Please Touch Museum®

Museum Resource/Research Room Questionnaire

 

Please fill out the questions by copying this section to a new message then typing in your response and e-mailing the completed questionnaire back to [log in to unmask] as soon as possible.

 

1. How was the importance of a resource/research room determined? What process led to the decision?

 

We have such a number of archival documents and photos that it has been considered an essential element of our public service to provide a resource/research room.

 

 

2. What was involved in the planning of the resource/research room?  Feel free to mention anything you and others did.

 

It has been in existence so long that I don’t know what planning was involved.  It existed before I worked here.

 

3. Who was involved in planning and designing the resource/research room?  What were their roles?

 

The archivist planned the space.

 

4. How was its location chosen? Is it connected to or near the store? Are rest rooms and or water fountains nearby? Are you satisfied with its placement?

 

We have always made do with whatever space was available and secure.  It was first on the 3^rd

floor of the county courthouse, and is now is our “Franklin Co. Records & Research Center.”

This is a separate county-owned facility from our museums.

 

5. How was the resource/research room designed? What does it look like?  Describe

its important design features.

           

      It is a large room with folding tables and comfortable but stackable chairs and decent light.  It is              

      A reading room.  Articles to be examined are kept in other, safe areas, and brought out to the     

      researchers.

 

6. What changes or adjustments in planning and design happened along the way?

 

      The room was also usable as a meeting room, so sufficient chairs, a lecturn and a pull-down

      screen were added to enhance its usefulness.

 

7. Is there a fee to use the services?  What is the cost?

 

      There is no cost.

 

8. How is it staffed? Are there any qualifying credentials that one must have to be staffed there? 

 

      We staff it with our archivist, my office is there in case several groups of researchers come, and more help is needed.  There is usually a volunteer or two working there.  

 

9. Who are the intended users of the resource/research room? Who actually uses the resource/research room?  How extensively do they use it?

 

      Family researchers and local history researchers were the intended users.  That’s pretty much who we get, though we also host elementary, secondary, and college classes on occasion.

      As the popularity of the internet has grown, we have equal numbers of email contacts and live users.

 

10. Please describe what happens in your resource/research room.

 

      People come in, are greeted and asked to sign in.  We discuss what items they need to consult, and they sit down in the reading room and wait for us to bring the materials to them.

 

11. What materials are offered?  What materials are most often used? Are the materials connected to the exhibits?  How?

 

       We offer the use of all our materials, both primary and secondary, though restrictions apply to

            Some items which are restricted, such as county lunacy records.  Sometimes the users must don white cotton gloves to handle delicate items.

 

12. Are these materials available to be lent out? How does the lending out process work? - Are you happy with this system?

 

      No, nothing circulates.  We offer photocopies and scans of items for a fee.  The ever-increasing demand has created a time-consuming activity, but that only requires more help.

 

13. Are you a collecting institution? Are there any collections displayed in the resource/research room? Do the collections tie into the exhibits in your gallery? How much space is allotted to the collections in the resource/research room? How often are the collections changed within the resource/research room, if at all?

 

       We provide a changing number of artifacts from our archives to the public library which puts them on display for a month or so.  Their traffic is so much higher than ours, it is the best use of these items.

 

14. Is your resource/research room child friendly? Are there children’s books or toys?

Are there any programs offered through the resource/research room? What types of programs are offered if any?

 

      While we do provide paper, crayons, markers and such, we don’t have a special children’s area,

      and I wouldn’t call it especially child friendly.  We have on our education goals list the idea of

      developing special tours of the records center for school children, but that is not developed yet.

 

15. What aspects of the resource/research room have been the best?  What has worked less well?  Is there anything that you would change or add to the resource/research room and Why?

 

       I would like to add a magnifier for people who have vision difficulties, and I would like to have

       microfilm copies of our county newspapers, but those are all available at the public library.  We

       have the actual newspapers, but don’t allow them to be handled, due to their fragility.

 

            Deborah Barker, director, Franklin County Historical Society, Ottawa KS

 

 

 

                                                                       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello to all,

 

 If you are with a museum that does not currently have a research/resource room please disregard this message.

 

 If you are with a museum that currently has a research/resource room please read on. This message is being sent to you in hopes of your participation in an online questionnaire. I am an intern at the Please Touch Museum®. We are a children’s museum in Philadelphia for children 7 years old and under. Our mission is learning though play. We are in the process of expanding and moving to Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia. My main task at the museum is surveying other museums and surveying professionals on the use of a research/resource room.

 

The questionnaire asks about the planning and daily operations of your research/resource room. The questionnaire was designed so that the Please Touch Museum could take the appropriate steps to create a solid, functional, and well equipped Play Study Center. Planning intentions are focused on the exchange of information between parents, child caregivers, and professionals dealing with play in early childhood. The Play Study Center at the Please Touch Museum will be a place where professionals, parents or child caregivers can investigate and report on diverse topics and uses of play. The below questionnaire has only fifteen (15) questions and should not take much of your time at all. Your time and contribution is deeply valued and will have a lasting impression on our Play Study Center.   

 

Thank You,

     

Danielle Harrison

Please Touch Museum

Play Study Center Intern

 

 

 

 

 

Please Touch Museum®

Museum Resource/Research Room Questionnaire

 

This questionnaire was designed so that the Please Touch Museum could take the appropriate steps to create a solid, functional, and well equipped Play Study Center. Planning intentions are focused on the exchange of information between parents, child caregivers, and professionals dealing with play in early childhood.

The Play Study Center at the Please Touch Museum is a place where professionals, parents or child caregivers can investigate and report on diverse topics and uses of play.

Your involvement in this research is greatly appreciated and will have an enduring impression on our Play Study Center.

 

 

 

 

 

Please Touch Museum®

Museum Resource/Research Room Questionnaire

 

Please fill out the questions by copying this section to a new message then typing in your response and e-mailing the completed questionnaire back to [log in to unmask] as soon as possible.

 

16. How was the importance of a resource/research room determined? What process led to the decision?

 

 

 

17. What was involved in the planning of the resource/research room?  Feel free to mention anything you and others did.

 

 

 

18. Who was involved in planning and designing the resource/research room?  What were their roles?

 

 

 

 

19. How was its location chosen? Is it connected to or near the store? Are rest rooms and or water fountains nearby? Are you satisfied with its placement?

 

 

 

 

20. How was the resource/research room designed? What does it look like?  Describe

its important design features.

 

 

 

21. What changes or adjustments in planning and design happened along the way?

 

 

 

22. Is there a fee to use the services?  What is the cost?

 

 

 

23. How is it staffed? Are there any qualifying credentials that one must have to be staffed there? 

 

 

 

24. Who are the intended users of the resource/research room? Who actually uses the resource/research room?  How extensively do they use it?

 

 

 

25. Please describe what happens in your resource/research room.

 

 

 

26. What materials are offered?  What materials are most often used? Are the materials connected to the exhibits?  How?

 

 

 

27. Are these materials available to be lent out? How does the lending out process work? - Are you happy with this system?

 

 

 

 

28. Are you a collecting institution? Are there any collections displayed in the resource/research room? Do the collections tie into the exhibits in your gallery? How much space is allotted to the collections in the resource/research room? How often are the collections changed within the resource/research room, if at all?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

29. Is your resource/research room child friendly? Are there children’s books or toys?

Are there any programs offered through the resource/research room? What types of programs are offered if any?

 

 

 

 

 

30. What aspects of the resource/research room have been the best?  What has worked less well?  Is there anything that you would change or add to the resource/research room and Why?

 

 

 

 

Thank You

 

                                                                       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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