For the record, I do not feel strongly that museums should or should not
charge admission in general.  I think it needs be decided on a case by case
basis.  I *do* believe strongly that it should be a carefully considered
and, if possible, evidence-based decision (not just a "this is what we have
always done" or "this is what everyone else is doing" issue).  I would like
to make sure I have considered all aspects before I make a recommendation.

On Wed, Dec 15, 2010 at 10:05 AM, Heather McClenahan <
[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> We do not charge admission for two reason: 1) Your tax dollars at work.
> About a third of our operating budget is supplied by our county government,
> and we don't think residents ought to pay us twice. 2) The science museum
> two blocks away from us is run by Los Alamos National Laboratory. Since it
> is also a taxpayer-funded institution, it doesn't charge admission. There's
> no way we could "compete."
>
> When it comes to museums, I don't buy the "perceived value of the
> experience" argument. The Smithsonian doesn't charge admission, and how can
> you get a better museum experience than that?
>
> Heather McClenahan, assistant museum director
> Los Alamos Historical Society
> http://www.losalamoshistory.org
> [log in to unmask]
> PO Box 43
> 1050 Bathtub Row
> Los Alamos, NM 87544
> 505-662-6272 (office)
> 505-470-2912 (cell)
>
>  Quoting Casandra Karl <[log in to unmask]>:
>
> Hello all!
>>
>> I recently had a discussion with the Director of a small local  historical
>> museum regarding the pros and cons of charging an  admission fee to museum
>> visitors (she casually asked for my opinion  and it turned into a *huge*
>> discussion).  She argued that charging  admission would reduce visitorship
>> and not really generate much  income anyway (I actually agree with the
>> second point somewhat).  I  argued that charging a small amount (say $2)
>> would increase the  perceived value of the experience and give the museum a
>> bargaining  chip by offering "free admission" to members or for special days
>> or  events.
>>
>> Does your museum charge admission?  What factors influenced the  decision
>> of whether or not to charge admission at your institution?   If you can cite
>> evidence/resources to back-up your position, that  would be helpful as well.
>>
>> Thank you.
>>
>> -Cass
>>
>> =========================================================
>> Important Subscriber Information:
>>
>> The Museum-L FAQ file is located at
>> http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed
>>  information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail
>>  message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message
>>  should read "help" (without the quotes).
>>
>> If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail  message to
>> [log in to unmask] . The body of the message  should read
>> "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).
>>
>>
> =========================================================
> Important Subscriber Information:
>
> The Museum-L FAQ file is located at
> http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed
> information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message
> to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read
> "help" (without the quotes).
>
> If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to
> [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read
> "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).
>

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).