Posts tagged audience

What a Physics Student Can Teach us About How Visitors Walk Around an Exhibition From the Smithsonian blog which highlights some of the limitations of how we assess the successes and failures of exhibition layout and route design and suggests ways to improve/expand how we evaluate. 

What a Physics Student Can Teach us About How Visitors Walk Around an Exhibition

From the Smithsonian blog which highlights some of the limitations of how we assess the successes and failures of exhibition layout and route design and suggests ways to improve/expand how we evaluate. 

This graph comes via Colleen Dilenschneider’s Know your Bone blog: I’m pleased to have the opportunity to share a tidbit of data uncovered by IMPACTS Research & Development (the company for which I work, folks)! The data below was first published by the National Awareness, Attitudes and Usage Study (NAAU) and, since April 2011, it has been re-confirmed in six, separate, proprietary studies on behalf of various visitor-serving organizations with which we work. The image below shows unprompted responses to the question and are displayed with the index value for each response. The bottom line? People don’t go to a museum to see the newest exhibit… people go to a museum to see the newest exhibit with people they care about. Read the whole article here. 

This graph comes via Colleen Dilenschneider’s Know your Bone blog:

I’m pleased to have the opportunity to share a tidbit of data uncovered by IMPACTS Research & Development (the company for which I work, folks)! The data below was first published by the National Awareness, Attitudes and Usage Study (NAAU) and, since April 2011, it has been re-confirmed in six, separate, proprietary studies on behalf of various visitor-serving organizations with which we work. The image below shows unprompted responses to the question and are displayed with the index value for each response. The bottom line? People don’t go to a museum to see the newest exhibit… people go to a museum to see the newest exhibit with people they care about.

Read the whole article here. 

colleendilen.com

What Does it Really Mean to Serve "Underserved" Audiences?

“Let’s say you work at an organization that mostly caters to a middle and upper-class, white audience. Let’s say you have a sincere interest in reaching and working with more ethnically, racially, and economically diverse audiences. What does it take to make that happen?”

Archaeology, Museums and Outreach blog interviews Bamburgh’s Rachael Barnwell and their new outreach projects and initiatives, within Bamburgh and wider still. I found this question and answer very interesting: AMO: “What has been your experience in being inclusive of descendant voices in Bamburgh? Is this at all a contested issue in British archaeology?” RB: “Firstly, descendant voices are not as central an issue in British archaeology as in other parts of the world especially when compared to places like the US and Canada. However, this is not to say that the issue is non-existent. Recent archaeologies of minority communities and groups within the UK have had to engage with descendant voices. “In addition, the museums into which archaeological collections enter are for the most part very conscious of the collections’ source / originating communities, both in antiquity and in the present day and must navigate the complexities of representation in negotiation with these groups. Having said that, with regards to the Bamburgh area in particular, we’ve had no issues at all to date. The site and the associated human remains from the Bowl Hole have not been at all controversial in terms of descendant voices.”

Archaeology, Museums and Outreach blog interviews Bamburgh’s Rachael Barnwell and their new outreach projects and initiatives, within Bamburgh and wider still.

I found this question and answer very interesting:

AMO: “What has been your experience in being inclusive of descendant voices in Bamburgh? Is this at all a contested issue in British archaeology?”

RB: “Firstly, descendant voices are not as central an issue in British archaeology as in other parts of the world especially when compared to places like the US and Canada. However, this is not to say that the issue is non-existent. Recent archaeologies of minority communities and groups within the UK have had to engage with descendant voices.

“In addition, the museums into which archaeological collections enter are for the most part very conscious of the collections’ source / originating communities, both in antiquity and in the present day and must navigate the complexities of representation in negotiation with these groups. Having said that, with regards to the Bamburgh area in particular, we’ve had no issues at all to date. The site and the associated human remains from the Bowl Hole have not been at all controversial in terms of descendant voices.”

Museums Now blogs about her museum collaboration experience, from the public side rather than her usual professional side.

Quick question… has anyone else noticed this museum people/knitting correlation? Why do so many museos handcraft and knit?

Demographic Transformation and the Future of Museums

From Museums Now blog:

The Center for the Future of Museums recently published a report called “Demographic Transformation and the Future of Museums”. It’s a substantial tome which lays out the story for paying careful attention to who we think our audiences are now, and are becoming. “Majority Minority—What Will It Mean for Museums?” is a key section.

http://www.futureofmuseums.org/reading/publications/2010.cfm

There is lots of thought-provoking and inspiration for budget-setting material in there. Take a look. We’ll be posting from time to time about it as we review the information and balance it against our experiences -looking backward and forward.

Audience Publications

From the Centre for Museology’s Delicious feed.

“Increased demands and expectations from users, coupled with budgetary constraints and the requirement to demonstrate value for money and impact, mean that it is imperative that the services delivered are wanted, needed and valued by the audiences.

“The publications below offer useful and practical information about researching digital audiences by key activities in the lifecycle of audience research.

“The Audience Analysis Toolkit for public sector bodies has been developed for the Strategic Content Alliance by Curtis and Cartwright Consulting.”