An exhibit, regardless of its size or format should consist of thoughtfully selected and arranged items centered around a theme or message. 

Here are a few steps to consider when curating your exhibit:  

Once you have conducted your research, you will have a better understanding of the story you want to tell. At this stage, it is possible that you may need to adjust your exhibit plan. 

When you are ready to curate your exhibit, it is important to establish a baseline that can guide you when making curatorial decisions, such as selecting items, determining how to organize your display, and conveying information through text. 

Here are some questions you can ask yourself to establish a baseline and use them as a guide when making curatorial decisions:

• What is the story you want to tell? 

• Who is your intended audience? ​ 

• What do you want visitors to learn from the exhibit? 

When you are ready to curate your exhibit, it is beneficial to first create a storyboard or visual outline of how you want to physically arrange your exhibit. Specific items or text are not necessary at this point. Focus on placement of items, text, etc. 

Here are some examples of exhibit elements you might include in your storyboard:  

• Physical exhibit: working title, curator’s note, introductory case labels, documents, item labels, wall panels, bibliography/citations, acknowledgments

• Digital exhibit: working title, a landing page, a curator’s note, body pages with section headers, bibliography/citations, acknowledgments  

• If you might visit physical and digital exhibits for inspiration.

The arrangement will likely evolve as you keep tweaking the display. 

Determine navigation:

As you create the storyboard, keep in mind how visitors might navigate your exhibit. It is possible that navigation will not be obvious to them. If your exhibit has start and end points that might not be obvious, you might consider guiding them with signs, visible exhibit titles, or if you are fortunate enough, have a docent on-site to assist visitors. Additionally, creating an exhibit brochure can offer some guidance and serve as a takeaway resource. 

For digital exhibits, it is recommended to structure the content from the pages from left to right.

When choosing items to display, consider the following:

• Choose visually appealing items that have a variety of colors, designs, and formats.
• Consider incorporating a range of materials such as paper documents, photographs, video/audio, quotes, and stories to make your display more engaging.
• Avoid treating text documents as images for digital exhibits. 
• Select materials that are significant to your topic and overall message, and will be interesting to your audience.
• If you plan to include video and/or audio but don't have the necessary equipment, consider using QR codes as an alternative.
• Be mindful of copyright and obtain permission to display any copyrighted materials.
• Keep a list of items that you will include in the display. It will be beneficial in the short term and in case you need to reference it for future exhibits.
• When using collection items, give appropriate credit. The standard credit line for materials from the McCormick Library is "Courtesy McCormick Library of Special Collections & University Archives."

Consider the following when writing the text:  

• Keep it simple and avoid using jargon or flowery language.

• ​Vistors may not read your text word for word. Therefore, write brief and compelling sentences.  

• If you need to use key terms that a general audience might not be familiar with, make sure to define them.   

• Treat your exhibit as an introduction to the topic, theme, or collection you are discussing. Remember, it does not need to be comprehensive. Hopefully, it will encourage visitors to engage further on their own.

• Write at the reading level of your target audience. However, typically, exhibits are set at an eighth-grade reading level to be more accessible to the general public.

• Include citations and/or a bibliography.  

Resources: 

• “Guidelines for Label-Writers,” Smithsonian Institution  

• “Complete Guide to Adult Audience Interpretive Materials: Gallery Texts and Graphics,” The J. Paul Getty Museum 

• “Museum on Main Street: Exhibition Planning Guide,” Smithsonian Institution  

Consider the following guidelines for accessible design: 

• Keep the design simple, and create logical structure headings.
• Make sure links have meaningful descriptions. For example, avoid simply stating, “Click here."
• Also, create alternative text for images. 
• When including video/audio, include closed captioning and transcripts​. 
• Don’t rely on color alone to convey meaning​.
• Design with mobile, desktop, and touch screens in mind​. 

Physical accessibility resources: 

• "Accessible Event Guide," NU Accessibility
• “Accessible Exhibition Design,” Smithsonian Institution  
• "Guidelines for Accessible Archives for People with Disabilities," Society of American Archivists  

Web accessibility resources: ​

• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)​
• The WCAG Checklist includes specific guidelines with examples​
• WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool (the tool will do an accessibility check and recommend issues to address)​
• "Digital Accessibility," NU Accessibility
• "Creating Accessible Content and Websites," NU Accessibility 
• Web accessibility guide, University of Maryland 

Leave plenty of time for editing. Also, asking peers and colleagues for feedback is valuable as they can catch errors and omissions, as well as offer different perspectives to consider.

Resources: 

• “Copy Editing” guide, NU Global Marketing and Communications 

• “A to Z Style Guide,” NU Global Marketing and Communications 

• “Inclusive Language Guide,” NU Global Marketing and Communications 

• Readability Analyzer