[please forgive me if this is the second time this message appears--I tried
to send this from my email account a work but it did not get posted.  I'll
try now from home.  jc]
***********************

Mr. Martin's question about visitor or marketing studies is interesting.  It
reminds me of the following--which is partly anecdotal but the facts can be
determined, I think, if you contact the museum in question.

Around 1992, my wife got a one-year post-doc research position at the
Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago (Chicago, you know, is the
center of the universe  ;-)

Anyway, at about the same time, or shortly after we got settled at the
museum, we were told that a recently completed "survey" of museum patrons
had discovered that many museum visitors did NOT know what "Natural
History" meant (these data derived, apparently, from exit interviews,
though I do not know how structured or professional the interviews were).
Consequently, a few months later, a memorandum from the Museum President
was circulated.  It stated that the Field Museum of Natural History would
be known, henceforth, as simply, "The Field Museum".  I was awestruck.  I
thought that this was an excellent example of the process of
"dumbing-down" to the lowest common denominator (i.e., the museum visitor
who did not know what natural history is).  I suppose that the museum
board members and museum planners were well-intentioned, but I thought
their answer to the problem should have been to educate the average
visitor as to the meaning of natural history, instead of changing the
name of a great institution.

Unfortunately, dumbing-down continued at the Field Museum... leading to
studies of what terms could and could not be used in museum display
signage (don't call it a coprolite or stool.... gotta call it 'poop').

Contact someone at the Field Museum.  If they are not too embarrassed,
they may have some facts about the original exit survey of their patrons.

jim

James Carucci, Ph.D.
Historic Structures Specialist / Environmental Planner
Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA

-----Original Message-----
Subject: Re: Visitor studies/Marketing studies focusing on
perceptionsassociated with the name Natural History Museum

I am interested to learn of any studies which examine whether or not a
natural history museum's name has been a barrier to vistation and what
images the title Natural History Museum conjers up for museum visitors?

Thank you in advance.
_______________________________________________________________

The Office of Thomas J. Martin
Economic Research and Managment Consultants for
Tourism and Public Attractions
777 Concord Ave., Suite 102
Cambridge, MA 02138
Tel. 617-576-5800
Fax. 617-547-0102

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