Class of 2006 Master's Project Abstracts
Mandy Baughman
Cultivating Natural Intelligence: Outdoor Learning Environments in Museums The purpose of this study is to explore how museums can create outdoor classroom learning environments as a place for teaching environmental education. I focus on how museum educators can develop these outdoor classrooms to teach local ecology, also known as place-based education, to children. Many children today do not have opportunities to experience nature, and by cultivating even a small part of an institution’s grounds to include plants from the local watershed, museums can provide an effective learning space for their visitors. To illustrate what is possible for most museums, I describe current examples of outdoor learning environments in nine institutions of informal learning in the United States, with an emphasis on institutions in Northern California. I discuss plans for the future development of these outdoor classrooms and the related programs that relate to the environment. My hope is that this study will serve as an informative model for museums interested in creating an outdoor learning environment within their institution, and will help strengthen the case of why these spaces are necessary, beneficial, and worthy of museum resources. Jonathan Goodrich
Listening to the Student Voice: University Anthropology Museums & Development of the Undergraduate Audience. I have investigated how to better connect university anthropology museums with the undergraduate university student audience. Essentially, the question framing this study was: how can these museums design programming, marketing, and involvement plans to attract and serve the needs and learning styles of the undergraduate student? I believe that these students should be a primary audience because an on-campus museum can help fulfill not only its own, but also the university’s educational mission. Moreover, it can shape students’ museum going habits for the future. University museums in general are caught in an historic struggle between a focus on academic research versus one on public education. However, the academic does not need to be abrogated in deference to audience development, rather these foci should compliment one another. The traditional museum mandate is to educate with regards to the subject of its collection, and undergraduates attend universities to improve their lives via higher education. The university anthropology museum can make greater use of this ideal situation. I sought to understand what challenges confront this type of museum, focusing on the Hearst Museum of Anthropology and create a final product, a formal presentation to the Hearst staff. Included are findings and recommendations intended to highlight the need and show the benefits of student engagement. Karen Hong Saracino
Animation Cel Storage and Preservation: Caring for a Unique American Art Form The purpose of my master’s project is to inform collections managers and registrars on best practices and methods of animation cel storage and preservation. In addition, I hope to start a dialogue with museum collections management professionals about the dying art form of animation cels and the need to properly store them to prolong their existence. The result of my project is an article submitted to Registrars’ Quarterly on best practices on animation cel storage and preservation. It is hoped that this will help collections mangers and registrars to deal with their animation cels and lead to further discussions among museum professionals and future published work on the subject. The animated film is one of America’s few original artforms, yet there is no standard for animation cel storage and preservation in museums. Preservation of this art form has become more urgent as computers take over the field of animation and traditional cels are no longer created for filmmaking. Thus, the cels have great historical value and are increasingly rare in number. Furthermore, the fragile nature of the medium makes cels difficult to store. Cel preservation is vital to keeping the history of animation film alive and accessible for future generations. Sean Patrick Hooley
Aquarium Interactives That Engage and Inspire: Beyond Finding Nemo The purpose of this project is create tools to help exhibition developers decide what type of interactives to use and how to best design those interactives when creating exhibitions for aquariums. This information will be disseminated to the field through an article for submission to the Exhibitionist with two sections. The first is a list of the types of interactives that are possible to use. Secondly, information for creating interactives that draw visitors to further engage with the animals and increase their interest in the aquatic world is discussed. Julie C. Kamiyama
Industrial Collections Management: A Case Study of California State Parks. The purpose of this study is to improve management of museum computer batteries. This study is applicable to the conservation of “historic” computers accessioned into formal museum collections and to the use of computers in long-term or “permanent” museum exhibits. This study is needed because computers in museum collections may suffer serious, irreversible damage when old batteries leak highly corrosive chemicals. Similarly, computers in interactive exhibits are at increased risk from battery failure, either by premature loss of battery charge, or by battery-leak corrosion, because of the adverse conditions in which such computers often operate. Such adverse conditions may include expected service lives of five to ten years (significantly longer than the design lives of personal computers), extended cleaning and service intervals because of limited access, and operation at elevated temperatures inside exhibit cabinetry with inadequate provisions for cooling. Computers used in exhibits under such conditions will fail more frequently than under normal conditions, frustrating museum visitors and increasing exhibit costs. Finally, there also is a health and safety risk to personnel who handle computers with battery leaks if those persons are not appropriately trained and equipped to deal with battery leaks. This study assesses the use and aging of internal batteries in a variety of personal computers and workstations. The study provides an initial quantitative estimate of battery-related risks to museum computer collections. The study also suggests an initial approach to improved battery management, including estimates of conservation costs, initial suggestions for conservation treatments to mitigate the effects of leaking batteries, and suggestions for the use of computers in interactive exhibits. Keri Koehler
