This documents outlines the strategy for evaluating the re-development
of the displays and visitor facilities of the Museum and Art Gallery,
Kelvingrove from July 1999 to July 2004.
It identifies a number of strategic goals that support the Museum’s
overall mission and aims, and particularly the objectives of the
re-display and developments taking place over the next years.
The evaluation of the new displays and the study of the visitors
will play a crucial part in achieving these aims.
This evaluation strategy outlines the main principles, approaches,
and methods for assessing the use and effect of the Museum’s
new displays and facilities, as well as key actions that should
be implemented in the Museum’s everyday practice.
The aim of this strategy document is to:
- set out the overall vision and context for the development
of evaluation work in the Museum
- ensure that the Museum staff understand the aims of the evaluation
and how it can be incorporated in their everyday work
- inform visitors and interested bodies how the Museum intends
to implement evaluation to improve communication with its audience
(both current and targeted) and the provision of services
- assist in the communication and potential collaboration with
external evaluation and other related consultants and researchers
The design of this strategy is set in the wider context of the
cultural heritage community, where there is increasing recognition
of the importance of evaluation, particularly when new technologies
are used in displays and services (e.g. Department for Culture,
Media and Sport 1999; Stiff 1998). Despite this increased awareness
however, remarkably few institutions carry out systematic evaluation,
even though they spend considerable resources in developing new
exhibitions and applications. Even when evaluation studies are
undertaken, they tend to be individual efforts of limited scope,
without forming part of an overall plan or strategy. In most cases,
evaluation work continues to be brought in at the last stages
of projects, rather than be carefully thought out at the beginning
and be integrated in the development process. The Museum recognises
the important role that evaluation and audience consultation have
to play in all its activities, and in this project in particular,
where they are seen as an integral part of the re-development,
to be employed at all its stages.
CONTENTS
1 INTRODUCTION
2 BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT
2.1 The Museum and Art Gallery, Kelvingrove
2.2 The re-development of displays and visitor facilities
2.3 Purpose of the evaluation of re-development of displays
and visitor facilities
2.4 Why evaluate museum displays, services, and facilities?
2.5 Evaluation to date
3 EVALUATION OBJECTIVES AND RELEVANT ACTIONS
GENERAL OBJECTIVES
3.1 Key Objective 1: Maintain an informed picture of the
profile of visitors to the Museum
3.2 Key Objective 2: Try to understand what visitors want
from a visit, their interests, preferences, and needs (qualitative
evaluation)
3.3 Key Objective 3: Communicate with non-visitors and
study their reasons for not visiting the Museum
3.4 Key Objective 4: Involve all members of curatorial
and exhibition development staff with evaluation procedure
and communication with the visitors
3.5 Key Objective 5: Keep in touch with the latest developments
in visitor studies and evaluation research and translate
their relevance to the Museum
OBJECTIVES RELATED TO SPECIFIC ASPECTS OF THE PROJECT
3.6 Key Objective 6: Improve physical and intellectual
access to the building
3.7 Key Objective 7: Improve physical access to the collections
3.8 Key Objective 8: Improve intellectual access to the
collections
3.9 Key Objective 9: Create an Orientation Centre to improve
the orientation and experience of visitors
3.10 Key Objective 10: Create discovery, event, and display
study centres to enhance visitors' experience
3.11 Key Objective 11: Create Object Cinemas to enhance
visitors' experience
3.12 Key Objective 12: Create Story displays to enhance
visitors' experience
3.13 Key Objective 13: Improve visitor facilities
4 EVALUATION TIMESCALE AND COSTS
5 APPENDIX: Introduction to museum evaluation and visitor studies
5.1 Definitions and aims of museum evaluation
5.2 Short history and theoretical approaches to evaluation
5.3 Problems and difficulties
5.4 Types of evaluation
5.5 Evaluation methods and tools
6 BIBLIOGRAPHY
