My name is Annette Fortin. I am a graduate student in Museum Studies at
San Francisco State University. Thanks to all who gave me the CHIN
information last week.
I am writing my thesis on open 3-dimensional exhibits/dioramas (not
enclosed in cases) and the issues which coincide with this: conservation,
maintenance, environmental and pest management, and security. I would
like to get information from museums who have dealt with these issues.
If your museum has open exhibits would you please take a few minutes to
complete the questionnaire. Please send it to me off-list. If others
are interested, I can post my results after they are compiled.
Also, does anyone know of any articles that have dealt specifically with
this topic. My searches have not been able to find anything. Thanks for
any help you can offer.
Annette L. Fortin
Graduate Student, Museum Studies, San Francisco State University
Curatorial Assistant for Geology
California Academy of Sciences
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, CA 94118
phone: 415-750-7081 email: [log in to unmask]
fax: 415-750-7090
General:
What is the name of your museum?
What type of museum is it (natural history, historic house, art, etc.)?
What is the size of your museum in square feet of exhibit space?
How many open exhibits do you have?
When were the exhibits first installed?
What types of objects are out in the open?
Generally, how long have the objects been on display?
Are the objects rotated? If so, what factors determine rotation? How
often are they rotated?
What percentage of objects on display are originals or reproductions?
Environmental controls:
Does your facility have an HVAC system and/or dust filtering system?
Do you find them satisfactory or unsatisfactory? Why?
Do you have a monitoring system for temperature and relative humidity?
Is lighting controlled in the exhibit space? How?
Is food or cooking allowed in the exhibit space?
Is smoking permitted at any time?
Maintenance:
Do you have a regular maintenance schedule or is maintenance done as
needed? If so, how often are exhibit objects cleaned? Is it dependent
on the object?
Are there regular inspections of the objects in the exhibits?
If so, who does it and is there written documentation?
Pests:
Do you have a pest management system in your exhibit area? If so, what
is it?
Any problems? What was the pest problem, the composition of the object
affected, and the severity of the problem?
Security:
Are there any barriers separating visitors from the displays?
If so, what are they (ropes, alarms, guards, docents)? Do they work?
If not, are visitors respectful of the exhibits, or do they enter the
exhibit spaces?
Are objects secured in the exhibit itself? What are some ways they might
be secured?
Conservation:
Were any objects treated chemically or otherwise before they were put on
exhibit? If so, what types of objects were they and what were they
treated with?
How have objects fared?
What signs of wear can be seen? What do you feel contributed to this
wear?
Additional:
Any additional comments, personal concerns, anecdotes,
disasters, etc:
What is your name and position?
May I contact you if I have any other questions?
If so, what is your email address or phone #?
Thank you for all your help!
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