Stagecoaches, Spam, and Soda: Corporate Museums in the United States This project focuses on corporate museums in the United States. For the purposes of this project, a corporate museum is defined as a corporate-sponsored facility that is open to the public and is used to interpret the nature of a company’s business, history, or products and how they are created, and/or the company’s contributions to a particular industry. For the most part, this information is conveyed through public venues which include traditional museum-like settings, visitor or information centers, or factory tours with exhibits or displays. The purpose of this project is to determine the current state of the corporate museum field -- a topic that had not been addressed in detail for over a decade. The project explores:
Art, Nature, People: The Sculpture Park Experience The focus of this master’s project is a state of the field survey of sculpture parks and gardens in the United States. The purpose of the study is to broadly identify museological issues facing sculpture parks and gardens with special attention to those issues affecting the visitor’s experience. After reviewing the historical origins of parks and gardens in the United States, this project considers the mission and purpose on which these sites were founded, physical qualities and designs of parks and gardens, interpretive programming and how these factors combine to create a unique experience for the park or garden visitor. The project surveys both independently operated sites and spaces that are associated with and are extensions of museum programs. The goal was to identify the challenges, opportunities and unique issues facing the sculpture park community that require further investigation. The research also compared and contrasted independent parks from gardens associated with museums in order to identify how they can mutually benefit and learn from each other. Adam Lovell
Glass Bead Deterioration of the Ethnographic Objects: Identification, Prevention and Treatment. Millions of tiny glass beads were used to embellish cultural objects from around the world. American Indians have especially been well-known for their intricate and colorful beadwork. However, chemical instability of the glass along with inadequate storage can result in discoloration, breakage, or even total loss of beads. Glass disease"as conservators have come to call it"has been known about and studied for years, but very few conservators or museum professionals have considered the unique circumstances involved with glass beads. This project looks at how historic glass bead production, world-wide trade, and museum storage practices have led to the deterioration of some types of glass beads on ethnographic objects"specifically American Indian objects. Through an extensive literature review, surveys gathered from collections managers and registrars, and interviews with conservators, this project identifies the problem and concludes with several practical recommendations for the museum community on how to recognize and manage deteriorating glass beads on ethnographic objects. The product of this master’s project is a web site that contains information on glass bead deterioration, helpful identification tips, photos of deterioration stages, and links to other helpful web sites. James G. McClure
Preventing and Managing Damage from Aging Batteries in Historic Computers in Museum Collections The purpose of this study is to improve management of museum computer batteries. This study is applicable to the conservation of “historic” computers accessioned into formal museum collections and to the use of computers in long-term or “permanent” museum exhibits. This study is needed because computers in museum collections may suffer serious, irreversible damage when old batteries leak highly corrosive chemicals. Similarly, computers in interactive exhibits are at increased risk from battery failure, either by premature loss of battery charge, or by battery-leak corrosion, because of the adverse conditions in which such computers often operate. Such adverse conditions may include expected service lives of five to ten years (significantly longer than the design lives of personal computers), extended cleaning and service intervals because of limited access, and operation at elevated temperatures inside exhibit cabinetry with inadequate provisions for cooling. Computers used in exhibits under such conditions will fail more frequently than under normal conditions, frustrating museum visitors and increasing exhibit costs. Finally, there also is a health and safety risk to personnel who handle computers with battery leaks if those persons are not appropriately trained and equipped to deal with battery leaks. This study assesses the use and aging of internal batteries in a variety of personal computers and workstations. The study provides an initial quantitative estimate of battery-related risks to museum computer collections. The study also suggests an initial approach to improved battery management, including estimates of conservation costs, initial suggestions for conservation treatments to mitigate the effects of leaking batteries, and suggestions for the use of computers in interactive exhibits. Gypsy McFelter
