In this paper, Lois H. Silverman of Indiana University examines visitor studies teaching and training needs. Silverman summarizes discussions and recommendations formed during a forum on this topic at a recent VSA conference.
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Lois H. Silverman
resourceresearchProfessional Development, Conferences, and Networks
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.
In 1984, to begin addressing the issue of long-term learning in museums, [the authors] initiated a series of museum recollection studies. At the time, it seemed critical to understand memories of museums more broadly, to investigate their components, saliency, and persistence, both soon after the experience and long after. [They] began with a series of open-ended, ethnographic-style interviews, conducting the first 11 over a period fo two years. These early interviews proved so interesting and useful that [they] have continued to build on this line of research, as have many others. What does