This paper discusses a study that tracked the behavior of 350 visitors to the Lester E. Fisher Great Ape House at Lincoln Park Zoo over a 12-month period. Findings relate to visit durations, including children vs. adults as well as visitors' responses to interpretive graphics. This data adds to the growing literature on visitor behavior in zoological parks and have helped to guide several aspects of exhibit design for Lincoln Park Zoo's new ape facility.
This article presents findings from a study that employed visitor surveys and observations to assess the factors that significantly influence visitor behavior and viewing time in six zoo exhibits with underwater viewing. The authors' research revealed that visitor group type, size of underwater viewing windows, animal size, aquatic activity, and presence of infant animals had significant impacts on visitor behavior. They discuss implications for the planning and design of exhibits with underwater viewing. The appendix includes the survey used in the study.
DATE:
TEAM MEMBERS:
Stephanie Clark RidgwayMargaret LivingstonSteven E. Smith
This article discusses visitors' ability to interpret geographic maps. It describes a study that examined how easily adult visitors to the Bronx Zoo were able to identify two continents and countries on maps, and their interpretation of the term "range." Findings suggest a need to revise maps in exhibit labels to improve visitor comprehension and the authors make recommendations on how to do so. The appendix includes a copy of the interview protocol used in the study.
Assessing the Impact of a Visit to a Zoo or Aquarium: A Multi-institutional Research Project will create a functional taxonomy of zoo/aquarium visitors' entering knowledge, attitudes and behaviors. This taxonomy, in conjunction with data about the specific experiences visitors have during their visit, will enable investigators to understand and predict the contribution of zoos and aquariums to the public understanding of animals and their conservation. The results will clarify the role of zoos and aquariums as centers of informal learning and point to ways to strengthen their educational impact. The AZA convened a national advisory committee that commissioned and completed a thorough review, confirming a critical need to conduct more research, particularly research that attempts to ask broad questions, collect data systematically, and includes sufficient number and types of institutions to permit community-wide generalizations. Twelve AZA institutions of various sizes, geographic regions and types will participate in the study. The net result of the study will be a descriptive model of zoo and aquarium visitor learning experiences and development of a set of diagnostic tools to help zoo and aquaria staff understand and enhance the nature and extent of their public impact.
In 2003 and 2004 a summative evaluation of the Jellies: Living Art exhibition was conducted. The exhibition is a 4,650 square foot special exhibition at the aquarium that is open from April 2002 through January 2005. It includes live displays of domestic and exotic jellies and a collection of artwork in a variety of media: paintings, sculpture, works on paper, and three large site-specific installations. Though the aquarium has displayed art previous to Jellies: Living Art, this exhibition represents the first time the aquarium has displayed both art and live species together. There were seven
The John G. Shedd Aquarium opened an exhibition entitled Wild Reef: Sharks at Shedd in April 2003. Wild Reef immerses visitors in an Indo-Pacific ecosystem where they experience firsthand the connections among animals, habitats and people. This 2,800 square-foot exhibition spans nine rooms and contains one of the largest and most diverse collections of sharks in North America, along with the Midwest's largest public display of live corals. The primary message of Wild Reef is: Philippine coral reefs support an amazing abundance of life and anchor a delicate network of dependencies between
This front-end evaluation assisted in design and development of the Wild About Otters special exhibition at the Monterey Bay Auqarium, which opened in 2007. The evaluation included structured interviews, both a short and a long form. This report includes short interview and long interview forms in the appendix.