Is the Price Right? Admission Fees and Free Admission in American Art Museums As organizations holding their collections in public trust, non-profit museums constantly struggle between their public service mission and the desire for financial stability. The need for museums to institute an admission fee is a result of many economic factors, including declining government subsidies, rising costs, and as a constant increase in competition for audiences from other leisure-time activities. There is a question of how a museum's audience changes, depending on the admission fee charged. Although economic and budgetary factors drive the majority of a museum's choices in daily operations, the concepts appearing most frequently in debate over the pricing of museum admission relate more to membership and community than they do to income and expenses. This project shows that there are many different ways in which museums can be accessible to a diverse audience, while still maintaining revenue from admission fees. Claire F. Meyler
Seeing the Invisible: Museums Engaging Filipino-American Communities This project informs museum educators, programmers, curators, and directors about methods of engaging their local Filipino communities through mutually beneficial collaborations with cultural organizations. I conducted an investigation of three museums " the Wing Luke Asian Museum in Seattle, the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History in Los Angeles, and the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco " to identify partnerships with Filipino community organizations that have benefited both the museum and their communities. I examined projects at the three target museums to uncover in what ways, if any, museums tailored projects to meet the unique characteristics of the partnering Filipino organizations. From these examples, I gleaned advice on how to approach partnership efforts with Filipino community organizations. In addition to success stories, my research included pertinent challenges that may be relevant for future efforts in community engagement. By these means, I have assembled an informative study for museum professionals hoping to expand or strengthen ties to the Filipino community, a population that historically has not been included in the museum environment. Although I focused on the Filipino population, this study may be useful to museum staff hoping to work with a similarly complex ethnic community. Christine Y. Ryu
The Face of Museums: The State of Docent Programs in Art Museums Today This master’s project examines the current state of docent organizations at three San Francisco Bay Area art museums through a descriptive study that analyzes the intricate relationship between each museum and its docent corps. This study focuses on the structure of the docent organization, training content, and tour strategies at each institution. I examined the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the San Jose Museum of Art. Of the two museums that comprise the Fine Arts Museums, I observed tours at the de Young Museum for this study. Initial research revealed that these institutions have established and active docent organizations with a consistent touring schedule. They are also located in the same geographic area and collect American and/or European art. All three of these museums meet these criteria and when juxtaposed, allow for successful cross-comparative case studies. The year 2007 is also the 100th anniversary of docenting in the United States. The scope of this master’s project furthers the discussion on how docents are valuable contributors to art museums. Recommendations for docent programs based on the results of these case studies helped to identify characteristics for a model of best practices for art museums in the San Francisco Bay Area. Lexie Smith Kliebe
Still the Uncertain Profession: The Current State of Museum Education Departments The purpose of this master’s project was to explore the current state of museum education departments from the perspective of education directors in mid-sized institutions in California. To this end, I sought to identify the current challenges and demands on these departments, such as the education director’s priorities, financial responsibilities and measures of success. I was interested to discover if the comparison of museums’ resource allocations to attendance and visitor services revealed anything about the positioning of education within museums. There is a current debate among museum educators and administrators regarding several aspects of this topic. However, based on my preliminary research, only one formal study, The Uncertain Profession: Observations on the State of Museum Education by Elliot W. Eisner and Stephen M. Dobbs, has been conducted on this subject and very little has been published about it. Initial research for this topic did uncover the need to discuss issues occurring within mid-sized museums and to provide a public forum for educators to share their experiences and perspectives with the greater museum community. Based on the format of qualitative research, this study did not test hypotheses but did evolved and developed throughout the process. It was my intention to highlight common issues and challenges facing museum educators and bring them to the forefront of the museum community. Within museum education departments, I surveyed the range by which various directors define and achieve success. My aim, through detailed research, was to investigate the array of investments that California museums were making in their mission to educate the public. This was explored by comparing each individual education department to their museum’s financial resources and visitation rates. Perian Sully
