Hi Heidi,
Our Museum also charges $3 admission, and there is some unwillingness to pay
it.  To some degree, I think it is the fact our summer visitation is largely
cruise ship passengers, and a lot of their trip is pre-paid.  However, it is
important to remember that people tend to value something they pay for more
than something that is free.  Furthermore, admission almost never covers the
true expense of running a museum (or a public transit system or any number
of heavilty subsidized public services.)   While many big institutions
charge, some do not, most notably the many museums in the Smithsonian
system.  In the winter, our visitation is mostly locals, and we have been
lucky enough to have a few local Museum supporters pay for the admission to
be free for everyone October through April.  Our admission sign is changed
to a thank you sign in the winter, and people are able to pop in casually
all winter long.   I think this is especially nice with users of our
hands-on kids room.

Ellen Carrlee
Curator of Collections and Exhibits
Juneau-Douglas City Museum

-----Original Message-----
From: Heidi Campbell-Shoaf [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wednesday, June 23, 2004 10:15 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: reaction to admission fees


The credit card discussion reminded me of a curiosity that occurs at our
site and I was wondering if others have it too.  We have potential visitors
come in to our museum and when they see they have to pay $3.00 for a guided
tour they decide against it. We offer free admission for children 18 and
younger, a $1.00 discount for AAA members or a $1.00 discount for Maryland
Visitor's Pass holders (available free from the MD office of tourism). I
find it interesting that some people would think nothing of paying $3.00 at
Starbucks for coffee or at McDonald's for a Big Mac or three times that
amount for a ticket to the movies but balk at the idea of paying for a tour
of a museum.  Has anyone else found the public unwilling to pay for
admission to your museum? I know we are on the low end for admission fees,
particularly for a private, non-profit, AAM-accredited museum.


Heidi Campbell-Shoaf
Curator
Historical Society of Frederick County
24 E. Church St.
Frederick, MD 21718
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