In this article, Hans-Joachim Klein, of the University of Karlsruhe, and Patricia Munro discuss a comparative study of four health exhibitions to asses their effectiveness as a method of health promotion.
In this journal preface, Hans-Joachim Klein of the University of Karlsruhe, introduces this special issue of "Visitor Behavior" that concentrates on visitor research in Germany.
In this article, M. Hagedorn-Saupe discusses visitor-related research efforts at the Institute fur Museumskunde in Berlin. Hagedorn-Saupe provides an overview of data collection studies on museum visits and related projects, visitor research projects and collaboration with other institutions, and long-term projects at the Institute.
In this article, Bernhard Graf discusses the work of the Institut fur Museumskunde (Institute of Museum Studies), a division of the Staatliche Museen (State Museums) in Berlin. The Institut is devoted to research and documentation in the various areas of museum work, defined by the scientific disciplines relevant to the individual project.
In this article, Michael Spock, of the Informal Learning Program at the University of Chicago, discusses his fundamental and situational concerns that surround the practice of museum exhibit and program evaluation. Spock offers observations on the situational politics from his exhibit evaluation work at the Field Museum and suggests how semantics plays a more fundamental role in the evaluation process.
In this article, Kathleen Socolofsky of the Desert Botanical Gardens discusses the history of the institution, highlighting shifts in its mission and exhibit strategies. In particular, Socolofsky outlines the steps staff used in gaining institutional acceptance of visitor evaluation and in affecting the long-term acceptance of visitor-centered approaches to exhibits as well as the outcomes of this institutional acceptance.
In this article, Harris Shettel, an evaluation consultant, discusses the politics of evaluation and how the recent use of visitor data to inform decision making at all levels qualifies as a paradigm shift in the approach taken to museum public programming.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Harris ShettelVisitor Studies Association
resourceresearchProfessional Development, Conferences, and Networks
This paper offers a simple view of the institutionalization process and describes case studies of three institutions (High Desert Museum, Chicago Academy of Sciences, and Chicago Children's Museum). It is a summary of remarks from the 1994 Visitor Studies Conference in Raleigh, NC.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
D. PerryK. RonningJ. SiskaS. WeaverErica ReedVisitor Studies Association
This article provides an abstract of Jane Marie Litwak, Ph.D.'s dissertation. The dissertation applied concepts from cognitive psychology to the design of museum exhibit labels in an effort to direct visitor attention and increase learning in museum settings.
In this article, Marilyn G. Hood of Hood Associates, discusses the importance of high response rates to museum audience research. Hood argues that museums can produce more reliable, accurate measurements of their work by becoming knowledgeable about about questionnaire design, sampling, and appropriate response rates.
In this article, Alan J. Friedman, Director of the New York Hall of Science, analyzes why museums don't participate in formal evaluation and looks to science and technology centers for answers. Friedman calls for better educating museum scientists and leadership about the values of evaluation, acknowledgment of the consequences of the lack of evaluation, and how to achieve better discipline in the exhibit development process.
In this article, staff at the University of Florida's Florida Museum of Natural History discuss the efforts of the Learning in Informal Settings Program, including three international evaluation studies.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
John J. Koran, Jr.Mary Lou KoranBetty Dunckel CampAnne E. Donnelly