In this article, Jacksonville State University's Amy Cota provides a summary of a 1993 article in "Environment and Behavior" by Hans-Joachim Klein, in which Klein analyzes visitor circulation in museums. Klein conducted a series of studies of visitor circulation by tracking visitors and recording their behavior on floor maps of the exhibit hall. Key findings from these studies are summarized in this article.
In this article, Jacksonville State University's Amy Cota provides a summary of a 1983 article in the International Journal of Museum Management and Curatorship by S.A. Griggs. Griggs studied both topographical and conceptual orientation at the British Museum (Natural History). Cota summarizes Griggs's key findings and thirteen recommendations for effective orientation.
In this article, Jacksonville State University's Amy Cota provides a summary of a 1993 article featured in "Environment and Behavior" by J. Talbot, R. Kaplan, F. Kuo, and S. Kaplan. The authors of this article discuss findings of a study that analyzed handout maps and argue that these maps need to be simplified to avoid visitor confusion.
In this article, Jacksonville State University's Stephen Bitgood and Sherri Lankford discuss museum orientation and circulation, including conceptual orientation and wayfinding. The authors analyze previsit orientation, lobby orientation, during-visit orientation, and exiting orientation.
In this article, Jacksonville State University's Stephen Bitgood and Amy Cota discuss the importance of orientation and circulation within exhibits. The authors outline a list of selected principles of visitor orientation and circulation that pertain specifically to an exhibition space, rather than to the entire facility.
In this article, Jacksonville State University's Stephen Bitgood provides a list of guidelines for creating and placing orientation signage. According to the author, this list offers a starting point for someone who wishes to construct a checklist.
In this brief article, VSA President Ridgeley Williams reflects on the past VSA conference in Minnesota and discusses the value of professional development workshops at VSA conferences.
This article features Arlene Benefield's interview with Beverly Serrell. Serrell, an expert on labels. Serrell discusses her work while on sabbatical, focusing on the development of labels and the role of labels in the exhibit development process, explains the 51% Solution, and other thoughts on visitor studies work.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Arlene BenefieldVisitor Studies AssociationBeverly Serrell
In this article, Harris H. Shettel provides a critique of the 51% Solution, describing some of his concerns in detail. Shettel presents counterarguments to Beverly Serrell's support of the approach.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Harris H. ShettelVisitor Studies Association
This article is a summary of a 1994 paper entitled, "Looking Back at Summative Evaluation" by Jeff Hayward and Ross Loomis, and refers to the discussion they led at the 1994 Visitor Studies Conference in Raleigh, NC. The discussion served to provide a meta-analysis of summative evaluation.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Jeff HaywordRoss LoomisVisitor Studies Association
In this article, Beverly Serrell of Serrell & Associates proposes a type of standardized summative evaluation that sets criteria for determining the success of an exhibition. Serrell outlines her support of the "51% Solution."
In this article, Stephen Bitgood and Arlene Benefield, both of the Center for Social Design at Jacksonville State University, present a critical appraisal of "The Heart Exhibition" which was set to undergo changes at the Franklin Institute of Science. This critical appraisal differs from an objective evaluation in that it is based on the opinions of the visitor experts (Bitgood and Benefield). The authors provide analysis and recommendations for each element of the exhibition.