While you might be wondering what the studies say about time spent reading labels, you could wander your own galleries and watch how much time folks spend reading. This is the tool we use to (hopefully) meet the needs of our visitors. I have been amazed at times how much people will stop to read, and how little! I can say from my own museum-visiting experiences that there are times I read every word--even twice if I am really intrigued. And there are times when I glance for basic information. We find that if people consistently pass over labels, we have written them poorly, or said too much. We also try to listen to the things people ask after they have toured the museum. Questions posed to our interpretive staff clue us in at times to a lacking in label information. Watch your audience! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` Sharon Duane Koomler Director of Education Shaker Museum at South Union, KY (502) 542-7734 e-mail [log in to unmask] "The attainments of tomorrow are dependent on the efforts of today, and are related to them as the blossom is to the bud, and the fruit to the blossom." Eldress Catherine Allen, Mt. Lebanon