Socially Inclusive Museum

In the realm of museum practice, the introduction of social inclusion theory has had an unknown influence. Based on Sandell's typology of social inclusivity for museums, this paper proposes a re-imagination of his typology to include theoretical input from the field of Library and Information Science (LIS) and the addition of pathways for measuring social inclusivity, both quantitatively and qualitatively. In an effort to generate a more holistic typology, this paper draws upon theories and conceptual frameworks from LIS. The concept of curatorial voice, the extent to which the museum visitor is expected to determine the meaning of the exhibit, is re-imagined in Gatekeeper Theory, offering explanatory power for the flow of information within an exhibit; and the concept of "Museum as Place" is explored through the Japanese idea of "ba" with an emphasis on the museum as a milieu for shared knowledge creation.