I really like Elaine Heumann Gurian's article on this matter called "Free At Last." Can you guess what I think? ;) Shana On Wed, Dec 15, 2010 at 10:36 AM, Cass Karl <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > For the record, I do not feel strongly that museums should or should not > charge admission in general. I think it needs be decided on a case by case > basis. I *do* believe strongly that it should be a carefully considered > and, if possible, evidence-based decision (not just a "this is what we have > always done" or "this is what everyone else is doing" issue). I would like > to make sure I have considered all aspects before I make a recommendation. > > On Wed, Dec 15, 2010 at 10:05 AM, Heather McClenahan > <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >> >> 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 >>> >>> ========================================================= >>> 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). > > ========================================================= 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). -- Shana West Master of Arts, Museology University of Washington [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).