Communicating heritage in museums: outlook, strategies and challenges through a SWOT analysis

In the frame of education and heritage communication, we present an analysis of the museum from a communication theory standpoint. The main purpose of the study is to examine the museum’s communicative function through the people involved in it, the exhibitions, activities undertaken and the users’ perceptions of communication processes. The study design is based on a theory of heritage communication and its application in the museum sphere. A case study methodology was applied, focusing on the Museum of Huelva (Spain) as a socio-educational institution. This led to the design of several information-gathering and analysis instruments based on a table of categories, which provided multiple perspectives and visions of what the museum means in all its aspects. The outcomes point to the formulation of proposals for improvement which address heritage divulgation in the museum from a multidirectional, inclusive, interdisciplinary and holistic perspective, providing a SWOT analysis as synthesis.