Current Concept Capsules: 140 Useful Ideas for Museums to Consider in Future Planning

John W. Jacobsen, White Oak Associates, Inc.
Many of these ideas are in the air or are part of our projects; others are associated with individual thinkers and/or are being applied in particular institutions, as noted and quoted.
I have credited some names and institutions as I am aware of them (mostly in the context of our museum planning work), but there are likely more people behind any good idea, so please forgive
any omissions. Suggestions for additional ideas, credits and examples are encouraged.
The models that follow include societal trends, community services, institutional paradigms, positioning, learning approaches, programming strategies
and management policies. Not all ideas are new, but all are relevant today. In the interests of some brevity, I have favored new ideas over well-established
ideas – interactive exhibits, diversifying demographics, camp-ins, promotional sponsorships, etc. – yet they are still valid. No one idea is a “magic bullet,”
intended to solve your financial future. Some concepts are specific to science centers, but most are applicable to the museum field as a whole.
The questions to ask yourself as you read the following are “Which collection of the following ideas might be sustainable for my particular institution?”
And then, “Looking at our selection, can we identify a single, simple focus or model that unites that collection?” George Hein reminds us to ask of each
of these whether it helps us build the social and moral goals for a democratic society.
Model A is a selection sample for an interdisciplinary museum in a small city; Model B is for a publicly supported science center in a larger market. Many
other models are possible.
SOCIETAL TRENDS
Accountability
1 Model A, B
Funding sources are increasingly demanding quantified outcomes from their funding, while museums
are more comfortable with qualitative and anecdotal results.
Public Trust in Museums
AAM Survey
The Presence of the Past: Rosensweig & Thelen
2 Model A
Recent surveys have shown that Americans trust museums more than other sources of information. The
very difficulty we have in putting exhibitions on the floor translates into a bond of trust that is one of
our greatest but not fully realized assets.
Attitudes to Science and Technology
3
Science and technology are declining in popularity and developing antagonisms from some groups. In
communities where there are factions who see science centers as just another church of a different faith,
new names with more universal appeal that hide the science link are one direction that go with the
grain, while another argument can be made for an even stronger advocacy position for science and
technology that fights such perceptions.
Knowledge/Learning-Based Society
Institute for Learning Innovation (Annapolis, MD):
John Falk
4
We have shifted from an industrial economy to the experience economy and now to the knowledge
economy, and the museum field may not have kept pace with these shifts.
ASTC Session ’04: New Models V-8: 2
White Oak Associates, Inc. December 28, 2004
Growth in Competition in
the Learning Sector
5 Model B
As the public understands both that learning is a lifelong process and that much learning happens
outside of school, their interest in free choice learning experiences that help them and their families
better understand their world and develop skills to improve their chances of success has grown. Yet this
increasing interest in learning has not gone unnoticed by the commercial sector, and the marketplace
has become more competitive as new forms of learning and new ventures clamor for attention.
Cocooning to Hiving
Yankelovitch Survey
6
The Yankelovitch survey finds that Americans are shifting from a model of “cocooning,” which focused
on insular in-home activities, toward “hiving,” which continues the focus on the home, but expands its
activities through forays out of the family nest out into the world to bring back experiences.
Changing Technology
7
Science centers are expected to embrace the latest technologies, and yet this process is expensive and
the new technologies typically untested. Further, today’s latest is tomorrow’s old hat, disappearing into
the background as younger generations take it for granted. Our staff culture and operating policies
need to constantly adapt to e-commerce, home theater, video games and new media technologies, along
with changing expectations for customized 24/7 services.
Globalization
8
Our industry is struggling with globalization when it is still difficult for museums in a single city to
collaborate.
Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS)
MTN ScienCentre (Cape Town, South Africa):
Jon Weinberg
9
Science considers itself global, if not universal, with its principles and ways of obtaining knowledge (the
natural laws and the scientific process) applicable everywhere. Yet science exists in culture, and is often
seen as just another knowledge community. Further, other knowledge communities and ways of
looking at the world have often revealed insights that science has missed. Listening to and
incorporating the perspectives of IKS and “celebrating all systems of knowledge” can bridge cultures in
developing countries and acknowledge diverse communities within immigrant countries. Exhibits such
as Ethno Mathematics: The Mathematics of Beadwork develops mutual respect for both the scientific
knowledge community and the indigenous knowledge system.
