Our Attendants have filled a wide 3-ring binder with information about the
history and geology of the area, many of the artifacts on exhibit, and much
more.  When a visitor asks a question that is not answered in the notebook,
the answer is researched and often added. The Attendants sometimes find the
answer themselves and sometimes come to me for assistance.  More indepth
history questions are referred to me.

One thing that has been reinforced in my mind the last week is that there
are many sizes and types of museums from a variety of countries represented
on this List, and that not everything works for all.  This is something that
helps us better serve our visitors in our small history museum in our small
community.

Jerrie

Jerrie Clarke
Curator of Collections
Valdez Museum
http://www.alaska.net/~vldzmuse/index.html


>From: Christopher Dill <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: Museum discussion list <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Docents
>Date: Thu, 1 Mar 2001 09:34:24 -0700
>
>David's rant suggests to me that there's no point in suggesting to the
>visitor that the museum will make an attempt to provide the answer, that
>the visitor should be told to go look it up themselves.  I know that's an
>over-simplification of what David really said (ducks anticipated flames).
>None-the-less, I still think it reasonable to ask docents to find answers
>to questions the public asks them - at least those about the museum's
>artifacts, exhibits, or mission-related things.  If nothing else, this
>means the docent WILL have the answer the next time the question comes up.
>If you don't encourage the front line staff to find answers, they will make
>answers up, IMHO.  Better to encourage the docents to learn, and to provide
>them with some mechanism to accomplish that learning, than to have them say
>"don't ask me questions."
>
>John's comments provide lots more options for responses (what DID you have
>for breakfast - and will you share?).  Obviously David is right that some
>questions are not serious and a visitor will neither want to wait an hour
>for an answer (yes, it may take that long in small museums sometimes) or to
>write a letter, but docents also have to learn to judge the seriousness of
>the question.  Certainly if visitors ask the same question frequently,
>someone should be noting that and finding the answer.  The fact that David
>"feel(s) that in my museum there is too much of a disconnect between
>docents and staff anyway, and the current reality is that most of the
>docents would seldom know whom to contact" suggests a problem which should
>be resolved rather than a situation which should be accepted as the
>standard.  I wouldn't accept that as a rationale for my staff to ignore
>visitor questions or needs.
>
>Chris Dill
>
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