Agenda and sdg 4 to configure csr of museum institutions

The communicative work of museum institutions is part of the set of actions that make up Public Relations. In this way, the production of intangibles with which to generate an identity of the institution is achieved (Viñarás, 2016), and mutual understanding with the public is reached (Viñarás, 2005) thanks to the managerial nature of Public Relations that, although persuasive, are alien “to the commercial and economic objectives of marketing, with which they are sometimes mistakenly confused” (García-Nieto, Viñarás-Abad, and Cabezuelo-Lorenzo, 2020, p.9).

At present, the use of "techniques of communication, negotiation, and establishment of skillful and time-tested relationships" is imposed (Johnston, 2018, p.25) so that the museum configures its engagement, reaches new audiences, manifests the services and tasks it has, projects an image that transmits its corporate identity, and favors its reputation. It should be said that museums need a social license to operate since the CSR ⁶ of an institution responds to the expectations and vision that society has about what it means to be a socially responsible organization at a specific time (Hurst and Ihlen, 2018, pp. 135-138).

Depending on whether an analysis based on the public image of the museum institution is carried out or if a study based on manifestos from international organizations, such as ICOM or UNESCO, is undertaken, the educational role of museums can be perceived from complementary perspectives. On the one hand, as part of its nature and its mission, both the official definition of the museum and the evolution of the social role assumed by the institution are taken into account. On the other hand, as part of its strategy, it does favor the generation of intangibles that develop a positive institutional image and corporate behavior that satisfies its stakeholders. In any case, museums play a substantial role in promoting the educational plan of the 2030 Agenda, which contributes to the achievement of SDG 4, in particular, and the SDGs, in general, by education being related to the other goals.

The cultural dimension of development and the educational plan of the 2030 Agenda is manifested in target 4.7. So, taking into account that museums are places “where the link between culture and sustainable development is perfectly reflected” (UNESCO, 2015, p.24), it is assumed that museum institutions are actors capable of accelerating the implementation of Sustainable Development. by promoting culture as a transformative element. The 2030 Agenda needs museums, not only for their functions, their capacities, and their potential but because only through the cooperation of all social actors can Sustainable Development be achieved.

Source: UNESCO (2017).

McGhie (2019) declares that museums need the SDGs. First, because they enable museums to generate impact by directing “their activities to an external, real-world agenda, in support of local and global well-being” (p.35). And second, because they provide them with “objectives for stakeholders to work together” (p.35). Likewise, ICOM (2020a) reaffirms the need for the SDGs not only because they allow museums to connect with other sectors and make their multiple resources available to a good cause, but also because the SDGs “offer them an ambitious global agenda that can help them demonstrate their relevance and impact”.

Therefore, taking into account the connection between the museum and the needs noted in the action plan of the 2030 Agenda, what should be the role of museums in the current context is manifested as they are social and cultural actors deeply linked to some of the aspirations developed in the SDGs. Mainly to those linked to the generation of learning opportunities, either through the museum dialogues established in the museum, the promotion of TCL, or the development of educational practices in the formal, non-formal, informal sphere or through lifelong learning.

Museums' knowledge about the 2030 agenda and the sdgs

Of the 114 responses obtained, 28 museums state that they do not know the 2030 Agenda, or the SDGs, either in a broad or brief way. Of these, 8 are privately owned museums and 20 are publicly owned, with 17 being attached to the Local Administration, 1 to the Administration of the Autonomous Communities, and 2 to the General State Administration (See Table 3). Even so, not all the affirmative answers represent a homogeneous knowledge of the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda, since some institutions declare that they know these elements “in general lines”, “superficially”, “little”, “vaguely”, “not in detail”, or “not in-depth”. It has also been recorded that some museums claim to know the SDGs but not the 2030 Agenda. And there have even been responses that claimed to know the Sustainable Development Goals but not their acronym SDGs.

On the other hand, among the ways in which museums claim to have known the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, the media, specialized publications, or training activities such as those organized by the Ibero-Macaronesian Association of Botanical Gardens or the I Conference on Culture and Sustainable Development organized by the Spanish Network for Sustainable Development, stand out. Among the museums that claim to be aware of the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda, the statement of the National Museum of Anthropology that claims to be familiar with the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals as a “state public institution”, that of the Picasso Museum Malaga, which hopes that these objectives will be achieved "especially to increase the quality of education", or that of the Museum of Gavà, which claims to know its existence but not to work taking its contents into account, stands out.

