> At the Dallas Museum of Art Collections Information Center, we have been
> able to deal with patrons who are technophobic or who have limited
> knowledge of information technology in several ways; the first most
> effective way is to have a staff person or volunteer available who can
> give one-on-one instruction in the use of the computer application;
> secondly, for those who are shy, we have printed documentation at each
> workstation -- both in-depth and 'quick start' versions; and thirdly, we
> have experimented with holding formal and informal group instruction
> sessions. All of this is in addition to online help.
>
> One additional note, our public access software emits a 'beep' tone
> whenever the user hits a keystroke command in error. I almost turned this
> feature off at first, as it is slightly annoying for users and staff.
> However, we found that for a number of users who refuse to ask for help
> (mostly male users, like myself), we can pinpoint when they are having
> trouble with the software by the number of beeps emitted from their
> terminal. On a really bad day, usually before a storm front comes in, a
> distressed user can make the terminal sound like a pinball machine or a
> one-armed bandit.
>
> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
> Kevin J. Comerford | internet: [log in to unmask]
> Visual Resource Librarian / | compuserve: 71233,2412
> Manager of Information Technology | voice: 214-922-1281
> Dallas Museum of Art | fax: 214-954-0174
> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
>
>
> On Tue, 22 Nov 1994, Bill Humm wrote:
>
> > When implementing high-technology solutions in museum environments (i.e.
> > interactivity, computers, etc.) how are issues of access being addressed?
> > This question is not only concerned with ADA aspects, but also
> > technological literacy, technophobia, and those visitors who simply resist
> > the use of technology within a museum environment?
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