In article <[log in to unmask]>, Mark Vang
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Hi museum-l'ers,
>
> How many of you use hand held audio tour units at your facility?  If so, do
> you rent them to visitors, hand them out for free, or are they for special
> purposes such as translation?  How many of these units are in use at your
> facility?
>
> How do you keep them from walking out of the building?  Do you get a credit
> card# or drivers license?  How well do they held up?  How often do you change
> the messages?  What type of content do you use them for... exhibit
> interpretation, daily schedule of events, activities, other?
>
> What do you feel are the pros and cons of these systems from your own
> experience.


I do not work at a museum, but I am a frequent museum-goer, so I have some
comments on the use of audio tours.

Recently I took my 83-yr-old mother to the Faberge exhibit at the
Clevelend Museum and we found the information presented on an audio tour
very helpful. (The audio tour for that special exhibit cost an additional
$4 over the price of the tickets.)  That particular tour was very crowded
and in a section of the museum where workers could stand at the exhibit's
exit and collect the cassette players.  I can't remember if the museum
used 60-minute or 90-miniute tapes.  The recording took a little less than
one side of the tape.  We were instructed to allow the tape to play to the
end when the tour was completed. (I received those instructions when I
picked up the audio tours and the tape reminded us to do so at the end.)
I guessed that the tour was recorded on both sides of the tape and was
simply turned over rather than wasting time or batteries in rewinding.

What was rather helpful was that someone took the time to paint the
buttons on all the players.  The button to start the tape was painted
green, the one to stop it red, and the rewind white.  My elderly mother
had never before used one of these machines and that was helpful to her.
Also, it was rather dark in the exhibit rooms, with spots of light only on
the exhibits, so it would have been difficult for anyone to see which
button was which if they had not been painted.

What could have helped would have been clearer instructions on when to
stop the tape.  Information was not recorded on every item in the exhibit
---only 2 (sometimes 3 or 4) per room (8 rooms, I think).  The tape did
say to stop, look at other things in that same room, then start the tape
again when entering the next room.  I was able to follow these
instructions, but my mother found them confusing.  Also, I think it would
have made sense to have the items exhibited so that the audio tour items
would have been in a more logical order.  Usually, the first taped item in
a room was near the entrance of that room, but often the second item was
across the room.  We had to plow through tight spaces (lots of people) to
get there, then wind our way back nearer the entrance to view items not on
the tape. It would seem that putting all of the taped items near the
entrance of the room would not make sense either ----on very crowded
weekend days that probably would have stopped the flow of attendees,
creating a 'traffic jam'.  I'm not sure what the solution to this problem
would be.  On less-crowded days, it might not have been a problem.

The museum also had a short (12-minute) film in a small viewing room (I
would guess about 30-40 people could sit there at one time) that presented
lots of good information about Faberge and his works.

I would recommend audio tours as a good option for any museum.  Exhibits
must be created so that those who chose not to make use of such tours
would have access to sufficient information, but that audio tours are
offered to those who wish to use them.  I have been in some museums where
the written explanations were small and in rather dark areas and very
difficult to read. (The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI is an example of
poor lighting.)  Informative signs might be impossible to read for elderly
or sight-impaired people.

For a tour of permanent exhibits, I think $2 to $3 is a reasonable fee.
For a special exhibit (such as the Faberge show at $4) I'm sure people
would pay more.

As to finding inexpensive talent to record the tapes ---how about
searching for a talented student from a local university or broadcasting
school through an 'intern' program?  Most schools will negotitate college
credits for such independent learning experiences as long as they meet
certain needs of the student and the school's curriculum.  Your local NPR
station might have some interns available.  In some areas, the NPR
stations are run by colleges (Younstown State U in OH, Kent State U in OH,
Duquesne U in Pittsburgh, for example.)  Even the regular broadcasting
staff members of the NPR stations are probably paid less than those on
commercial stations and might be happy to find extra work. (I am a big fan
of NPR!)

I hope this helps from the point of view of a consumer.

CJ Peiffer
artist, writer, teacher

--
CJPeiffer, teacher, artist, writer
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