> Also, about a year and a half ago we had a feasibility study looking toward
> a new, larger museum. The firm that did the study said 'museum' is becoming
> an unpopular label.  People no longer want to visit a museum, they want a
> 'Center' or something else more catchy with lots of interactives, an IMAX,
> and a few artifacts.  I disagreed.  Are they right?

> Jerrie Clarke
> Curator of Collections
> Valdez Museum

Goodness, I hope not!  I still think there are people out there who like
to go to quiet places where they can contemplate at their own pace. They
are not asking to be "entertained" and bombarded with special effects.
   If we history museum people are worried about not attracting enough
people, we need to do more marketing, that's true. We can up the
numbers, but I don't think that every musuem has to be a constant
blockbuster in order to provide the service of making history available
to everyone -- who wants it. Quite often we have other things to offer
the public besides our exhibits...what about research facilities?
Places to have meetings?  Places to hold classes or lectures on history?
Being the place to which the local library refers patrons in need of
in-depth historical information?  AND being the place that the chamber
of commerce lauds as the local answer to "culcher" when promoting the
town as a tourism destination?  It seems to me that our smaller
museums, at least, can be very personal and user-friendly and not just
places for hoards of mindless tourists to run through in order to say
they've "been."
   Less is often more.
   It's mid-Monday morning and I will now have a cup of coffee. Thank
you for listening.

Cynthia Ogorek
Matteson Historical Museum
Matteson, IL

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