The role of the public in the development of the museum concept: an Australian marketing perspective

This paper views museums from a marketing perspective. It provides a brief history of the development of the museum concept, combining the history of the Australian museum sector with further discussion of the development of the concept. It also compares the Australian experience with that found in other parts of the Western world. Further, using interviews with senior staff from the six Australian State museums, this paper seeks to provide insight in to the way Australian museums have to operate in the current social environment, and how they see themselves and their audiences in light of the expectations of the ‘modern’ public. Specifically it seeks to answer the questions: what do museums see as the drivers of change in the museum sector in recent years?; how do they think the public has changed?; and, how have museums responded to the changes in both society and their visitors