Exhibit Labels: An Interpretive Approach

Beverly Serrell and Katherine Whitney cover the essentials of the processes of exhibit label planning, writing, design, and production. In this third edition, Serrell’s classic guide to writing interpretive exhibit labels is updated to include new voices, current scholarship and the unique issues the museum field is grappling with in the 21st century. With high quality photographs and new sections, this edition is more accessible and easier to use for all museum professionals, from label writers to museum directors to exhibit designers.

Beverly Serrell has been an exhibition and evaluation consultant with art, history, natural history, and science museums, as well as zoos and aquariums. She was previously head of a museum education department for eight years, and worked as a high school science teacher and a research lab technician. Serrell holds an MA in science teaching in informal settings and a BS in biology. In 1995, she was a guest scholar at the J. Paul Getty Museum and has received two National Science Foundation grants to conduct research on visitor behavior in museum exhibitions. She has been a frequent museum visitor all her life. Katherine Whitney is a museum consultant specializing in exhibit development and label writing. Her work has taken her into art, science, history and children’s museums, as well as zoos and aquariums. She is particularly interested in how families engage with museums and has written about her own family’s experiences. Whitney has an MA in Museum Studies and a BA in Art History.