February 29th, 2024, 11:00 pm - April 5th, 2024, 10:59 pm CDT
Host: Visitor Studies Association
The Visitor Studies Journal is inviting submissions for a themed issue on the topic of “Redefining the Visitor Studies field for a Changing World”. The issue seeks to create a platform for reflecting on the state of the Visitor Studies field today, ways in which we need to evolve the field based on new learnings, understandings and contexts, as well as new directions in the field.
The themed issue is part of a broader effort (funded in part by a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a United States federal agency, MG-253082-OMS-23) to help the field redefine what it means to do visitor studies in today’s contexts and into the future.
Submissions might address issues such as:
- The kinds of key skills, mindsets, knowledge, and perspectives that are most needed for visitor studies professionals to support the needs and strategic goals of informal learning institutions, audiences and communities today. What training and professional development are needed to prepare current and emerging professionals in the informal learning evaluation and visitor studies fields to effectively lead and support institutions in change efforts around equity, diversity, access, inclusion and belonging?
- Emerging and promising practices for culturally responsive, equity-centered research and evaluation in museums and other informal learning settings. Who currently has access to the field? Who is excluded and in what ways?
- New approaches to methods, rigor and validity in visitor research and evaluation. How do we work towards equity, inclusivity and belonging?
- How are new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence shaping research in the visitor studies field? What ethical considerations should the Visitor Studies field consider in applying these technologies such as AI?
