Museums' communication in small- and medium-sized cities

摘要

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to study how museums in a medium-sized city (Tarragona,rnSpain) communicate with their local community, analysing how people evaluate and informrnthemselves about the museums in their city, and studying how museums identify their specific publicsrnwithin the local community and communicate with them.rnDesign/methodology/approach - The author has designed a dual methodological approach, usingrnqualitative and quantitative research methods. Qualitative research was conducted using in-depthrninterviews with communication managers of the museums. Also, quantitative research was employed,rndesigning a questionnaire directed at the local community in Tarragona (Spain).rnFindings - The results show that museums have a narrow view of their publics, which is focusedrnbasically on their visitors, and that they are familiar with and use communication tools andrntechniques, although with a tactical perspective.rnResearch limitations/implications - The paper was focused on all the museums in Tarragona,rnbut it is a small number of organisations, and therefore, the results are not necessarily representativernof all Catalan or Spanish museums.rnOriginality/value - The paper presents a specific methodology for analysing the communication ofrnmuseums of any kind. From an academic perspective, this paper can improve our understanding ofrnhow museums communicate with their publics. It can be used by other researchers to analyse theserntypes of organisations, and to promote the comparison of results. From a practitioner perspective, thernresults can contribute towards identifying some of the strengths and weaknesses of communicationrnpolicies and activities of the museums and help to improve their communication management.