Jay Heuman wrote:
>I would say 30-45 minutes is
> fine . . . more than 45 minutes is pushing the limits of that average
> visitor if you consider "museum fatigue."

Given today's audio-guide technologies, I would not say that this is
true any more. It used to be that you were limited to following a set
path, starting and stopping a tape player. This format I would say that
Jay's advice is sound if you are using this format.

Today there are a variety of random access systems available. Using
these tools, you can provide content appealing to broader audiences.

This fall, The Tech Museum of Innovation will be introducting an audio
tour system to our museum. One program will provide access to people who
can't read exhibit labels. As visitors explore the museum they enter
posted exihibit numbers into the audio want to hear information about
the exhibits and how to operate them. A secondary program discusses
exhibits' Silicon Valley connections. These will be available in
English, Spanish, Vietnamese, German, and Japanese.

Other examples:

The audio-guide for the Gold exhibit at the Oakland Museum of California
included a version for children and another for adults. The children's
version had shorter messages, told lots of stories, and was very
animated. The adult version provided more detailed information and was
clearly written for a more advanced educational level.

The Pequot Museum in Connecticut has a walk-through village environment
that is interpreted entirely by audio. Visitors enter station numbers
(which are set into the floor) into the wand to hear a brief description
of what is happening at the scene. Then they are given one or two
options to hear more -- perhaps an expert describing how archaeological
evidence helped them learn about this activity or someone describing how
the jewelry is made. This is the most impressive use of audio technology
that I have seen. It offered lots of options to visitors who have a
variety of interests.

--
Susan B.F. Wageman
Evaluation Manager                       [log in to unmask]
The Tech Museum of Innovation            408-795-6303
201 South Market Street                  fax: 408-279-7167
San Jose, California USA 95113           http://www.thetech.org

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