Thank you all for participating! 73 people participated in the survey.
Results Summary:
The majority of participants are interested in the planning of science centers, the majority of participants are museum staff, interested in the process of planning of new exhibitions for currently open museums.
1. What type of museum planning are you the most interested in?
Science Center number one response with 25 entries, Specialized Museum number two response with 17 entries.
2. If specialized Museum, list type:
• Aquarium / zoo / nature center
• Green
• Health, maybe virtual
• Historic House
• Aquarium
• History (Holocaust)
• State History
• Culture & History
• Honest ones
• Interpretive displays at roadside rest areas
• Corporate museum such as Harley Davidson Musuem
3. Please select the description the best describes your profession / position.
If other:
• Artist
• Exhibition developer and evaluator
• Exhibit-Facilities Director
• Director of a Center for Math/Science Ed – science center is just a part of what we do
• Manager of Exhibits
• Owner’s representative – capital projects/construction
• Museum consultant
• Exhibits & Education Director
• California Department of Transportation historian
• Designer, Fabricator
• Exhibit developer and master planner
• Retired science center administrator
• Museum environmental control consultant
• Museum master planning, design and fabrication
• Vendor
• Education Department, Family programs
• Exhibits Division Director
• Independent design professional
• Museum planner
• Museum service provider
• Educator
• Consultant (a little bit of everything; design, mounts, administration, programs)
• Marketing manager
• Exhibit Curator
• Professional Planner
• Architect
4. What type of blog posts do you find the most interesting?
• Exhibition design
• Visitor response, learning statistics, maintenance needs
• New and expansion of museums construction projects
• Exhibit graphics and text writing
• Behind the scenes, sneak peaks of upcoming exhibitions
• Behind the scenes – how it’s done
• Posts that tell compelling stories – regardless of the specific content
• Most of the above (except info about museum visitors)
• Those related to exhibits currently working on
5. Please add any additional comments that you feel would be helpful in improving the Museum Planner blog.
• Way too much material to read
• Also interested in exhibition reviews and general museum info
• Info about how to choose fabricators, how to coordinate/plan a museum hall, what to think about as planning occurs, how to rate and eventually hire a coordinator/architect, how to know what products are on the market, track record of fabricators, managers etc
• I would value a blog that talks about the latest innovations in engaging visitors in museum settings and elsewhere.
• I’m surprised that historical museum was not an option in question #1. In #4 it would be most useful to combine information about museum visitors and museum planning. Too often those are thinly connected and the preferences of a curator or subject specialist overshadow visitor interests and learning behavior leading to a pompous, elitist exhibit.
• How are other museums handling the slowing economy and possibly the smaller visitorships?
• First question must be answered, but I have no “favorite” museum, only a curiosity about how to best assist in preserving the museum’s artifacts
• One area we are trying to develop a conversation about is prototyping. There are many different definitions and expectations of this critical step in creating meaningful visitor experiences
• Interesting you would leave out history/historic site museums and public gardens in your mix above. It points out the problem of categories – what falls outside is often more interesting than what falls inside
• Always interested in new and creative ways to reach and engage teachers!
• I’m glad to know about this blog, was unaware! don’t know about it
• Multiple checks. For instance – we often design the visitor experience and then create the homes for the animals that will share the message delivery goals with the human staff.
• Museum best practices (exhibit planning, marketing, market research, fundraising, memberships) – attendance statistics and future trends