The commission was established to accomplish this formidable task: to study and clarify the role of museums in American society, their obligations to preserve and interpret our cultural and natural heritage, and their responsibilities to an ever-broadening audience. Craig C. Black, then president of the AAM [American Association of Museums], appointed a group of distinguished museum directors, trustees, and foundations and business leaders, and asked us to serve as co-chairmen.

The commission has just one precedent. In 1969 the AAM published America's Museums: The Belmont Report, a document developed by the Committee on Museum Needs in response to a request by the federal government that the museum profession outline and justify its financial needs for the future. The Belmont Report, which laid the groundwork for our current system of federal support, represented a concerted effort by museum leaders to articulate their institutions' requirements for survival and growth.

Unlike Belmont, this commission has a broad charge. Our report is not a statement of specific needs or a wish list for the future but an assessment of American museums as a new century approaches. Our focus is on their purpose, why they are important to our culture and what they contribute to the quality of the human experience. We have certainly considered what museums need - and we will describe some of those needs - but we have emphasized what museums have and what they can give. The commission had three objectives: to explore current social, economic, political, and scientific trends that will affect the future of museums; to identify trends in the operations and needs of museums; and to describe the resulting opportunities and responsibilities facing the museum community. (Preface, p. 11).

CONTENTS
Foreword by Hamish Maxwell.
Preface by Joel N. Bloom and Earl A. Powell III.

Chapter 1. The growing museum movement.
Chapter 2. Stewards of a common wealth.
Chapter 3. A new imperative for learning.
Chapter 4. Guiding the values of museums.
Chapter 5. The collaborative spirit.
Chapter 6. From private appreciation to public awareness.
Chapter 7. The economic picture: a joint venture.

Notes and sources [bibliography].
Appendix:
     A. The commission process. 
     B. Members of the Commission on Museums for a New Century.
     C. Participants in the process.
     D. Museums in the National Monitoring System.
Index.

The commission was established to accomplish this formidable task: to study and clarify the role of museums in American society, their obligations to preserve and interpret our cultural and natural heritage, and their responsibilities to an ever-broadening audience. Craig C. Black, then president of the AAM [American Association of Museums], appointed a group of distinguished museum directors, trustees, and foundations and business leaders, and asked us to serve as co-chairmen.