Tech Nouveau
Ars Electroncia 2004
10
“Tech Nouveau means the reverse engineering of nature,” says the promotional material for a
European conference. The idea of reinventing nature in bio- and nanotechnology raises fascinating
design and ethical questions. While nature’s designs do not always work at a human scale – flight is an
excellent example – the ability for birds to fly was an emotional incentive and proof of concept that
flying was somehow possible. Tech Nouveau gets science out of the abstract world of ones and zeros
and microchips and into the wet complexity of living matter.
ASTC Session ’04: New Models V-8: 3
White Oak Associates, Inc. December 28, 2004
Heritage Travel
11
A growing subset of the travel industry has been defined as “traveling to experience the places and
activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past.” Surveys track the economic
impact of tourists traveling more than 50 miles one way or who stay overnight.
The ECC Trilogy for Student Success
Eric J. Jolly, Science Museum of Minnesota
12
Engagement, capacity and continuity: all three of these factors must be in place for a student to be
successful in science and mathematics, say the ECC Trilogy developers, Eric Jolly, Patricia Campbell
and Lesley Perlman. The approach, which may also be applicable for other disciplines, assumes a
number of forces working together to make success possible for a student. Museums can play a role
engaging interest; schools can help develop a student’s capacity through skills and acquired knowledge.
Museums and other organizations can provide continuity though lifelong learning, links to other
sources and connections to people practicing in the field.
COMMUNITY SERVICES
Community Needs;
Community Services
White Oak Associates (Marblehead, MA):
John W. Jacobsen
Lakeview Museum (Peoria, IL):
Jim Richerson
13 Model A
The old fundraising adage “you never raise money for what you need, rather you raise money by
offering solutions to other people’s needs,” remains valid. What is new is the process of assessing
community needs through structured interviews with community leaders (school superintendents,
newspaper publishers, foundation chairs, Chambers of Commerce, economic development agencies,
cultural affairs offices, political leaders, c orporate executives, etc.) and then developing museum services
in response to those needs and in collaboration with these leaders. The process is humble, as it
emphasizes a museum’s role of service to the larger community’s agendas.
Community Gathering and Identity
District Six Museum (Cape Town, South Africa)
The Tech (San Jose, CA):
Peter Giles
Exploration Place (Wichita, KS)
Boston Museum and National Park Project
(Boston, MA): Anne Emerson
14
The idea that a museum can be a community nexus bringing together different parts of the community
for cross cultural exchange and for building community identity is a positive response to Robert
Putnam’s Bowling Alone, where he challenges institutions to develop new ways of mending the social
fabric. This model is especially relevant in economically fragmented communities like Cape Town and
Campinas (Brazil), but is also relevant in wealthier communities like Silicon Valley and Wichita looking
for image enhancement.
Workforce Development
Connecticut Center for Science & Exploration (Hartford,
CT): Ted Sergi
15 Model B
Corporations are justly concerned about the quality of the workforce that they can hire and are
dismayed at having to import scientifically literate workers from abroad. Science centers can play an
active role in inspiring the next generation to favor science and technology careers and to help retrain
displaced workers.
ASTC Session ’04: New Models V-8: 4
White Oak Associates, Inc. December 28, 2004
Leisure Time
Buffalo Museum of Science (Buffalo, NY):
David Chesebrough’s Five Community Roles
16
“Our role in providing social outlets for individuals, groups and family units looking to spend leisure
time in a quality, customer service based environment. Attendance is often marketing, not relationship,
driven. For many of us this has been a prime audience area, often placing us in competition with
amusement parks, malls, festivals, sporting events and other typical choices for our society in spending
ever more precious time and family/individual funds. Outcomes are often measured in attendance
numbers and admission income.”