Inventory, Access, Interpretation: The Evolution of Museum Collection Management Software The purpose of this project was to provide an overview of the development of content management software in the context of the changing needs, motives, and philosophies of the museum profession from the 1960s to the present day. Specifically, I investigated how museums have developed their software to respond to outside pressures for increased access to collections. I also explored the many theories forwarded by collections managers and museologists as to the best way to use computers to organize collections and respond to wider institutional goals. By researching how CMS development dovetails with larger institutional goals since the 1960s, I present a context for how to think about CMS today. Based upon responses from collections and information managers, I also report on how today’s museum professionals use their software and how CMS is not being used to their fullest potential. Miegan E. Riddle
The New Philanthropy: Its Impact on Individual Giving at Art Museums The purpose of my master’s project is to determine whether “new philanthropists” are becoming involved with art museums in the U.S. and, if so, how art museums have adapted their donor cultivation strategies to accommodate the new philanthropic attitudes that arose in the mid-1990s. This project is intended to provide current art museum development directors with insight into the “new philanthropy,” with examples of how new philanthropy might be impacting individual donors to art museums, and with recommendations for what art museums could do to better attract and retain benefactors with more contemporary motivations for giving. Stephanie J. Verbanszky
Winning Over Tweens: Museum Programming for Middle School Audiences The purpose of this project is to improve the way that museum educators can understand and serve a “tween” audience with more compelling age-appropriate programs. The research for this project focuses on museums in the state of California and describes the characteristic behaviors and needs of tweens, through researching tween psychology and neuroscience and assessing the prevalent attitudes and beliefs about tweens from professionals in the field, as well as from tweens themselves. The purpose of compiling this information is to articulate what museum educators need to know about tweens in order to better address their needs. Through effective programming for tweens, museums can reach an important, but largely underserved audience that can really benefit from what museums have to offer. The end result of this project is an analysis of the essential elements in a successful tween program and recommendations for museum educators to use when programming for a tween audience. Lindy Villa
Rediscovering Discovery Rooms: Creating and Improving Family-friendly Interactive Exhibition Spaces in Traditional Museums For my master’s project, I researched family learning in discovery rooms. For the purpose of this study, I define “discovery room” as a separate area, within the context of a traditional museum, that features activities, objects, artifacts and exhibits to provide visitors with interactive, discovery experiences. I use the terms discovery room and interactive exhibition space interchangeably. My definition of a family is an intergenerational group of two or more casual visitors consisting of at least one adult aged 18 and older and one child. To study this issue, I reviewed current literature; interviewed exhibit developers and museum consultants within the United States; surveyed museum educators who work in anthropology, art, history, natural history, or specialized museums in California; and performed site visits to institutions with a discovery room in Southern California. The purpose of this project is to inform museum educators how to design their own family-friendly interactive exhibition space. This project can also help museum educators improve the current state of their discovery room to engage family visitors. My end product is a small booklet that outlines eleven concrete steps to creating discovery rooms. Designed for museum educators and in-house exhibit designers, the booklet discusses the characteristics and issues involved with discovery rooms that actively engage families and provide an optimal learning environment.
Cultivating Natural Intelligence: Outdoor Learning Environments in Museums The purpose of this study is to explore how museums can create outdoor classroom learning environments as a place for teaching environmental education. I focus on how museum educators can develop these outdoor classrooms to teach local ecology, also known as place-based education, to children. Many children today do not have opportunities to experience nature, and by cultivating even a small part of an institution’s grounds to include plants from the local watershed, museums can provide an effective learning space for their visitors. To illustrate what is possible for most museums, I describe current examples of outdoor learning environments in nine institutions of informal learning in the United States, with an emphasis on institutions in Northern California. I discuss plans for the future development of these outdoor classrooms and the related programs that relate to the environment. My hope is that this study will serve as an informative model for museums interested in creating an outdoor learning environment within their institution, and will help strengthen the case of why these spaces are necessary, beneficial, and worthy of museum resources. Jonathan Goodrich
