William - I think it is fair to say, based on statistics within our state historic sites division and based on what I hear informally through the sites/open-air msueum network, that these museums are struggling to sustain a level attendance and many are seeing drops in attendance during the past several years - even the big ones out East. It seems to be a national phenomenon. Our sites division has cut our operating hours in 2002 because of falling attendance. I don't think anyone has a good idea about why this is happening. Perhaps one should propose to an appropriate professional organization such as AASLH, that they conduct a marketing study to determine the cause and some solutions. I suspect the cause is more universal and not local or regional in scope. Judy Meyerdierks [log in to unmask] >>> [log in to unmask] 01/12/02 08:57PM >>> We (the Oregon Heritage Commission) annually collect data from about one-third of Oregon's heritage institutions. Preliminary analysis of our information collected for 2001 shows a drop in visitation for that one-third. The relevant figures are 1.8-million for 1999, 1.7 million for 2000, and 1.1-million for 2001. Although the year-to-year comparisons are not exact because some of the reporting institutions change each year, the 2001 figures seem to indicate a significant decline in attendance although 2001 figures hours open, volunteer hours, and operating/capital expenditures do not vary significantly from 1999 and 2000. I'd be interested to know if a similar decline in attendance has been found for either statistically or anecdotally at other heritage facilities in the United States. William S. Hanable Manager, Oregon Heritage Commission [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). ========================================================= 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).