Behavior vs. Time: Understanding How Visitors Utilize the Milan Natural History Museum

Abstract To evaluate visitors' use of the exhibitions and the communication strategy of the Milan Natural History Museum, we compared results gathered with two methods, based respectively on the timing of visitors and on the unobtrusive observation of exhibit‐use behaviors. We collected data from a sample of 100 groups of visitors (not guided), randomly selected at the museum entrance. We recorded the following data for each group: halls visited, length of stay in each hall, any kind of behavior showing visitor/exhibition interaction and the displays where interactions occurred. The study shows that visiting time does not give enough information about the actual use of exhibits by the audience. The investigation of visitor/exhibition interactions revealed itself to be the most usual method to describe the visitors' use of the exhibitions. The most important factor influencing visits to the Milan Natural History Museum is the communication technique used in the exhibition areas.     

国家达尔文博物馆与俄罗斯自然历史博物馆协会

创建于1907年的国家达尔文博物馆是俄罗斯历史最悠久的自然历史博物馆之一,由亚历山大·科茨等四人共同创办,该馆每年为不同的观众举办50~60个不同主题的展览。在国家达尔文博物馆中设立的俄罗斯自然历史博物馆协会发挥着联系俄罗斯各自然历史博物馆的作用。     

The “Gallop Poll”: Using Evaluation to Develop Fossil Horses in Cyberspace,An Online Exhibition

The number, complexity, and popularity of World Wide Web sites has increased dramatically in recent years, providing a new opportunity for museum access. This case study describes the front‐end and formative evaluations conducted during the development of the Florida Museum of Natural History's first virtual exhibition, Fossil Horses in Cyberspace < http:www.flmnh.ufl.edunatscivertpaleofhcfhc.htm >, which during 2000 received −540,000 hits equating to −60,000 user sessions. As with physical exhibitions, evaluation is critical to enhancing the educational effectiveness and appeal of online exhibitions.     

The Making of “America on the Move” at the National Museum of American History

This case study examines the curatorial challenges of producing a very large exhibition at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History from 1999 to 2003. This is an insider's look at how a cross‐functional exhibition team worked to produce a compelling new exhibition. Among the issues addressed are: development of a theme; choice and use of artifacts; presentation organization and techniques; issues of truth, authenticity and accuracy in history exhibitions; and practical issues of exhibition team organization and contract management.     

National Museum of African American History and Culture: A New Integration?

The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) marks a milestone moment in American history; the project has taken almost a century to come to fruition. Beginning with the first glimpse of the new monumental building on the National Mall, a NMAAHC visitor encounters complex symbols and histories. This review explores NMAAHC's historical context alongside its symbolic capital and its inaugural exhibitions, focusing on the central topic of the museum's efforts to embody “a new integration,” a space wherein all Americans can see their country through the lens of the African American experience.     

哈萨克斯坦共和国国家博物馆

哈萨克斯坦共和国国家博物馆是中亚地区最年轻、规模最大的博物馆。本文介绍了该馆的基本情况,并详细介绍了该馆的古代与中世纪历史展厅、历史展厅、民族志展厅、黄金大厅等重点展厅展示的历史文化遗产以及创新的展示技术等。     

Book Reviews

The Origins of Natural Science in America: The Essays of George Brown Goode , edited and with an introduction by Sally Gregory Kohlstedt Exhibiting Cultures: The Poetics and Politics of Museum Display , Ivan Karp and Steven D. Lavine, Editors The Museum: A Reference Guide . Michael Steven Shapiro, Editor     

Creating Extraordinary Learning Environments

There is more to developing effective exhibitions than following a particular process model. The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History utilizes a strategy that includes a clearly articulated framework of core purpose and values, development teams that think systemically and focus on maintaining positive relationships, along with the help of outside experts, professional literature, and visitor feedback to continually infuse the team's thinking. This strategy has led to exhibits that more clearly reflect the institution, and at the same time are deemed extraordinary learning environments by two important stakeholders: the advisors whose content and technical expertise supported the project, and by visitors.     

浅析自然博物馆与高校及科研院所的合作——以天津自然博物馆为例

自然博物馆与高校及科研院所进行合作是大势所趋。文章以天津自然博物馆为例,分析了自然博物馆与高校及科研院所进行合作的必要性和基础,指出自然博物馆与高校及科研院所进行合作是社会发展的客观需要,有着广泛的基础;双方应主要致力于科研、科普展示教育、数字信息化以及图书信息资料等方面进行合作;同时就天津自然博物馆目前的情况,提出了建立联合中心、聘请专家定向指导、聘为学术委员会馆外专家以及参与高校教学与社会实践等合作模式。     

All the (Natural) World's a Stage: Museum Theater as an Educational Tool

This paper describes a range of theatrical events developed by the Education Unit of the Natural History Museum, London. Theater is used to target non‐traditional audiences, thereby helping meet the museum's educational mandate in innovative ways. The museum's galleries have recently hosted a variety of characters, traditional and contemporary, historical and fictional, in a number of dramatic formats: ensemble pieces, role‐playing, puppetry, dance, mime, and acrobatics. The examples described here provide the occasion for exploring related issues, such as the museum's overall objectives for the program, the responses of visitors, and the spatial and temporal limitations to the design process.     

