I feel compelled to reply to David Haberstich's comments which characterizes
American museum visitors as so many Visigoths-At-The-Gates.

I  worked as a First-Person Interpreter and a Living History Craftsman for
seven years, sometimes encountering 2000 visitors during one busy summer's
day.  I have worked as a Museum Conservator for 8 years now and have often
encountered visitors to our Historic exhibition buildings  & Museums.

I must say that in my limited experience I have found that visitors are
almost universally well-behaved and if gently reminded by a staff person (or
even a fellow visitor) 99.9 percent of them sheepishly apologise for any
indiscretion.  It is apparent that they act out of ignorance rather than
intent.

I must say that in my limited experience that there are more problems with
object/human interactions with Museum staff than with visitors.

I do think that we often give our visitors conflicting information as was so
humorously pointed out but Eric Siegel's Fire Drill incident.  Often visitors
will have interactive exhibits which beacon them to Touch...then they see
barriers and signs which tell them not to touch.   Visitors to historic sites
will see costumed interpreters handling reproduction objects and because we
are so eager to suspend their belief to lend credulity to the moment we often
to not relate to them the differences.

We need to gently educate both our staffs and visitors as to object awareness
and respect and we need to convey very clear & concise information as to the
nature of our exhibitions - be they reproduction or original.

We also need to treat our visitors with respect as sentient beings with
intelligence and the capacity to learn.  We may debate amongst ourselves
about the virtues of "entertainment" vs. "edification" in formulating our
pedagogical-orientations but how many of us take the time to smile at a
visitor and say "hello", to answer a question,  or to have a pleasant
conversation with one of our "guests".   This may seem rather old fashioned
but such a credo of Hospitality was the cornerstone of my early training at
Williamsburg.  It is the bedrock foundation of our approach to cultivating
visitors who return and return again-and-again.  We now have grandparents,
who once first found us as children, who now return with the children of
their sons & daughters.

Just as you can intuitively judge a person's openness or hostility by body
language visitors judge our instituions as they enter our grounds,
 buildings, exhibitions, and even our rest rooms.  I suspect that this is why
so many instituions put such effort into the visual aesthetics of their
facilities.  We know that if the place is immaculately "tended" that the
visitors will develop of sense of respect and specialness which they may not
encounter elsewhere in their day.

The so-called "reverance" which Mr. Haberstich touts so loudly about is
directly related to self-esteem & respect in human relations:  respect begats
respect.

Staff in my institution can be instantly fired for rudeness to
visitors...almost none are fired for touching objects.  As a conservator I
know that we often have the loudest voices about such indiscretions.  I must
admit that I have sometimes found myself thinking, "There outta be a law!".
 But deep in my heart I also know that it is often the better course to
educate, inform, and reform errant behavior.

Given the passion of his commentary I can only wonder how Mr. Haberstich
would fare in such a visitor-oriented insititution?

Dave

David Harvey
Conservator of Metals & Arms
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
P.O. Box 1776
Williamsburg, VA  23197-1776   USA
voice:     804-220-7039
e-mail:  [log in to unmask]