Taking into account that for the 2030 Agenda to generate public value, it is necessary to have “a multisectoral and multilevel context, which goes beyond the government” (Canel, 2018, p.85), the relevance of museum institutions integrating Sustainable Development into their strategic planning and being committed to it can generate favorable collaborative alliances with the Administration, as well as contribute to strengthening ties with its audience, connecting with its stakeholders, or unleashing a positive social, cultural, economic, and environmental impact.

The fact that there are still museums that state that they are completely unaware of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs reflects a pending work on the part of institutions such as ICOM. Now, if of all museum institutions, those of a public nature are unaware of these principles, it is revealed that, despite the progress made, it is necessary to improve the efforts of the Administration. The collaboration that museums can bring to the government's efforts to advance the SDGs should not be underestimated. In 2019, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union, and Cooperation recognized the relationship that exists between culture and human development, but museums are cultural actors that participate in the achievement of Sustainable Development, and the Administration must use their full potential.

The incorporation of the SDGs in institutions must not only be taken into account for ethical reasons but also because the organization could enjoy competitive advantages that would imply access to tangible assets, such as economic rewards, through intangible assets (Canel and Luoma-aho, 2017, p.39). For example, museums would not only reduce costs derived from energy savings but would also attract visitors who support institutions committed to sustainability. For its part, the assimilation of Sustainable Development in the public sector aims both to serve as a mirror where citizens and companies can look at each other and receive a long-term benefit for citizens and their stakeholders as museums, specifically, are.

The role of culture and education in the museum

The interviewed people recognize that culture is essential to assimilate education as a way to achieve social development. Therefore, the role of museums in achieving the SDGs is essential even if more resources are needed to reach their full potential. In other words, “culture can be considered as an engine that helps to achieve Sustainable Development” (Sephardic Museum) since it “actively participates in education, raising awareness, and the dissemination of the SDGs to all society” (Santa Cruz Museum).

From the perspective of Sustainable Development, culture is not only identified with progress or economic growth, but with a human perspective. That is to say, “that which, from an integral vision of the human being, supposes and means taking into account all the dimensions of the person” (Altarpiece Museum). In this sense, the Ethnographic Museum of Talavera de la Reina indicates that "the culture of a country plays a determining role in the development of human beings", either at a behavioral, social, or economic level, since these factors influence the time for "people to reach a prosperous standard of living." In this way, the Madrid Film Museum believes that it is essential not to appeal to culture "subjectively, impregnating it with political or economic interests."

Regarding the link between culture and Sustainable Development, the Valencian Museum of Ethnology states that the fact that culture does not have its own epigraph in the SDGs denotes the little importance that is given to the cultural sector despite having a “fundamental role both in the dissemination of the values of the SDGs and in their application in the development of cultural activity”. Culture is, therefore, a central element of development policies as the only means to achieve inclusive and equitable management. There is no sustainable development without cultural factors and, therefore, the museum appeals to public awareness to provide solutions that advocate for inclusion and the eradication of inequality.

Culture is not only an instrument to "become aware of the realities that we feel, live, experience" (Museum of Navarra), but rather "it is a didactic tool" (Municipal Museum of Cutlery) that acts as a facilitator to achieve the traditional notion of social development, or the current objective of Sustainable Development (Science Museum of Valencia). A fundamental pillar that drives individual and collective actions, so it is more important to adjust the culture with the SDGs than to prioritize only on issues of different strategic matters (Museum of the University of Navarra).

Sustainable Development has been defined for many years based on environmental, economic, and social variables. But without the cultural dimension, it is not possible to achieve complete sustainable development. Culture is not a luxury. We cannot transform our life and coexistence framework at an international level without taking into account the culture or cultures that are greatly influencing our global problems. Culture is the most powerful instrument to spread and channel the message of sustainability (National Museum of Decorative Arts).

The answers provided by the interviewees show how it is not internalized that culture is the way to achieve Sustainable Development. Thus, there is a need to better publicize what the SDGs are, disseminate how and with what actions culture can play “the relevant role that it has” (Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona), and “contribute to achieving a change of mentality in institutions, companies, and citizens” through an “integration work of the need for sustainability” (ICO Museum). According to what has been stated, the Queen Sofia National Museum Art Centre states that the cultural dimension of Sustainable Development is not sufficiently recognized, so its “presence in reports and statements is limited”. The institution also adds:

The potential of citizen participation in cultural life and cultural collaborations at local, national, and international levels is not sufficiently exploited [...] References to culture in the SDGs are scarce and do not sufficiently recognize the many ways in which cultural aspects influence and contribute to Sustainable Development.

