Reposted from AAM

The new edition of TrendsWatch is available first to AAM members as the January/February 2025 issue of Museum magazine. Become a member today for immediate access to the digital edition, before the report is freely available later this spring. Can’t wait? Preview the new issue and read one free article.

For those of you who are new to AAM’s forecasting report: each edition of TrendsWatch examines a few important issues that are shaping the future of society, museums, and the communities they serve.  Because our focus is on trends (forces of change that will play out for years) rather than fads (transient cultural blips) the articles in the report form part of longer arcs of conversations via blog posts, webinars, and sessions at the AAM Annual Meeting and the Future of Museums Summit. Sometimes the report sparks larger initiatives, convenings, and reports (for example, our deep dives into museums and the future of K-12 education, healthy aging, and most recently repatriation, restitution, and reparations).

Often TrendsWatch enriches AAM’s existing coverage of standards and best practices with a futures-oriented exploration of key issues. For example, AAM has rich resources on recruiting and managing volunteers, including blog posts, articles, and a best-selling toolkit. This year TrendsWatch explores how shifts in demographics, culture, and values around volunteerism may affect museums and museum practice in the coming decade.

Because the issues covered in TrendsWatch are of enduring importance, the TrendsWatch library is a valuable resource for museums and museum people. Each edition includes concise briefs on key issues, explores the implications for society and for museums, and suggests how museums might respond. (At the end of this post, I’ve included a recap of some issues of continued importance addressed in previous editions of the report.)

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