Listening to the Student Voice: University Anthropology Museums & Development of the Undergraduate Audience. I have investigated how to better connect university anthropology museums with the undergraduate university student audience. Essentially, the question framing this study was: how can these museums design programming, marketing, and involvement plans to attract and serve the needs and learning styles of the undergraduate student? I believe that these students should be a primary audience because an on-campus museum can help fulfill not only its own, but also the university’s educational mission. Moreover, it can shape students’ museum going habits for the future. University museums in general are caught in an historic struggle between a focus on academic research versus one on public education. However, the academic does not need to be abrogated in deference to audience development, rather these foci should compliment one another. The traditional museum mandate is to educate with regards to the subject of its collection, and undergraduates attend universities to improve their lives via higher education. The university anthropology museum can make greater use of this ideal situation. I sought to understand what challenges confront this type of museum, focusing on the Hearst Museum of Anthropology and create a final product, a formal presentation to the Hearst staff. Included are findings and recommendations intended to highlight the need and show the benefits of student engagement. Karen Hong Saracino
Animation Cel Storage and Preservation: Caring for a Unique American Art Form The purpose of my master’s project is to inform collections managers and registrars on best practices and methods of animation cel storage and preservation. In addition, I hope to start a dialogue with museum collections management professionals about the dying art form of animation cels and the need to properly store them to prolong their existence. The result of my project is an article submitted to Registrars’ Quarterly on best practices on animation cel storage and preservation. It is hoped that this will help collections mangers and registrars to deal with their animation cels and lead to further discussions among museum professionals and future published work on the subject. The animated film is one of America’s few original artforms, yet there is no standard for animation cel storage and preservation in museums. Preservation of this art form has become more urgent as computers take over the field of animation and traditional cels are no longer created for filmmaking. Thus, the cels have great historical value and are increasingly rare in number. Furthermore, the fragile nature of the medium makes cels difficult to store. Cel preservation is vital to keeping the history of animation film alive and accessible for future generations. Sean Patrick Hooley
Aquarium Interactives That Engage and Inspire: Beyond Finding Nemo The purpose of this project is create tools to help exhibition developers decide what type of interactives to use and how to best design those interactives when creating exhibitions for aquariums. This information will be disseminated to the field through an article for submission to the Exhibitionist with two sections. The first is a list of the types of interactives that are possible to use. Secondly, information for creating interactives that draw visitors to further engage with the animals and increase their interest in the aquatic world is discussed. Julie C. Kamiyama
Industrial Collections Management: A Case Study of California State Parks. The purpose of this study is to improve management of museum computer batteries. This study is applicable to the conservation of “historic” computers accessioned into formal museum collections and to the use of computers in long-term or “permanent” museum exhibits. This study is needed because computers in museum collections may suffer serious, irreversible damage when old batteries leak highly corrosive chemicals. Similarly, computers in interactive exhibits are at increased risk from battery failure, either by premature loss of battery charge, or by battery-leak corrosion, because of the adverse conditions in which such computers often operate. Such adverse conditions may include expected service lives of five to ten years (significantly longer than the design lives of personal computers), extended cleaning and service intervals because of limited access, and operation at elevated temperatures inside exhibit cabinetry with inadequate provisions for cooling. Computers used in exhibits under such conditions will fail more frequently than under normal conditions, frustrating museum visitors and increasing exhibit costs. Finally, there also is a health and safety risk to personnel who handle computers with battery leaks if those persons are not appropriately trained and equipped to deal with battery leaks. This study assesses the use and aging of internal batteries in a variety of personal computers and workstations. The study provides an initial quantitative estimate of battery-related risks to museum computer collections. The study also suggests an initial approach to improved battery management, including estimates of conservation costs, initial suggestions for conservation treatments to mitigate the effects of leaking batteries, and suggestions for the use of computers in interactive exhibits. Keri Koehler
Stagecoaches, Spam, and Soda: Corporate Museums in the United States This project focuses on corporate museums in the United States. For the purposes of this project, a corporate museum is defined as a corporate-sponsored facility that is open to the public and is used to interpret the nature of a company’s business, history, or products and how they are created, and/or the company’s contributions to a particular industry. For the most part, this information is conveyed through public venues which include traditional museum-like settings, visitor or information centers, or factory tours with exhibits or displays. The purpose of this project is to determine the current state of the corporate museum field -- a topic that had not been addressed in detail for over a decade. The project explores:
- Comparisons among corporate museums and comparisons between corporate museums and traditional museums.
- Views of corporate museums both within and outside the museum community.
- The role of corporate museums within the greater museum community.
- The development of further credibility to the corporate museum image within the greater museum community.
