We are often asked to name our favorite magazines and journals. What a difficult question! There are so many great publications about museums, interpretation, and exhibit design. But if we had to choose, which publications would we recommend? Which are the most inspiring? The most insightful? The most trend-setting?

Without further ado, here are my own personal favorites. These magazines and journals are constantly at the top of their game, providing articles written by the best thought-leaders in our industry. In no particular order…

• InterpNEWS Okay, I’m biased, but I think that each issue of InterpNEWS provides some of the most in-depth and fascinating discussions of the current field of professional interpretation. I feel incredibly blessed to be one of the many regional editors of this superb publication.

• NAME’s Exhibition Journal What’s in a name? On the front-line of industry trends, NAME’sExhibition Journal serves as the national voice of museum exhibit professionals. Savvy and informative, this publication holds a refreshing exchange of ideas from all aspects of the industry – interpretation, design, fabrication, and more.

• Legacy For its beautiful design and inspiring articles, Legacy earns a spot on my list. This is the stellar bi-monthly magazine of the National Association for Interpretation, and its articles take on powerfully important issues such as “interpreting hate” and “misinformation in interpretation.”

• Museum Museum is similarly a beautiful publication that tackles key issues facing the museum field. It is the bi-monthly magazine of the American Alliance of Museums. I have particularly enjoyed the publication’s brilliant forecasting of the future of the museum industry.

• Directions The online journal Directions is a regular must-read for anyone associated with nature centers. It is published by the Association of Nature Center Administrators, and its articles are always fun, personal, and insightful.

• Informal Learning Review The Informal Learning Review is a brilliant publication with scholarly and insightful articles about the latest trends at museums, nature centers, interpretive sites, and all other places of informal education.

• Parks & Recreation Simply one of the most beautifully designed magazines in our field! Parks & Recreation is the monthly magazine of the National Recreation and Park Association, and its articles are both fun and informative.

Did we miss any?

originally posted 5/31/2018