Power, knowledge, participation - these overarching concepts are central to the development of archival institutions in the 21st century. How can museums and libraries rethink their roles as mediators, guardians and producers of cultural knowledge? What role do their visitors play? Who can exert interpretive authority in a globalized and digital world? From various perspectives, these practical and academic essays reflect how museums or libraries position themselves within this field of tension. In this way, Karl-Siegbert Rehberg, Lambert Wiesing and Wolfgang Ullrich deal fundamentally with practices of collecting, displaying and exhibiting. Ursula Rao, Stefanie Mauksch and Sarah Fründt look into the special role of ethnological museums, while Susanne Wernsing and Cindy Denner describe new paths in the production of knowledge in exhibitions from a curatorial perspective.