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
>
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