I would appreciate comments on this timely and important museum issue. We
are considering moving our Gift Shop to the front of the lobby area. The
shop is currently in a very unusual and awkward area, in a sort of hallway
that visitors must use to get to our media room. The advantages would be
better and more space for the shop, more appropriate use for the old shop
location (computer access terminals, etc). The problems with the move
would be expense and employee time. But the real issue seems to be that
having the shop in the very front of the building would present too much
of a bald-face consumerism approach to the public. Others feel that, even
though it's terrible gallery space, it would be bad to compromise
exhibition areas for gift shop use. I feel that the shop plays an integral
role in the transition from the museum environment to the world, not only
in an educational sense, but in that it allows people to leave with
something tangible from their museum experience. Thanks for your time and
looking forward to reading your comments.

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Mark Nielsen
Exhibit Designer/Preparator
University of Michigan Museum of Art
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