Having just spent 5 1/2 hours at the U.S. Holocaust Museum on
Saturday and not leaving a comment in their comment book, I was
struck by Elizabeth Laitman's comment that "when the visitor has just
witnessed difficult subject matter, the viewer's experience continues
even after they have left the exhibition space."

As a museum goer, I could not coherently summarize in a sentence or
two the total impact the exhibits, book store, layout, and staff made
on me but it certainly  did and my husband and I have spent the days
since then bringing up and asking questions about what we had seen,
heard and experienced. The experience is multidimensional and
probably stays with a person for a long time as they probe for meaning
and new understanding.

Museums will never totally be able to evaluate or measure the impact
their exhibits make on people. I think comment books only serve to
bring attention to the few people that take the time to quickly jot
down something.  Because time and space are limited, they do not
allow for thoughtful reflection.

I believe comment books serve a historical, archival function
for future scholars and should be kept in addition to other
information that is printed about an exhibit.






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Lotte Larsen - Reference, Instruction, Archives Librarian
College Library
Western Oregon State College
345 North Monmouth Avenue
Monmouth, OR 97361
Tel: (503) 838-8888
FAX: (503) 838-8474
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