The Mariner’s Mirror 102:4 (2016): 388–99.
The greatest challenge faced by maritime museums is how we make ourselves relevant in the twenty-first century. This is a problem that has three components, which we can characterize loosely as geography, chronology and theme or discipline. Foremost of these is, as they say in the real-estate world, location, location, location. Maritime museums have by default allowed our physical location to define and determine the centre and scope of all our activities, whether our focus is a port city; a bay, a lake, or a river; whether it is local or regional, or national or imperial; or even when its focus is on a particular industry or trade.More