If culture favors the dissemination, awareness, and education of people, it also promotes the achievement of Sustainable Development with which “culture and education are, not relevant, but fundamental to achieve Sustainable Development. They are "the best way to raise awareness among the population" (Estremadura González Santana Ethnographic Museum), to guide "the way to develop our cities and our territory", and to recognize the history "of other peoples that are in danger due to unsustainable development that has been carried out so far” (Iberian Museum).

But the simple fact of making the culture-education binomial public does not guarantee the achievement of the 2030 Agenda since they are “insufficient factors if they are not accompanied by firm measures from the governments” (Children's Pedagogical Museum), sustainable management by institutions (Cerralbo Museum), or other agents such as "guidelines from the authorities, budgets, etc." (Diocesan Museum of Tarragona).

Culture and education are the basic pillars on which any project to improve the lives of the citizens of a country must be based, in the understanding that only conviction and training can achieve that we all voluntarily contribute to the achievement of a better world, for all its inhabitants, and for everything that exists on our planet (Museum of Aeronautics and Astrophysics).

Museums as accelerators of sustainable development

For the most part, the interviewees have expressed the responsibility that museums have as catalysts for development, especially in the communities where they are located. If today's world demands a more conscious and sustainable development, museums can and should contribute to its achievement. In fact, exhibitions and educational programs reveal, to a greater extent, the values that should serve as a model for the society we aspire to be (Guggenheim Museum Bilbao).

Sustainable Development is a fundamental and global objective (Museum of Footwear), so organizations dedicated to cultural dissemination must also transmit values related to the SDGs (Ekainberri). For this reason, "all activities that are directly or indirectly linked to museums must take into account Sustainable Development" (Apel les Fenosa Foundation). Along these lines, the National Museum of Anthropology affirms that museum institutions are interlocutors that transmit essential values such as, for example, sustainability. For this reason, where there is a museum, a change can be experienced in the “social environment, both in the economy, the education of its people, or the social behaviors of its inhabitants” (Pecharromán Foundation Museum).

In relation to this, the TOPIC states that museum institutions should not be entities on the fringes of the world: with pieces of great value but not much relationship with society. Museums can no longer be fossils of the past, but actors who dialogue with the present because, today, the museum "has the firm vocation of being a living space inserted in the community in which it is located" (National Museum of Roman Art) having adapted to society and "to the circumstances of each moment in history" (Sephardic Museum). For all these reasons, obtaining Sustainable Development "is an objective and a reason for being of this type of institution in the 21^st century" (Picasso Museum Malaga). The responsibility that museums have on Sustainable Development is "that which any institution at the service of the society that sustains it must have" (Museum of the Galician People). For this reason, museums tend to be increasingly sensitive to highlighting and vindicating their role in changes in the model of society (Guggenheim Museum Bilbao).

However, and despite the above, several of the consulted professionals have clarified how the notoriety of the institution influences when it comes to addressing sustainability strategies given that "there is no line of work shared among all museums to address the SDGs" (Museum of the Valltorta). Thus, among the observations made by museum institutions, there is the need to undertake stronger sustainable initiatives or, at least, some common working guidelines (Saffron Museum). Along these lines, the Frederic Marès Museum does not consider that the exercise of most museums encourages Sustainable Development, even less so in "the smallest and those that depend on public bodies and funds, since they do not have the necessary resources."

Those of us who work in small and medium-sized museums face many challenges that have to do with the sheer survival of our institutions. Another thing is the large museums, which, supposedly having their needs covered, can bet on actions such as those described (Diocesan Museum of Tarragona).

Based on the obtained responses, it is perceived that, despite what is desired, the 2030 Agenda is not homogeneously articulated in Spanish museums since institutions are conditioned “by their public or private nature, by their management modality, their access to their own budget, and their legal capacity to act” (Cerralbo Museum). Therefore, “depending on the size, the resources, even the ownership” (Museum of the Galician People) there will be museums more linked than others to the SDGs.

