Raising the Bar

Abstract

Striving to provide public good and maximize public value strike many as highly abstract and idealistic ideas. Written in the form of an interview, this article, written from the perspective of a practitioner, addresses some of the pragmatic issues that arise when trying to conceptualize approaches to museum offerings and demonstrate their effectiveness. The Holocaust Museum's evaluation of its Bringing the Lessons Home program provides an example of how rigorous attention to program conceptualization, design and evaluation can produce convincing evidence of social change and public value. Being able to demonstrate public value is not a matter of the impossibility of crafting programs and measuring their impact; it is more a matter of desire, will and investment. It is possible to strive for and demonstrate the public value of museums.

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