Robert Connolly is active in the museum field as an independent consultant and President of the Advocates for the Poverty Point World Heritage Site. He has over 25 years of experience in museums and community engagement most recently as an Associate Professor in the Museum Studies program at the University of Memphis and the Director of the C.H. Nash Museum at Chucalissa. His PhD is from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1996. Elizabeth A. Bollwerk is currently an Archaeological Analyst for the Digital Archaeological Archive of Comparative Slavery (DAACS, www.daacs.org) at the Thomas Jefferson Foundation based at Monticello. She received her PhD from the University of Virginia in 2012.

• Introduction- Robert P. Connolly and Elizabeth A. BollwerkPart 1 - Communities Making Meaning in Museum Education – Jody Stokes CaseyCase StudiesDeveloping High School Curriculum: The C.H. Nash Museum and Freedom Prep Charter School Project – Nur Abdalla and Lyndsey PenderCreating a Museum in a School: Cultural Heritage in Nivín, Perú– Gustavo Valencia Tello and Elizabeth Cruzado Meeting Teacher Needs: Digital Collections in the Classroom – Shana CrossonUsing Postcard Collections as a Primary Resource in the Classroom - Brian FailingWords, Stone, Earth, and Paint: Using Creative Writing to Engage a Community with Its Museum – Mary Anna EvansPart 2 – The Value of Open(ing) Authority and Participatory Frameworks for Museums – Elizabeth A. BollwerkCase StudiesOral History For, About, and By a Local Community: Co-Creation in the Peruvian Highlands – Elizabeth Cruzado and Leodan Alejo ValerioWorking with a Private Collector to Strengthen Women’s History: Sewall-Belmont House & Museum – Rebecca Price.Reconnecting a University Museum Collection with Hopi Farmers through an Undergraduate Class– Lisa Young and Susan SekaquaptewaOur Stories, Our Places: Centering the Community as Narrative Voice in the Reinterpretation of an African American Historic Site - Porchia MoorePart 3 – Advocacy for Heritage Professionals During the Crisis and the Calm – Sarah E. MillerCase StudiesMaking Advocacy Everyone’s Priority – Ember FarberImpact Statements – Demonstrating a Museum’s Public Value – Robert P. ConnollySmall Fish, Big Pond: How to Effectively Advocate in Your Community – Melissa PrycerPart 4 – Museums Engaging With People As A Community Resource – Robert P. ConnollyCase StudiesTaking Steps to Make a Museum Special Needs Friendly – Colleen McCartney Incorporating Descendent Community Voices: The Whitney Plantation – Ashley RogersHow Community Input Can Shape a Mission: The Proposed Eggleston Museum – Allison HennieBuilding a Community History at the University of the West Indies Museum – Suzanne Francis-BrownTelling Our Town’s History: The Muscatine History and Industry Center – Mary WildermuthWorking to Address Community Needs: The Missouri History Museum – Melanie AdamsPart 5 – Engaging User Audiences in the Digital Landscape – Brigitte Billedeaux and Jennifer SchnabelCase StudiesCreating a Digital Library for Community Access: A. Schwab on Beale Street – Brigitte BilledeauxSeparating the Glitz from the Practical in Social Media at the National Underground Railroad Museum – Jamie Glavic and Assia JohnsonHow a Simple, Inexpensive Podcast Engaged an Entire Community: Chick History, Inc – Rebecca PriceRecording the Neglected Sports Stories From the Backside - Holly SolisSmall Museum Website Creation with a Limited Staff and Budget: The Arden Craft Shop Museum – Kelsey RansickPart 6 – Resources

Happily, this volume is not yet one more call for museums to engage with the communities they serve –as its editors note, that would be nothing new. Rather, the book is a “how-to” guide, illustrated with case studies drawn from a wide variety of contexts, and including a digital resource guide (linked to ancillary online content) compiled by the book’s contributors. This volume demonstrates how reciprocal, mutually empowered community engagement is a profoundly co-creative process which benefits both communities and the museums which serve them.