Regarding the integration of sustainable exercises in the museum field, the Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona adds that many European museums already have them incorporated into their discourse, while "most of the national museums have yet to discover them." Sustaining this idea, from the Vilamuseu dissemination area it is stated that the 2030 Agenda is a topic that in Spain is being heard more and more in the world of museums, but less than in other European countries.

Additionally, not all the museums with the greatest number of resources deal with the 2030 Agenda with the same depth, since in some they deal with “specific topics on which to mount exhibitions, activities, or exhibition lines”, while in others it involves “all the museum’s policies, its projects, and its way of working as an entity” (Botanical Garden of the University of Valencia). Regarding this dissimilarity in procedures, the Museo del Pastor de Córdoba considers that museums, if they are public, schedule their activities "following political guidelines, and if they are private, following particular guidelines based on their collections and economic interests." In turn, the Museum of Gavà judges that the initiatives undertaken by the museums do not imply "real and sufficient structural changes". Regarding the decision-making capacity of small museums in matters related to sustainability, the Municipal Museum of Ronda declares:

We depend on rulers who in 99.9% of cases are not up for the task of doing something that does not involve votes. We are at the risk of political decisions, not technical ones, to address these issues in terms that do not exceed four years.

As the REDS report (2020) explains, the museums of the 21^st century represent the link between culture and education because they are the space where the concerns of society are reflected, literacy is stimulated, citizen participation is encouraged, and community is generated through different forms of communication. If this fact is assimilated, the cohesion of both aspects, culture and education, can generate a particular cultural trend around the SDGs by disseminating specific knowledge and establishing a way of perceiving the world.

Some institutions have identified the relevance of education as: a cultural manifestation integrated into the nature of the museum, a means to bring the SDGs closer to the population, or an end of the 2030 Agenda achievable through management and planning strategies. The Laboratorium Museum reflects on how "museums have a greater sensitivity than other cultural agents towards Sustainable Development" since a fundamental part of their activity "is directed to didactics and not to pure entertainment or the sale of a lifestyle that implies mass consumption”. But, in view of the links that the museum has with the 2030 Agenda, it should be said that the educational resources of the museum institution can not only serve as a means of disseminating the SDGs in general but also as a particular purpose since museums are "a fundamental pillar in Education for Sustainable Development and cultural diffusion” (Municipal Museum of Antequera).

Lifelong learning is essential in this exercise, a notion that the Valladolid Science Museum addresses to explain how museum institutions carry out “an essential non-formal education task”. From this point of view, among the educational activities of this museum, “the specific activities on the SDGs stand out thanks to the fact that its programming is aimed at disseminating Sustainable Development as an important social and cultural element”. That is, they develop their content to support "sustainable education and cultural participation."

Museums can implement different measures related to the SDGs and, consequently, notify their collaboration in Sustainable Development. Obviously, if an organization develops practices linked to the SDGs, it will favor Sustainable Development, but the institution cannot be considered to work in line with Sustainable Development if it does not stimulate and promote it from those dimensions that the institution treasures by its own nature. Of course, good management of resources in an organization is essential. But above that, museums are favorable spaces to establish educational models of action that favor human and community development. Therefore, the direction of their actions should go along that line. This research has identified how museums consider the value of their institution to obtain Sustainable Development based on the performance of social, environmental, or economic strategies. But, in general, it is not assimilated that the Museum is, per se, an actor with the capacity to promote Sustainable Development. And, without any doubt, this issue is directly linked to the fact that culture is invisible in the 2030 Agenda.

The communicational scenario in museums

In the first place, from the information collected in the research, it is found that some museum institutions have not yet internalized the importance of telling their public what they are like and what they do. Along these lines, the Museum of Nerja expresses that its focus of work is not so much in its communication as in its programming, even though it is oriented towards Sustainable Development. Thus, it declares that “the progress of the world must be based on action rather than communication, although this is very important to move consciences. First act and then communicate by example”.

Large museums can surely dedicate part of their resources to communicating that they are doing their job, for us small ones, we try to do our job and communicate that we are here […] I am not in favor of communicating that I am doing my job, we simply do it (Museum of Footwear).

In this context, it is commented that the dissemination of the link that exists between the museum and Sustainable Development is not a main objective of communication, regardless of whether it is more or less present in the institution's communication strategy (Queen Sofia National Museum Art Centre). Sustainable Development can be “one of the aims of museums, but it is not one of the main ones. Therefore, it does not receive a large amount of visibility when it comes to communicating” (Cerralbo Museum). The reasons why institutions reject the existence of optimal communication development in museums are varied.

