Welcome to the second issue of 2020. For those new to the journal, Museum Management and Curatorship, now in its 35th year, remains one of the world’s leading journals for museum professionals. It is authoritative; its articles are double-blind peer-reviewed, and represent a consistently high standard in academic publishing. It welcomes articles from across the full spectrum of museum activity, from conservation to curation, from to art law to digital technology. It considers every aspect of museum management, from the theoretical models used to understand best practice, to the practical issues of conservation and exhibition installation. It is also international, and continues to be the museum journal of choice for scholars and professionals for whom English is not a first language, and for young professionals for whom the MMC provides the platform for their first major paper. MMC is also one of the few truly international museum journals, and it continues to be a platform for contributions from around the world. When the Journal was originally founded it was explicitly intended as a platform for museum practitioners. Museums and museum professionals need high-quality academic research on which to base new projects and inform current practices, and new methodologies to help critically analyse their success or failure. Nevertheless the MMC remains and will continue to remain grounded in museum practice in all its diversity. In light of this focus, this issue’s first article addresses the area of museum security, a major concern for any contemporary museum director. The remaining articles look at the museum experience from various points of view, including that of the visitor and of the museum staff, and concludes with a look at the state of current museum research. Taking its inspiration from last year’s final issue with its focus on social justice, the final issue of 2020, to be guest edited by Joy Davis, looks at climate change and how museums are presenting – and responding to – the challenges of the planet’s most urgent crisis. Upcoming issues will also include exhibition reviews, and we invite readers to suggest exhibitions they would like reviewed, and of course, to submit papers they believe relevant to contemporary museum management and curatorial practice. I look forward to hearing from you, and working together to ensure the MMC continues to meet the needs of the entire museum field.
