Jim - We are moving into a new 190,000 facility this fall with opening to
public in fall, 1999.  See web page at www.omnh.ou.edu

I'd apprecitate a copy of your compliations or findings,  Thanks!

You wrote:

>We are attempting to gather demographic information  to help build a new
>marketing program, create a new system wide logo, and in short get our
>act together prior to a move into our new main facility.  As part of
>this research we would like to hear from other similar institutions.

OK!

>The Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites is a system that combines a
>natural history, cultural history, and art museum with 16 historic homes
>whose interpretation ranges from the 1820s through the 1940s.  Our
>operating budget is 4 million dollars annually.  We are state supported
>as part of the Indiana Department of NAtural Resources, and we attract
>300,000-500,000 visitors annually system wide.

We have a very similar institution and estimates for attendence about the
same.
>
>We want to know the following from other museums and museum systems that
>are similar:
>
>1.) What is your operating budget? What is the primary source of these
>funds and is there a different source for acquisition funds?

It will be about $3.2 M.  State funds through the University of Oklahoma.
 No source for aquisition as yet but we are building endowment for this.

>2.)  What is your annual attendance?  Have you done further demographic
>studies of this number?  What were the results?

Has been about 100,000 attendence. estimated that wi will be over
250,000. maybe 400,000.  Yes. we looked at attendance figures form other
institutions that we "compete" with and alos looked at projections for
community growth, new highways, and factors such as the establishment of
a marketing program.

>3.)  What percentage of your operating funds are spent on marketing and
>advertising?  Has this increased or decreased recently?  What were the
>results?

We are going to hire two development/marketing staff for the first time
ever.  No budget yet determined.  The result s will be excellent because
we have never been able to capitalize on all the free advertising and
help that was availalbe (e.g., we can reach 76,000 people in person
through our footbal scoreboard, even in losing years!)

>4.)  Describe the institution or the museum system to which you belong -
>size of staff, size of collection, scope of exhibit program, types of
>collections, etc.

There are 5 million artifact and specimens, also art objets such as
Native Americna art that relate to natural hsitory.  We are the
designated state museum and our governace is with OU.  Heavy academic
teaching, research and strong public component (e.g., we have traveling
exhibit program that reaches over 250,000/year in Oklahoma & other states
regionally).  Size of new facioity is 190,000 SF on 60 acres of land.
Staff will grow to about 100 FTE by 2000.

>5.)  Who is your competition?  Are you fighting for tourists or locals?

Our competition is other activites at OU and large museum such as the
Cowboy Hall of Fame in OKC
>
>I will be happy to share any of the information I compile with any and
>all of the respondents.

Thanks.

Peter B. Tirrell, Associate Director
Oklahoma Museum of Natural History
The University of Oklahoma
1335 Asp Avenue
Norman, Oklahoma   73019-6071
tel:  (405) 325-1009
Fax:  (405) 325-7699
OMNH web page: http://www.omnh.ou.edu/
also:  president, Association of College and University
Museums and Galleries(ACUMG) www.omnh.ou.edu/acumg/