USING EVALUATION RESEARCH TO ASSESS EARTH SCIENCE MUSEUM EXHIBITS: A WELL-GROUNDED APPROACH
Evaluation research reveals the strengths and weaknesses of each approach, and helps museum professionals understand when to develop different exhibition types. Each type of earth science exhibit (including the most classic, systematically organized exhibit) has merits and drawbacks. There is no simple formula for deciding which type of exhibit will serve which purpose – there are many variables to consider, such as: museum mission, exhibition objectives, intended audiences, actual audiences, budget, and physical limitations.
A wide variety of qualitative and quantitative methods are available to obtain data from the primary user groups: museum professionals (curators, designers, educators, docents, and board members), and visitors (which can be subdivided in many ways, e.g., age, education. etc.). Dialogue with these groups can help determine answers to important questions, and help guide development in a systematic manner. What kind of museum are you and what kind of museum do you want to become? What do you want to convey with the exhibition – what are the big messages, the little messages, the critical messages? For whom are you designing? Who is your intended audience? How much money and space do you really have to spend on this exhibit? Evaluation research is also valuable in exhibit prototyping of complex concepts, helping to answer the key question: ‘Do visitors get it?’
Case studies of projects at the American Museum of Natural History, Museum of the Earth, Liberty Science Center, New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Dinosaur State Park will be presented as examples to help understand the options available and the decision-making processes that will guide your own development.