The second volume in this series focuses upon the relationship between a museum service and its community, viewed from a range of national and international perspectives, and concentrating upon new work and new political parameters. The papers include a substantial analysis of museum operations from an economic standpoint, drawing upon research into the report of the North of England Open Air Museum at Beamish on the local economy.

The relationship between science and the public is one of the great contemporary debates, involving questions of accountability, resource, the construction of knowledge and its legal implications. Mutual understanding between scientists and non-scientists is a key figure in the dialogue and here the interpretation of science in museums has a significant part to play.

Volume 1 in a series designed to act as a forum for the dissemination and discussion of new research currently being undertaken in the field of Museum Studies. The series aims to cover the whole museum field and to broadly address the history and operation of the museum as a cultural phenomenon. The papers published are of a high academic standard, and are also intended to relate directly to matters of immediate museum concern. The publication aims to fill a major gap in the present scope of museum-based literature.