New Directions,New Relationships: The Smithsonian's Twenty‐first Century Learning in Natural History Settings Conference and the Natural History Museum,London

The Twenty‐first Century Learning in Natural History Settings Conference at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. (2012) has been more influential than similar conferences, resulting in new work streams and international collaborations for the Learning Research and Evaluation team at the Natural History Museum, London (NHM). The conference offered a rare opportunity to discuss issues relevant to our unique workplace and to be surrounded by an instant peer group. Although the event itself brought personal and professional satisfaction, it is the impact of the conference on our institution that has been most fulfilling. The conference has enabled us to think bigger—to think about the sector as a whole and the role the NHM can play as a large national museum.     

博物馆展览双线索叙事的表达——以“征程——从鱼到人的生命之旅”主题展览为例

在博物馆的展览策划中,双线索或多线索的展览并不少见。很多展览会选择一条线索作为主线,另一条线索作为副线,两线交织并行。本文以深圳博物馆“征程——从鱼到人的生命之旅”主题展览为例,探讨了展览双线索叙事的另一种表达方法,即可以将不同的线索分开放置于不同的展场空间进行表达,两条线索既不重合又相互关联。     

The Peace Labyrinth: An Interactive Exhibition on Conflict Resolution

Abstract Interactive exhibitions are a new medium for peace education in Israel. The Peace Labyrinth, based on a model developed by Peace Education Projects (PEP) for an exhibition in the Netherlands, is the first project of this type in Israel. The model was revised to suit the needs and the political and social situation in Israel, particularly in Jerusalem. The project is an initiative of the Jerusalem Foundation, in cooperation with the Olivestone Trust and the Bloomfield Science Museum Jerusalem. The article presents the theoretical, methodological, and practical considerations at play in adapting the original model for use in Israel and notes the insights gained for peace education and for the museum’s educational endeavors.     

博物馆观众研究简史( 二)——20世纪60年代至80年代

博物馆观众研究领域最早的成果可以追溯到吉尔曼(Gilman)在1911年的研究工作,本文对观众评估研究的关注对象与问题进行了历史性的批判分析。本研究揭示了各类研究建立的范式,包括对实施机制的说明、对评估客观性的审问、对文化民主化研究和营销相关研究之间不协调性的强调。本文介绍了20世纪60年代至80年代教育技术模型对博物馆观众研究的影响,并结合皇家安大略博物馆和大英博物馆(自然史部分)的案例,介绍了教育技术模型的应用。     

The Natural History Museum: Taking on a Learning Agenda

Carnegie Museum of Natural History and the University of Pittsburgh are engaged in a research and practice partnership to bring new learning sciences findings and theories into contact with the design and deployment of innovative natural history learning experiences. In this article, we describe four strands of work: 1) connecting people to nature; 2) engaging people of all ages in complex and current scientific debates of regional consequence; 3) partnerships to build a strong regional learning ecology for nature and science; and 4) iterative professional development to support staff as they work with new definitions of learning and engagement in the museum.     

科技馆短期展览安全性剖析——以中国杭州低碳科技馆为例

短期展览因具有形式灵活多变、内容覆盖范围宽泛、更新频率高、响应速度快等特点,在塑造科技馆形象、提高观众参观回头率方面发挥着举足轻重的作用,越来越受到各地科技馆的重视。但相对于常设展览而言,短期展览在安全性方面更容易受到时效性和资金投入等因素影响,另外由于科技馆观众的特殊性,短期展览安全性更低。本文归纳了科技馆展览安全要素,通过对中国杭州低碳科技馆近年来举办的主要短期展览进行总结分析,对安全性进行分类,以案例的形式进行剖析,提出相应对策。     

Book Reviews

Natural History Museums: Directions for Growth , Paisley S. Cato and Clyde Jones, Editors Carl Akeley, Africa's Collector, Africa's Savior . Penelope Bodry-Sanders Insights: Museums, Visitors, Attitudes, and Expectations , sponsored by the Getty Center for Education in the Arts and the J. Paul Getty Museum Good Show! A Practical Guide for Temporary Exhibitions, Second Edition . Lothar P. Witteborg     

观众有效参观时间调查分析——基于天津自然博物馆新馆生态厅的实证研究

观众参观时间是博物馆观众研究的重要内容之一,反映了观众对展览的关注程度。本文利用跟踪观察法调查了2014—2019年天津自然博物馆新馆生态厅的观众有效参观时间以及展板和多媒体的使用情况。结果发现:观众有效参观时间总体偏短,且在不同人群差异不显著,但在不同展区差异明显。在影响观众有效参观时间的重要因素中,标本大小和标本珍稀度是关键因素。观众对展板和多媒体的利用率均较低。为提高观众有效参观时间,建议为观众提供讲解、合理分配展品、适当延长展线、展板和多媒体要少而精且内容应及时更新等。     

Collegiate Priorities and Natural History Museums

Data on curatorial budgets and hiring practices of the University of Minnesota's Bell Museum of Natural History (BMNH) since 1970 are presented and discussed relative to those of academic departments in the College of Biological Sciences (CBS). Throughout the administration of the collegiate dean who recruited the museum into the college, the museum was considered to be a department equivalent and fared neither better nor worse than the departments regarding budgets and faculty recruitment. When a new dean was hired in 1987, the museum ceased to be considered as a department equivalent. Its state-allocated budgets for both public programs and collection curation have been retrenched greatly to mitigate departmental retrenchments. Four curatorial positions vacated by retirement have gone unfilled. Administrative reporting lines for museum directors within universities are discussed. It is concluded that a natural history museum is best viewed and administered as a university resource and responsibility rather than as a departmental or collegiate unit.