This is a summary of an article by W.G. Conway featured in "Curator" in 1968, which describes the narrative of a dream. In the dream, a devil called "M" takes the author through a bullfrog exhibit to demonstrate the unlimited possibilities of exhibitng even the most common type of species.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Visitor Studies AssociationW.G. Conway
In this article, Michael Pierce of the Anniston Museum summarizes D. Jenkins's research on interactive technologies featured in the "Proceedings of the 1985 American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums." Jenkins divides interactive exhibits into four types: comparisons, extending human senses, learning play, and conservation.
This is a brief summary of a 1982 report by Jacksonville State University researchers entitled "Research and Design at the Reid Park Zoo." This report outlines design research by describing an evaluation of the Reid Park Zoo in Tucson. The authors suggest three ways that careful design research benefits a facility and identify principles for better zoo design.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Visitor Studies AssociationJ MartinJ O'Reilly
This is a brief summary of the historical periods described in Jon Coe's 1986 article entitled "Towards a Coevolution of Zoos, Aquariums, and Natural History Museums." Coe traces the history of exhibit design in these three types of informal settings.
This is a brief summary of Jeff Hayward's article, "Research and Evaluation in Children's Museums: Negative, Positive Results" featured in the ILVS Review. This article discusses several aspects of evaluation.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Visitor Studies AssociationJeff Hayward
This is a summary of Roger Miles's 1986 article, "Lessons in 'Human Biology' - Testing a Theory of Exhibition Design," featured in "The International Journal of Museum Management and Curatorship." In this article, Miles described an attempt to apply 11 "initial working assumptions" based on current education and psychological research to the development of an exhibit.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Visitor Studies AssociationRoger Miles
In this article, researchers from Ohio State University discuss evaluation methods and findings of a study of the Old Woman Creek school visitor program. Researchers evaluated changes in knowledge, shifts in attitude, and enjoyment levels of the visiting schoolchildren.
This article summarizes methodology and key findings from research to determine the effectiveness of several aspects of the Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve on Lake Erie visitor center for providing public information about the value of estuaries. Researchers investigated how knowledge and attitudes of adults change with each visit, the factors that contribute to differing visitor experiences, how types of exhibits, readability, and placement relate to knowledge changes, and if a computer can serve as a testing device in a visitor center.
In this article, Ohio State University researchers discuss the Importance-Performance analysis tool and its application in non-profit leisure settings such as a park.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Gary W. MullinsBetsy L. Schultz Spetich