People like to learn.

That's the good news.

The challenge for museums, however, is that people have many options competing with museum collections and exhibitions when it comes to where and how they learn new things.

Lessons Without Limit by John Falk and Lynn Dierking introduces the reader to the concept of free-choice learning and outlines the characteristics of the learning public at various ages in ways that can help a museum stay competitive.

The authors define free-choice learning as "the learning people do when they get to control what to learn, when to learn, where to learn, and with whom to learn." The authors demonstrate how museums are often the perfect setting to meet the range of needs and wants of free-choice learners, however, they also illustrate how the competition from other not-for-profit institutions as well as many for profit organizations is steep and growing.

This book provides the reader with a well-researched definition of the current education-on-demand learning landscape and outlines the nuances of what free-choice learners expect from their learning opportunities.

Borrowing Terms & Conditions