The HRC thanks Susie Wilkening for serving as guest author for the following entry. Susie is a Senior Consultant and Curator of Museum Audiences with Reach Advisors, a strategy and research firm serving community-driven enterprises in fields including museums, tourism bureaus, municipalities, and master planned communities. Prior to joining Reach Advisors in 2006, Susie worked for ten years in museums, including tenures as the Executive Director of the Saratoga County Historical Society and as the Development Director of Historic Huguenot Street. Her husband often accompanies her to various museums (as well as Macie, her incorrigible dog, when allowed).

I read a lot. Books. Newspapers. Magazines. But also blogs, feeds, and some e-newsletters. I am always trying to absorb new information, data, and insights that will help me help museums.

Below are some of my favorite resources that I read regularly, and recommend to you, but are not necessarily the usual suspects from what I (affectionately) refer to as MuseumWorld.

Blogs:

The Uncatalogued Museum: Thoughtful commentary on museums, especially history-based organizations

Bryan Cave Nonprofit and Charitable Planning Team: It may be a big-city law firm, but this department's blog has good, concrete, and useful advice on legal and tax issues relevant to nonprofits and donors. Bonus: short and very readable posts!

"There are so many blogs about the new hip vanguard of librarians that their entries could more than fill many brick and mortar locations."* Librarians are producing some incredibly insightful blogs, and their insights often apply to museums just as well.

Feeds:

Atlanta History Center on Facebook: There are a lot of museums that have fantastic Facebook presences, but this one still stands out as exemplary. Even though all of the posts are about AHC and history, the person responsible manages to make followers feel personally connected to AHC, by letting his own personality come through from time to time. Genius! Also has a Twitter feed.

TrendWatching: A global perspective of what is new and hot in consumer trends. From mass mingling to how status is being measured differently, as well as other quick tips. Keeps me on my toes and looking outside of MuseumWorld.

Blue Whale: Did you know the iconic Blue Whale at the American Museum of Natural History has over 12,000 followers? And the posts are fun too while, like at AHC, also giving people a more personal connection to the museum.

Macie Wilkening: She's my dog. OF COURSE I follow her! (And sometimes she actually visits cultural sites.)

E-newsletters:

Ypulse: For news and insights into tweens, teens, and young adults - all audiences museums are striving to reach.

Pew Research Center: They do tons and tons of research, from Latinos to religion to the internet and everything in between. An unbelievable source for news, insights, and data on American society. Love the charts, reports, mapping tools, and even the quizzes.

American Libraries Direct: I like to keep up with libraries as well, and this e-newsletter is an impressive compilation of news from LibraryWorld. Nine times out of ten, my curiosity is piqued and/or I am forwarding some story on to a client or colleague.

I'm sure you have your own favorite digital sources. Post a comment below and share your own secret online faves!

*Thank you, Lauren Silberman of AAM, for writing this sentence on the Center for the Future of Museums blog, and saving me from having to link every single word to a different library-focused blog.