User-based perspective in museums

Leah Edelman

10/15/13

LIS 531V

Mahard

Blog Post #1

My library science and archives education has focused much on the users of libraries and archives: who they are, what they need, what we as information professionals must do to allow them access to our holdings and keep them satisfied with our institution’s services. Before taking this class, I thought of museums a little differently. To me, museums seemed less user-centered in that they are institutions with usually one-time and much more casual “visitors” (as opposed to “users”), and these visitors interact with the holdings in a much more superficial manner. Access is one mode fits all: read the blurbs or take a tour. Museum staff are also not usually at the behest of visitor requests. However, taking this class and going through the readings have helped me to see that museums, from some of their earliest theoretical conceptions through their present incarnations, actually are quite user-focused, especially regarding their emphasis on public interest and education. I want to focus on museums and users in this post as it’s the area with which I have the least familiarity.

As early as the 1790’s, Charles Wilson Peale emphasized popular education and bringing his collections to the public. Jumping to more recent centuries, Frederic Lucas in “Purposes and Aims of Modern Museums” stressed the museum’s functions of collecting, preserving, researching, exhibiting, and most importantly, educating. He wrote that museums are educational institutions whose language should be understood by all, and that they should teach patrons to observe and think (Museum Origins, 58). This correlates with his idea that museums should illustrate ideas rather than objects. These two authors also stress the idea of appealing to the visitor and arousing their interest.

Moving beyond arousing interest, and perhaps bridging the gap between museums and archives, Ruben Gold Thwaites wrote in the early 20th century on state and local historical societies, noting that “arousing and maintaining public interest is, of itself, an important function of an historical society” (Museum Origins, 78) which should be done through community outreach in the form of lectures, events, work with schools, etc. This shows a move towards drawing in the community and providing access in ways other than simply the collections.

John Cotton Dana expands on this idea, writing on the concept of the “new museum” and introducing the notion that a museum should specifically serve its community (perhaps bringing it into closer connection with libraries and archives). Dana scoffs at idea of a museum that, by size or scope or style, would alienate the general public. He advocates for opportunities for formal and informal learning, and for museums to entertain, instruct, make accessible, and perform outreach to a community according to its needs (Museum Origins 139-141). This includes going outside the museum and into schools and public spaces, and making the museum as user-friendly as possible through space and style considerations.

I can see these ideas gelling in modern incarnations of museums, from interactive kids exhibits, to cultural events, to social gatherings for young adult patrons, etc. The takeaway here for me seems to be that whereas before I thought museums had their set topics, and visitors could come or not come and use the museum in the guided manner or not use it at all, museums do work to attract users and keep them interested, and help them engage with their holdings in thoughtful ways. Broadening my conception of the user-based perspective and applying it to museums has helped me to see that this is one major area of common practice in LAMs.

Bibliography

Dana, John Cotton. “The New Museum.” Museum Origins. Genoways and Andrei, editors. 2008. 137-142.

Lucas, Frederic A. “Purpose and Aims of Modern Museums.” Museum Origins. Genoways and Andrei, editors. 2008. 57-60.

Twaites, Reuben Gold. “State and Local Historical Societies.” Museum Origins. Genoways and Andrei, editors. 2008. 73-78.