Economic Development
Buffalo Museum of Science (Buffalo, NY):
David Chesebrough’s Five Community Roles
17 Model A, B
“Our role, depending on the situation and community expectations, in returning an economic value for
the community investment in our organization. This can vary from helping to anchor development in a
community project such as waterfront development, attracting tourists and/or visitors to a location or
region, or helping stabilize a declining inner city neighborhood. Returns to the community can come
from direct support for our institution (in lieu of or addition to government support), tourist dollars
expended throughout the community, increased property value or community investment in our
proximity, and other indirect means. Outcomes can be measured i n economic impact from visitors,
dollars invested in the area around the center, increase in property values in the immediate
neighborhood.”
Formal Education Resource
Buffalo Museum of Science (Buffalo, NY):
David Chesebrough’s Five Community Roles
18 Model B
“Our role in the educational system as a fundamental resource. To date we are still most often thought
of by teachers as a site for field trips. A number of institutions, though, have defined their role more
deeply, providing an array of programs for students and teachers, taking a leadership role in
professional development of teachers in hands-on science, serving as a science education resource for
schools, and entering into contracts with schools as an integral resource at a grade level or within a
topic area. Outcomes should go beyond students served to ultimately include new measures such as
numbers of teachers incorporating hands-on, inquiry based teaching methods, students going on to
higher levels of science and math courses, and students choosing science and math related careers.”
Lifelong Learning
Buffalo Museum of Science (Buffalo, NY):
David Chesebrough’s Five Community Roles
19 Model A
“Our role in serving the ongoing, regular, and frequent learning experiences for interested individuals
across all age levels. Older natural history museums, prior to admission charges, often were seen as
models of this type of service. It’s also the model of our library systems, is based on relationships, and is
potentially a significant way to change lives. Outcomes might be number of engagements an individual
has with the museum over each year and their satisfaction level of fulfilling their personal interest, or
length of time in years an individual stays involved with the institution following a personal path of
inquiry and knowledge gaining.”
ASTC Session ’04: New Models V-8: 5
White Oak Associates, Inc. December 28, 2004
Social/Community Asset
Buffalo Museum of Science (Buffalo, NY):
David Chesebrough’s Five Community Roles
20 Model B
“More emphasis, and debate, in recent years has been on the science center’s or museum’s role in
leveling the educational opportunities within a community. As concerns over the changing
demographics of our countries to include larger minority representations, and the underrepresentation
of minorities and women in science related fields, our organizations have been looked to for helping to
address this issue. Teen programs for inner-city youth and reduced admission and scholarship
programs for economically disadvantaged individuals, families and schools have often been strategies
that our organizations have pursued to one degree or another. These measures may require longer
timeframes. The Science Career Ladder at NY Hall of Science has been able to show now that their
program has been in place over 15 years yielding a statistically significant increase in the numbers of
participants moving on to science and educationally related college studies and careers.”
Agora: Trading Marketplace
White Oak Associates (Marblehead, MA):
John W. Jacobsen
21
A museum can act as a place where different parties come together to offer services to each other. In
this model, the museum is a facilitator rather than a producer of programs, allowing local health
organizations, for instance, to mount exhibitions and schools to stage competition finals. The AAM’s
“museums and communities” initiative and the inclusion of “town square” in the ACM’s mission
statement are examples of this model.
Educational Toolmakers
The Children’s Museum (Boston, MA):
Lou Casagrande
22
Our institutions focus on learning and are flexible places to prototype new resources for learning.
Thinking of science centers as laboratories to develop curriculum, learning programs and new
methodologies of reaching multiple intelligences is another way of contributing to our community’s
learning infrastructure.
Curriculum Development
Museum of Science (Boston, MA):
Ioannis Miaoulis
23
Science centers can play a role in developing science and technology curricula for their school systems.