The Jerónimo Molina Municipal Museum believes that "the exhibition discourse of museums and their activities are assembled with 20^th-century criteria" and the Museum of the University of Navarra indicates that the museum business model still only focuses on achieving "its own survival”. In this way, in many museums "the 2030 Agenda is not within their discourse" (Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona) even when in some cases it is present in their practical approaches since they are not aware of the role they have in obtaining the SDGs, they are not “aware of this specific approach” (Municipal Museum of Antequera).

It is clear that Sustainable Development is an issue that cannot be avoided when publicizing the modernizations, extensions, and novelties of museums. But the objective of communication does not focus on that, but on opening its doors to a greater number of people through accessibility (Gaudí's Palace).

Moreover, some museums, even though they are aware of the link between the institution and the 2030 Agenda, perceive it as something secondary. Therefore, they do not "include the Sustainable Development Goals in their communication policies" (Provincial Archaeological Museum of Alicante) and maintain as a priority "the communication of many other issues" (National Art Museum of Catalonia) related to their funds, their activity, or their social contribution from a perspective that, although hackneyed, manages to attract the widest possible audience.

The scope "of the SDGs in museum communication should be more relevant" (Museum of Santa Cruz). However, given that "the communication of an organization must take into account the institutional objectives of each moment to be coherent with them" (Joan Miró Foundation), it is understandable that only those museums with an active and specific program on these matters (Vilamuseu) try to "progressively convey to public opinion, in each communication, the role that the institution plays in the field of Sustainable Development" (Queen Sofia National Museum Art Centre).

Even so, the information provided by the institutions shows that some museums communicate which of their tasks are linked to the 2030 Agenda, although they do not do so "in a development key, which is a key already prepared, but from pure information" (Altarpiece Museum). Therefore, they only indicate that “some of their actions take into account some of these objectives, which somehow associates the image of the museum with the values of the SDGs” (Valencian Museum of Ethnology). In other words, it is indicated for "specific events and with certain sustainable practices" (Evaristo Valle Museum).

Based on the above, the Picasso Museum of Barcelona states that "it would be necessary to involve the directors and managers and that the issue be dealt with in the strategic plan of each institution" to involve all the departments. For its part, the Canarian Museum indicates that there is still "a space to discover for museums to take advantage of the added value generated by effective communication of their contribution to Sustainable Development." Likewise, the ICO Museum states that perhaps museums could disseminate and act more in this line if the public powers promoted these practices as they have done with other strategic lines, as has happened with accessibility.

Furthermore, through the interviews, the existence of heterogeneous behaviors in the national museum scene due to the dissimilarity of resources between the institutions is revealed. On the one hand, large museums with “sufficient means and funding” (Museum of Finestrat) develop a “communication oriented towards it” (TOPIC), while dissemination on the link between museums and Sustainable Development is scarcer in museums "which are limited in different ways" (Historical Museum of Belmez and the Mining Territory).

Perhaps this line of work has not yet been adopted by museums in a generalized way, but, to a greater or lesser extent, the large museums are at it. […] Not only because it is important to us, but because it is socially important and we have a pedagogical responsibility. In general, museums are not paying this communication the attention it deserves (Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum).

It is essential to integrate our programs with the policies around Sustainable Development of UNESCO, ICOM, and ICOMOS as well as the Council of Europe or the European Commission. It is necessary to campaign through museums to publicize the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs and specify in a clear and direct way which are the general and particular initiatives of the museums in this line. These initiatives must be articulated in plans, programs, and concrete projects in the short, medium, and long term (Museum of Santa Cruz).

Digital communication in the museums of the national territory

Although digital tools contribute to the dissemination of the Sustainable Development Goals, not all museum institutions on the national scene have these tools, nor do they all establish in their programming a strategy for compliance with the SDGs, nor do they all link their digital communication to the value of sustainability even though this is a strategic transversal line.

External communication, the Museum of the Galician People states, is one of the weakest aspects of museum management although social networks and the Internet have provided other dissemination tools such as photogrammetry and 3D reconstructions; virtual visits; positioning in the itineraries; etc. Moreover, the “difficulties to know what, how, and when to communicate” continue because “the incorporation of specialized and media professionals” is slow (Museo de la Carolina). And it is that not all museums use the possible resources of digital communication, neither to disseminate everything they do nor to disclose how they contribute to Sustainable Development (Alpuente Paleontological Museum).

