The new goals outlined for museums in recent reports are in line with the efforts to improve the public's civic and practical scientific literacy. We have made a preliminary exploration of the potential of museums to provide information and experiences that the audience finds relevant in the context of science-related issues they encounter in their private or civic lives. We found that for a group of parents faced with the issue of radon in their children's school, two museums in Oslo were not seen as having such a function; neither did the parents expect museums to have such a role. Professionals from the two museums expressed similar attitudes. If this skepticism toward the new goals is widespread, museums face a great challenge concerning how to relate to the new goals. Based on our findings, we suggest some pertinent issues for future research.
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