The thread on fee /no fee has been really interesting. David Haberstich wrote: "I too would bet that the entertainment and amusement park industries have done studies about raising and lowering prices-in order to arrive at the optimum fee for the most profit. But do you really think such studies would be useful in helping a non-profit museum decide on "free vs. fee"? If I recall correctly, that was the original issue." Does anyone have a bibliography of articles or studies used in the profit world in setting fees? Shedd, as with many institutions, relies on a group of revenue sources. The mix of income is rather dynamic, especially when viewed in the long term. 1. Admissions and earned revenue 2. Funding solicited through the development department, including government grants, annual appeal, capital fund for expansion, corporations etc. 3. Tax support (special levy shared by nine museums located on Chicago Park District property) 4. Income from our endowment (rather unusual for a zoo or aquarium). We have the greatest control of # 1, of course, and have recently raised our admission price and established a discount for Chicago residents, who support us through the special tax levy. I'm tracking the impact (i.e. any changes in income level of visitors, awareness of resident discount and other special programs designed to improve access to the museum, patterns of visitation) but this is all after the fact - prices have already been raised. Any help would be appreciated. I know many of the studies in the for-profit world are considered proprietary. Linda Wilson John G. Shedd Aquarium Visitor Studies and Evaluation 1200 S. Lake Shore Drive Phone: 312 692 3261 Chicago, IL 60605 FAX 312 939 8677 E-mail: [log in to unmask] ========================================================= 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).