I am interested in your ability to develop appropriate Benchmarks for
Museums.  One might be able to if one felt that the role of the Museum is
strictly cognitive gain.  If however, the role of museums is functioning
as part of an educational infrastructure, then Isincerely feel that you
are asking the wrong question entirely.  How do you "benchmark" a
bridge.  Its value is in the sorts of interactions that it permits to
take place.e.g. getting from Marin County, Ca to San Fransisco.
Similarly one cannot benchmark a library.  We can only look to what its
absence would mean.
 
Since our audiences are diverse in terms of age and background, cognitive
benchmarks are doomed to failure, and set Museums up for failure.
 
I am afraid that you hit a "hot button" with me.  Please read the
research of Mark St. John, and John Falk.  They create a compelling case
for a more "infrastructure" model for the Museum experience.
 
As the work of John Falk and Lynn Dierking have pointed out "cognitive
gain is enhanced most by making sure that the visitors have had their
"creature comforts" e.g. letting people know where the bathrooms are,
where they will be eating lunch, and where the bus will be parked, taken
care of as opposed to providing facts and process.  I dispair at you
approach.
 
Sincerely,
 
Thomas Krakauer
President and CEO
North Carolina Museum of Life and Science
Durham, NC
[log in to unmask]
 
On Fri, 10 Feb 1995, Director wrote:
 
> Currently there is considerable interest in "re-engineered" institutions in
> developing performance measures - both effectiveness and efficiency.
> Performance measures however only have meaning when they are measured against
> a standard.  While professional museum practises are well known and well
> articulated, there is less assurance even in Australia, New Zealand or
> Britain, as to what might be appropriate benchmarks against which performance
> might be measured.  For example at some museums, performance could be
> measured by increase in knowledge gained after viewing an exhibit.  All well
> and good but what would be the benchmark - a 5% 10% or 20% gain. I will be
> contacting the Benchmark Institute in Texas for their ideas but I am
> interested in any benchmarking exercise that museums might have undertaken in
> the last while.
> Dr.Frits Pannekoek
> Director, Historic Sites and Archives
> Cultural Facilities and Historical Resources Division
> Alberta Community Development
> 8820-112 Street
> Edmonton, Alberta
>