The intent of this paper is to offer an introduction to this volume and to (hopefully) place the 1990 Visitor Studies Conference held in Washington, D.C., in the perspective of the general field of visitor studies. About 300 professionals from all over the world participated in the 1990 Conference, an increase from 175 attendees the year before. The collection of papers in this volume, although not inclusive of all papers presented at the Conference, should give the reader a feeling for the issues and discussions that took place.
In this article, Ridgeley Williams and Rosalyn Rubenstein, the co-chairs of the 1991 Visitor Studies Conference Committee, reflect on the success of the conference, which was the first VSA conference held outside the US.
In this editor's note, Stephen Bitgood discusses the upcoming 1992 Visitor Studies Conference in St. Louis and summarizes the theme of the issue of "Visitor Behavior," which focuses on the design and evaluation of interactive exhibits.