>I am helping a museum/interpretive center revise its master plan and am
>seeking feedback on the visitor/community input aspects of the process...


The Museum Impact and Evaluation Study (MIES), published in 1993 by the
Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, might be a good "read" for you.
I was recently loaned a copy and found it a very informative resource on
the visitor's relationship with the museum.   It was a research project by
nine science and children's museums, with the goal:  "to study the
relationships repeat visitors form with exhibits and with museums as a
whole."   It comes in a three volume set (ISBN 0-9638657-0-6), but you may
want to peruse volume  one or two before you decide if you want the whole
thing.  I believe volume two is available separately (ISBN 0-9638657-2-2).
 Someone on this list probably has a phone number or e-mail address, but
here's the mailing address:

Museum of Science and Industry
57th Street and Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL  60637

You may want to check out "The Museum Experience" by Falk and Dierking as
well.  It's a frequent "prescription."  (ISBN 0-929590-07-4)

Both of the above get into the social and personal aspects (affective
domain) of a museum visit.

Sincerely,

Bill

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William H. Stirrat  (Bill)
Evaluator/Market Researcher              ? !
Our Minnesota Science Hall                  o
Science Museum of Minnesota          /( )\
30 East 10th Street                                    /\
St. Paul, MN  55101
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