Anne Lane wrote: > We are looking for some ideas about the naming of museums. At the Visitor Studies Association meeting last summer, Jennifer Lanning of the Minnesota Historical Society presented an interesting poster session about names, "What's in a Name? Public Perceptions of Venue Names." They tested types of names with local residents to learn what they might mean - before naming their new facility. Although the names were classic - history center, historic site, heritage center, etc. - you might be interested in their methodology. I know from The Tech's experience that whatever name you choose must resonate with your audiences. Our institution's name used to be "The Technology Center of Silicon Valley" and our museum was called "The Garage." Although meaningful to us, these names could be confusing to visitors. Many people equated "technology center" with "convention center" or "industry cluster." And, just imagine what you would think if you saw the word "Garage" on a map! -- Susan B.F. Wageman Evaluation Manager [log in to unmask] The Tech Museum of Innovation 408-795-6303 201 South Market Street fax: 408-279-7167 San Jose, California USA 95113 http://www.thetech.org ========================================================= 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).