Manual of Museum Planning
Sustainable Space, Facilities and Operations
Third Edition

As museums have taken on more complex roles in their communities and the number of museum stakeholders has increased to include a greater array of people, effective museum planning is more important than ever. Manual of Museum Planning has become the definitive text for museum professionals, trustees, architects, and others who are concerned with the planning, design, construction, renovation, or expansion of a public gallery or museum. Rewritten and reorganized, the third edition features revised sections on planning for visitors, collections, and the building itself, and new sections on operations and implementation, which have become an essential part of the planning process. This new edition of Manual of Museum Planning has been updated to meet the needs of professional museum practice in the 21st century and includes contributions by leading museum professionals.

The third edition of the Manual of Museum Planning is a welcome addition to cultural leaders around the world. Barry Lord, Gail Dexter Lord, and the team of experts from Lord Cultural Resources are the foremost global cultural thought leaders. The new edition’s emphasis on sustainability is timely and will help guide cultural institutions well into the 21st century. The new edition of the Manual of Museum Planning will definitely be a permanent fixture on my desk and nightstand.

—Paul B. Redman, Director, Longwood Gardens

After the first glow of razzle-dazzle, museums have to "work," and no one understands better how to see to it that a museum will work for the long run than Barry and Gail Lord. This work is a bible for museum survival.

— Robert A. M. Stern, Founder and Senior Partner, Robert A.M. Stern Architects, and Dean of the Yale School of Architecture

There are no short cuts to successful and sustainable museum development. Manual of Museum Planning provides a comprehensive and systematic approach to planning museums as developed over the past 30 years by the world’s leading museum planning firm. An invaluable resource now in its third updated edition, the Manual demonstrates how LORD Cultural Resources continue to learn and innovate.

— Duncan Grewcock, Course Director, MA in Museum and Gallery Studies, School of Art and Design History, Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture, Kingston University, U.K.