"Anarchist's Guide to Historic House Museums" is an excellent resource not only for those who work at HHMs but in museums and historic sites as well. There's a wealth of suggestions on how to make your site more engaging to visitors and how to move beyond the stuffy "old ways."

Published in 2016, there are several areas of the book that are already outdated or suggestions that should perhaps be more carefully considered (interacting directly with objects, such as sitting at a desk and using a pen) in a post-covid world. Despite this, it has excellent points on WHY the general public don't "appreciate" HHMs and HOW to change that. Most importantly, the suggestions are all actionable and mostly cost effective, as long as you have leadership willing to make a change.