When such curriculum programs are directly connected to workforce development, sponsorship from
area corporations is possible. As universal testing has been mandated by the No Child Left Behind
legislation, teachers are looking for curriculum programs and professional development that will help
them. There are already many well-respected curriculum materials, and adaptations of national
materials to local contexts may be more needed. Developing curricula for technology is a relatively new
field where science centers might be active.
Public Understanding of Research
National Science Foundation (Arlington, VA)
American Association for the
Advancement of Science (Washington DC):
Judy Kass
24 Model B
Recent findings in science and technology are both stimulating and troubling to the public. Issues with
genetics, environmental stewardship, nutrition, medicine and healthcare are hotly debated. The public
is less interested in knowing how genetics works, however, than in understanding how this science
affects them and how it can be applied ethically.
ASTC Session ’04: New Models V-8: 6
White Oak Associates, Inc. December 28, 2004
Environmental Sensitivity and
Stewardship
25 Model B
As science-related organizations, we could take a leadership role in green architecture and sustainable
materials. Science centers can take an active part in developing sustainable attitudes toward the world
we live in.
Neighborhood Development
The Children’s Museum (Boston, MA):
Lou Casagrande
26
Museums are people magnets and therefore attractive to neighboring developers. Further, museums are
neutral parties who can bring together commercial organizations, city planning agencies, funding
sources and others behind an urban redevelopment project. In Boston, The Children’s Museum is
developing public open space with funding support from neighboring office buildings as a way of
meeting requirements for open space that their sites would not otherwise permit.
Building the Creative Economy
Richard Florida
Exploration Place (Wichita, KS)
27
Richard Florida’s book on building creative economies observes that cities that are open to new ideas,
have diverse participation in all levels of leadership, support a wealth a cultural expression and are open
to new forms and lifestyles, are also wealthier economically. Museums play a critical role in the cultural
life such successful economies, and they may be a cause, more than a symptom, of a healthy and robust
economy.
Bridging the Digital Divide
The Tech (San Jose, CA):
Peter Giles
TryScience.org: New York Hall of Science
(Corona Park, NY
28
The gap between those who are comfortable with technology and understand how to operate in a
digital environment and those who feel uncomfortable and lost in technology driven situations is a
source of concern for community leaders, especially in high-tech economies. In Silicon Valley, the
digital divide is wide, so efforts to bridge the divide – outreach programs, Spanish language films,
neighborhood promotions – by The Tech are appreciated and underwritten. Another example: AAAS
has established the Partnership for Science Literacy to further the “value of science literacy, particularly
to Hispanic and African-American minority communities.” One of the programs involved is
www.tryscience.org, an on-line linkage of science-center related programs and information managed by
the New York Hall of Science.
Why We Educate
George Hein
29
All museums take education as a central objective to their community services, yet few take strong
positions as to why we educate, as education is often considered sufficient reason. Broadly, progressive
education seeks to empower learners to change the world, while conservative education seeks to
provide them with the tools to keep the current systems going. Hine says: “The deeper question of why
we want to educate should drive the form of education we propose. We should remember that Dewey’s
fundamental message was not about types of learning, but why this was important. The answer now is
that it was a century ago, is that the approach we call constructivism is what is needed to support
democracy, to educate a populace to be thinking, critical citizens. The criterion to apply to any idea is
does this idea lead to the direction of supporting the social and moral goals of a democratic society, or
hinder them?”
ASTC Session ’04: New Models V-8: 7
White Oak Associates, Inc. December 28, 2004
Public Dissemination
Museo Da Vida (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil):
Paolo Gadelha
30
Working in partnership with the schools and other organizations, museums can be effective tools for
the public dissemination of public health and other information, particularly with regard to lifestyle
and behavior. “The message is that science education, paired with community participation, can
effectively change risky behaviors and combat pernicious health conditions,” says Paulo Gadelha.
Teacher Professional Development
COSI (Toledo, OH):
Bill Booth
Science Museum of Minnesota (St. Paul, MN):
David Chittenden
31 Model B
Inquiry based learning is encouraged by schools, yet few teachers know how to use inquiry based
learning in the classroom to meet curriculum and national standards. Some science centers are taking
active roles in professional development for teachers. Reaching teachers in their early professional years
is most important, to provide a helping hand through their difficult learning curve. COSI Toledo has a
contract with the local school system to train elementary teachers.
