Sims, Missouri Historical Society

 

Gathering Moss, A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses by Robin Wall Kimmerer

What is this book about?
This book is both the ecological and botanical story of moss and also a personal story as told through the lens of a Native American woman. Its poetic and descriptive language will make you fall in love with these tiny champion plants and their myriad connections to the web of life. A favorite quote: “What are the conditions that foster diverse communities rather than isolated individuals? The question is very complex for mosses, let alone for humans.”
Why did you pick this book? How does it inform your work?
This book is a reminder to me that science and the scientific process is about discovery and elucidating the secrets of the world and about feelings and heart. It reminds me that personal stories and connections, our cultural history, and the stories of our families are important parts of engaging with how we think about how the world works. As educators, when we invite new perspectives and voices into the conversation, we make our teaching more complete and inclusive.
Recommended by:
Sonal Bhatt, Brooklyn Botanic Garden

 

Intentional Practice for Museums: A Guide for Maximizing Impact by Randi Korn

What is this book about?

Intentional Practice for Museums: A Guide for Maximizing Impact is for intentionally-minded museum professionals. It describes an impact-driven way of thinking and working that places a museum’s raison d’être—achieving impact—at the center of its work.  The book deconstructs the Cycle of Intentional Practice, which embodies four quadrants (plan, evaluate, reflect, and align) situated around the centerpiece—impact. As exemplified by its “cycle” quality, impact-driven work is ongoing. Museums that choose to pursue impact through intentional practice will benefit, as they, as well as their organization, will be on a continuous cycle of learning.
Recommended by:
Stephanie Downey, Randi Korn & Associates Inc.