BAY AREA RESEARCH PROJECT: A MULTICULTURAL AUDIENCE STUDY FOR BAY AREA MUSEUMS

Volume I and Volume II
Museum Management Consultants, Inc.
This project was designed to determine how the ethnic and cultural backgrounds of various groups living in the San Francisco Bay area effect attitudes and behaviors with regard to museums and leisure activities.

Volume I introduces the project, methodology, findings, conclusions, and the survey instrument.

Volume II contains in-depth statistical tabulations for each question on the instrument.

Each volume is sold separately and distributed by the American Association of Museums.

MUSEUMS, ADULTS AND THE HUMANITIES: A Guide for Educational Programming

Preface by Adrienne Horn
American Association of Museums

This book is the result of four separate AAM seminars including: Relating the Humanities to the Museum; Adults as Learners; Lifelong Learning and the Museum; and Developing Humanities Programs for Adults. The publication captures and preserves the substance of the oral programs by stimulating the broader interest of museum professionals in the humanities as a way to reach a larger segment of the adult public. Providing the structure for the book, the seminars presented academic humanists points-of-view, looking at the audience of adult visitors for whom these programs are designed, applying adult learning concepts, and case studies.

CHARTING THE IMPACT OF MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS: UNDERSTANDING THE PUBLIC’S PERSPECTIVE.

Technical Leaflet in the American Association for State and Local History’s History News, Winter 1999 Issue
Written by Adrienne Horn, President, Museum Management Consultants, Inc. and Gail Anderson, former Vice President, Museum Management Consultants, Inc.

By invitation from the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH), MMC authored a technical leaflet explaining evaluation as a tool for strengthening museum exhibitions. The article focuses on helping museum leaders determine what approach is best suited for the particular exhibition needs in their organizations. Although the article was written specifically for history museum professionals, the evaluation methods discussed can be used to assess the broad range of public programs that museums offer.

AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT: A DEFINITION

Article included in the Washington State Historical Society’s Washington Heritage Bulletin’s Fall 1998 edition
Written by Marnie Burke, former staff at Museum Management Consultants, Inc.

Techniques for building audiences and strengthening community relations are described in this brief, but informative article. Through initiating grassroots involvement, making an institutional commitment to audiences, and becoming directly involved with the community, museums are converting first-time visitors into museum "users."

RESEARCH AND REALITY

Article included in the Washington State Historical Society’s Washington Heritage Bulletin’s Summer 1998 edition
Written by Marnie Burke, former staff at Museum Management Consultants, Inc.

Professionals in the museum field share their stories of success and failure in collecting and using audience research through interviews with the author. Paired with citations from well-known audience researchers, this article provides an excellent overview of the reasons why museum personnel should get to know their visitors; how to effectively use the data collected; who commits to collecting visitor information; and some surprising outcomes of audience research.