Pipeline for Science Teachers
Contributed by Eric Siegel, NYHS
32
“The greatest leverage an urban science center has to improve science learning is through impact upon
science teaching. The youth programs that already exist in science centers offer a rich source of future
science teachers. [The New York Hall of Science is] exploring a way to address the critical shortage in
science teaching by offering our Career Ladder participants tuition wavers at pre-service education
programs at public colleges for an agreement to teach in the local system for a fixed period of time.
We hope to convince the City Department of Education that this is an investment that will result in a
cadre of diverse, city-wise science teachers.’
Partnerships for a Nation of Learners
CPB/IMLS
33
Funding agencies are moved by real collaborations, especially among non-profits with allied missions.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the Institute for Museum and Library Services have a
new funding initiative that supports collaborations among museums, libraries and public television.
This is part of a national program to encourage a Nation of Learners. Marsha Semmel at the IMLS
notes that “funded projects need to demonstrate how they will use the combined resources of
museums, libraries and public broadcasting (radio or television) stations to address community needs.
(See more at the web site, which will become the project’s ‘knowledge commons’:
www.partnershipforlearners.org.)” Such collaborations are also the goal of the AAM’s community and
museums program, and regional foundations are typically receptive to area non-profits collaborating on
joint educational and social ventures.
INSTITUTIONAL PARADIGMS
Community Resources vs. Tourist
Attractions
34
Science centers can be more like libraries, sports arenas, performing arts centers, parks and even zoos
that locals use on a regular, repeating basis and incorporate into their family’s lifestyle; the reverse is to
capitalize extremely fancy, but costly to change, visitor experiences that have must-see appeal to
tourists, but are likely to be a one-time visit for residents.
Family Learning Center
Exploration Place (Wichita, KS)
35 Model A
As a category, children’s museums make clear who their prime audience is with no subject expectations,
while most other museums are named by their subject matter (science, art and history), not their
audience. The use of family learning center is an attempt to expand that focus to an older audience,
ASTC Session ’04: New Models V-8: 8
White Oak Associates, Inc. December 28, 2004
implying a freedom to help families learn together in a wide range of subjects.
ASTC Session ’04: New Models V-8: 9
White Oak Associates, Inc. December 28, 2004
Current Science and Technology
Museum of Science (Boston, MA):
David Ellis
36 Model B
Keeping the public informed of the latest advances in science and technology, sometimes in partnership
with professional journals, is a way of providing a public forum for the presentation of new ideas and a
discussion of their implications.
Creativity as the Foundational Skill
Al DeSena
37
Creativity is the skill common to science, technology, arts and humanities. The creative skills –
imagine, express, design, inquire, nurture and explore – are inherently multidisciplinary and the basis
of play and learning. Building a museum around creativity is common to children’s museums and art
museums, and is an approach that might be applied to science centers and family learning centers
The Relationship Model
Institute for Learning Innovation (Annapolis, MD): John
Falk
38 Model A
Science centers have focused on their attendance numbers, which they have tried to keep high through
changing experiences and marketing, relyi ng on the attraction of their offerings. An alternate model
emphasizes the quality of a museum’s long-term offerings and programs in order to develop long-term
repeat relationships. The relationship model recognizes that museums and science centers can engage
individuals multiple times, provided there are a range of services, resources and social contexts that will
keep families and adults connected to the Center for multiple transactions for a range of related
products and services. This does not mean that a quality, and constantly changing visitor experience can
be ignored; on the contrary, the visitor experience is the foundation for the brand identity and the
clearest public statement of the institution’s core values. On this rock are built the institution’s other
services. The relationship model effectively diversifies the earned revenue sources.
