A B s T R A c T This article presents results from an ongoing research project that investigates the experiences visitors find satisfying in museums. Using a list constructed from interviews with visitors and surveys, data were obtained from visitors in nine Smithsonian museums. Analysis of the results showed that experiences can be classified into four categories: Object experiences, Cognitive experiences, Introspective experiences, and Social experiences. The article points out that the type of most satisfying experience differs according to the characteristics of museums, exhibitions, and visitors. It also proposes an interpretation for these data, and suggests some possible applications.
This paper discusses three different attitudes that museums hold towards their visitors: stranger, guest, and client.Stranger: This attitude arises when the museum believes that its primary responsibility is to the collection and not to the public.Guest: From this point of view, the museum wants to "do good" for visitors out of a sense of mission, primarily through "educational" activities and institutionally defined "learning objectives."Client: This paper suggests that social trends will force museums to adopt attitudes and behaviors in which the museum is accountable to the visitor. Institutions will then acknowledge that visitors, as clients, have needs, expectations, and wants that the museum is obligated to understand and meet.The paper also discusses four major categories that describe the types of experiences that individuals prefer and find most satisfying in museums. The categories are based on empirical research conducted in nine different Smithsonian museums. The categories are:Social experiences center on one or more other people, besides the visitor.Object experiences give prominence to the artifact or the "real thing."Cognitive experiences emphasize the interpretive or intellectual aspects of the experience.Introspective experiences focus on the visitor's personal reflections, usually triggered by an object or a setting in the museum.The paper concludes with a brief discussion of the museum settings, or servicescapes," that support or detract from the experiences of visitors./ I
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