First, because “there is still a long way to go to integrate the SDGs into the communication strategies of museums in general” (DOMUS) as they mainly address the dissemination of the museum itself and the activities or contents of its exhibitions. Second, because many museums have as a pending subject "digital communication in all areas" (Municipal Museum of Ciutadella), taking into account that some centers lack tools such as "updated web pages, apps, virtual visits, etc." (Botanical Garden of the University of Valencia). Not all museums “have access to the same digital channels” (Tiriez Ethnological Museum), either for reasons related to the size and significance of the institution or “the precariousness of both jobs and resources, whether educational or financial” (El Greco Museum). In this way, the Estremadura González Santana Ethnographic Museum says:

It depends a lot on the direction of the museum, on the training of its staff, on the objectives set for one or more years. Currently, museums like ours have to fight, with scarce financial resources, to renew technological equipment and to be present on social networks. All this is based on a superhuman effort, since we lack specialized computer personnel, restorer, conservator, etc. Even so, our presence in social networks is continuous because we know that it is the best way to attract the public.

From the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Santander and Cantabria, it is added that, in general, "the dedication and commitment of the personnel who work in these peripheral museums is almost always very high, even heroic, often with titanic dedication." Smaller museums tend to be “institutions with insufficient, precarious, and unspecialized equipment. So, they have communication deficiencies in general” (Gavá Museum). Similarly, the Pusol School Museum declares that "when most of the small museums in this country have the means, even minimal, to carry out an active work to disseminate the 2030 Agenda, we will be satisfied."

In other words, small museums do not use digital communication resources as they should "due to the shortage of personnel and, consequently, time" (TOPIC), the precariousness of grant funds, the scarce collaboration and complicity of collaborating companies, or because of the dependence on municipal and regional resources that make it difficult for them to be up to date or hire resources with which to develop a solid digital communication. With which, the museums with resources, that assume their role in obtaining Sustainable Development and that also have “a clear and planned line of work”, should also have dissemination practices based on Sustainable Development (Alpuente Paleontological Museum).

The ‘smaller’ or not state-run, or even private but not ‘famous’ museums have more problems using digital communication, due to the lack of professionalization in the field of digital cultural communication. There are museums that do not have a communication person who can work with digital tools, and others do not have full-time staff who can dedicate themselves to it, because digital communication, contrary to what many people believe, takes time (Gaudí's Palace).

In the Information Society, digital resources have a multifaceted character that "adds new and enormous capabilities to human intelligence and constitutes a resource that changes the way we work and live together" (European Commission, 1993, p.10) due to the alteration produced on economic or social aspects, the result of progressive development, as well as the application of ICTs and TCLs. Based on the interviews carried out, the general feeling is perceived that only some of the great Spanish museums can cover, in a correct and efficient way, organizational communication, digital resources, and the 2030 Agenda. The reasons that motivate these opinions are the deficient conditions that many of the national museums must face: absence of digital tools and channels, few collaborators, dependence on resources, precarious funds, slow incorporation of professionals, and waste of social networks as they allow them to decline their use of paid media.

However, the fact that the communication of a museum addresses Sustainable Development does not depend so much on whether it has financial resources and personnel, as it does on if this dimension is included in its planning lines or the natural relationship that exists between the museum and the 2030 Agenda is assumed. Certainly, the more resources there are, the better the final result will be, both for economic investment and for time. But the fact that Sustainable Development is not taken into account at all or that only the museum is linked to particular lines of action of the 2030 Agenda, indicates the urgent need for Public Administration institutions or official bodies such as ICOM to take action. That is to say, not only that they generally urge museums to promote issues related to Sustainable Development, but also that a plan of awareness and action be drawn up from the top ranks.

On the other hand, even though digital communication encompasses much more than social networks and media, throughout this research it has been shown how the occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic has encouraged both the use of new digital mechanisms and the use of digital communication in museums. In this way, it has been proven that the development of large-scale digital communication requires planning, staff, and time. Elements that until now many of the great museums had not taken so much into account when neglecting virtual diffusion and digital spaces. Perhaps, if the situation caused by COVID-19 continues, museums will be able to further develop these practices. Possibly at different levels, but somehow all museums would improve their digital communication by creating a setting that would enhance the professional of museum communication, in general, and dignify the work of the digital communicator in particular.