Pilgrimage Sites
39
Some museums are in iconic locations, with broadly recognized impact on national themes and stories;
others contain collection objects of transcendent appeal. Such sites become pilgrimage destinations for
devotees and people directly affected by the story. Charleston’s role as the African-American Ellis
Island, Edison’s workshop and the Kennedy Space Center are physical connections to important
stories; the national museums of rock-and-roll, baseball and invention are examples of museums
creating a Mecca for a subject, and the Kansas Cosmoshere and the American Museum of Natural
History examples that draw because of the strength of their collections.
Kids Playing at Being Adults
Wannado City™ (Sawgrass Mill Mall, Sunrise, FL)
40
A successful Mexican attraction is expanding in the United States with a $40m commercial themed
environment installed in large shopping centers that offers a concept they call “real play,” in which kids
(4-11) can play over 250 make-believe job roles in over 60 settings, from firefighters to archeologists.
Their slogan is “Where kids can do what they Wannado.™” They describe themselves as “America’s
first indoor role-playing theme park.” The first U.S. installation opened in Florida, the second is
scheduled for New Jersey, and negotiations are underway for additional sites. The average visit will be
four to five hours, costing $24.95 for kids, and $15.95 for adults.
ASTC Session ’04: New Models V-8: 10
White Oak Associates, Inc. December 28, 2004
Agents of Change
Ontario Science Center (Toronto, Ontario, Canada):
Jennifer Martin
41 Model B
Along with The Exploratorium, Ontario Science Center was an early proponent of hands-on exhibits
interpreting scientific phenomena. Agents of Change is their new direction for the renovation of 25,000
SF of exhibits. It focuses on activities that they can do with the visitor rather than experiences that they
create for the visitor. A foundational goal will be to “empower visitors in problem solving, critical
thinking and scientific processes and to challenge visitors to be part of changing their worlds,” says
Jennifer Martin. OSC asks “What if we abandoned our attachment to exhibits and ‘science learning
outcomes’ in favor of encouraging innovation, collaboration, creativity and problem solving?”
Servant of Four Masters
White Oak Associates (Marblehead, MA):
John W. Jacobsen
42 Model A, B
Annual reports reveal a museum’s economic drivers. During the Attendance Decades (80’s and 90’s),
we were servants of three masters: Visitors, Sponsoring Investors (private and corporate supporters),
and the Community (public supporters and partners). As attendance declined at some museums, the
strength of a museum’s brand to develop other services has brought ancillary income and fee-based
programs out of the shadows and into management focus. A diversified collection of revenue producing
facilities, in addition to admissions and its spin-offs, effectively create a second category (“service
customers”) of earned revenue. This leads to the evolved Servant of Four Masters: Learners;
Sponsoring Investors (private supporters); Community Agencies (public supporters) and Service
Customers.
Forces on Program
43 Model B
New York Hall of Science’s Alan Friedman observes four forces on program development: Visitors;
Sponsors; Subject Matter Experts (often scientists), and Staff. While these last two forces on
programming are not part of a museum’s four major categories of revenue, they have significant
influence and bring their own agendas and biases. Ethically, final editorial control must rest with a
museum’s staff, just as a responsible newspaper has some distance between editorial decisions and
publishing wants. Note that some major revenue sources are seldom involved in any program planning
process: legislators and planning agencies do not join workshops; function renters are not invited, and
corporate sponsors are appropriately kept at arms length. Long-term, however, an institution must
serve the needs of its main revenue sources, roughly in proportion to their share. Revenue sources
whose needs are not met by the programming will eventually dry up (except endowment).
Urban Learning Center
44
Combining a major public library, a community-based museum and a program facility like New York’s
92nd
St. Y is the model for an urban learning center. The synergy of these different learning
methodologies and resources deepens the potential impact – the museum engages, the library builds
capacity through its deep information, and the programs continue the learning in more focused and
committed ways. With three or more venues dedicated to learning, yet clearly differentiated (not a
museum complex) an urban learning center will be alive with a diversity of audiences and program
presenters.
ASTC Session ’04: New Models V-8: 11
White Oak Associates, Inc. December 28, 2004
Lab and a Network
Goery Delacote (Exploratorium, SF)
45

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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