Art, Nature, People: The Sculpture Park Experience The focus of this master’s project is a state of the field survey of sculpture parks and gardens in the United States. The purpose of the study is to broadly identify museological issues facing sculpture parks and gardens with special attention to those issues affecting the visitor’s experience. After reviewing the historical origins of parks and gardens in the United States, this project considers the mission and purpose on which these sites were founded, physical qualities and designs of parks and gardens, interpretive programming and how these factors combine to create a unique experience for the park or garden visitor. The project surveys both independently operated sites and spaces that are associated with and are extensions of museum programs. The goal was to identify the challenges, opportunities and unique issues facing the sculpture park community that require further investigation. The research also compared and contrasted independent parks from gardens associated with museums in order to identify how they can mutually benefit and learn from each other. Adam Lovell
Glass Bead Deterioration of the Ethnographic Objects: Identification, Prevention and Treatment. Millions of tiny glass beads were used to embellish cultural objects from around the world. American Indians have especially been well-known for their intricate and colorful beadwork. However, chemical instability of the glass along with inadequate storage can result in discoloration, breakage, or even total loss of beads. Glass disease"as conservators have come to call it"has been known about and studied for years, but very few conservators or museum professionals have considered the unique circumstances involved with glass beads. This project looks at how historic glass bead production, world-wide trade, and museum storage practices have led to the deterioration of some types of glass beads on ethnographic objects"specifically American Indian objects. Through an extensive literature review, surveys gathered from collections managers and registrars, and interviews with conservators, this project identifies the problem and concludes with several practical recommendations for the museum community on how to recognize and manage deteriorating glass beads on ethnographic objects. The product of this master’s project is a web site that contains information on glass bead deterioration, helpful identification tips, photos of deterioration stages, and links to other helpful web sites. James G. McClure
Preventing and Managing Damage from Aging Batteries in Historic Computers in Museum Collections The purpose of this study is to improve management of museum computer batteries. This study is applicable to the conservation of “historic” computers accessioned into formal museum collections and to the use of computers in long-term or “permanent” museum exhibits. This study is needed because computers in museum collections may suffer serious, irreversible damage when old batteries leak highly corrosive chemicals. Similarly, computers in interactive exhibits are at increased risk from battery failure, either by premature loss of battery charge, or by battery-leak corrosion, because of the adverse conditions in which such computers often operate. Such adverse conditions may include expected service lives of five to ten years (significantly longer than the design lives of personal computers), extended cleaning and service intervals because of limited access, and operation at elevated temperatures inside exhibit cabinetry with inadequate provisions for cooling. Computers used in exhibits under such conditions will fail more frequently than under normal conditions, frustrating museum visitors and increasing exhibit costs. Finally, there also is a health and safety risk to personnel who handle computers with battery leaks if those persons are not appropriately trained and equipped to deal with battery leaks. This study assesses the use and aging of internal batteries in a variety of personal computers and workstations. The study provides an initial quantitative estimate of battery-related risks to museum computer collections. The study also suggests an initial approach to improved battery management, including estimates of conservation costs, initial suggestions for conservation treatments to mitigate the effects of leaking batteries, and suggestions for the use of computers in interactive exhibits. Gypsy McFelter
Is the Price Right? Admission Fees and Free Admission in American Art Museums As organizations holding their collections in public trust, non-profit museums constantly struggle between their public service mission and the desire for financial stability. The need for museums to institute an admission fee is a result of many economic factors, including declining government subsidies, rising costs, and as a constant increase in competition for audiences from other leisure-time activities. There is a question of how a museum's audience changes, depending on the admission fee charged. Although economic and budgetary factors drive the majority of a museum's choices in daily operations, the concepts appearing most frequently in debate over the pricing of museum admission relate more to membership and community than they do to income and expenses. This project shows that there are many different ways in which museums can be accessible to a diverse audience, while still maintaining revenue from admission fees. Claire F. Meyler
Seeing the Invisible: Museums Engaging Filipino-American Communities This project informs museum educators, programmers, curators, and directors about methods of engaging their local Filipino communities through mutually beneficial collaborations with cultural organizations. I conducted an investigation of three museums " the Wing Luke Asian Museum in Seattle, the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History in Los Angeles, and the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco " to identify partnerships with Filipino community organizations that have benefited both the museum and their communities. I examined projects at the three target museums to uncover in what ways, if any, museums tailored projects to meet the unique characteristics of the partnering Filipino organizations. From these examples, I gleaned advice on how to approach partnership efforts with Filipino community organizations. In addition to success stories, my research included pertinent challenges that may be relevant for future efforts in community engagement. By these means, I have assembled an informative study for museum professionals hoping to expand or strengthen ties to the Filipino community, a population that historically has not been included in the museum environment. Although I focused on the Filipino population, this study may be useful to museum staff hoping to work with a similarly complex ethnic community. Christine Y. Ryu
The Face of Museums: The State of Docent Programs in Art Museums Today This master’s project examines the current state of docent organizations at three San Francisco Bay Area art museums through a descriptive study that analyzes the intricate relationship between each museum and its docent corps. This study focuses on the structure of the docent organization, training content, and tour strategies at each institution. I examined the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the San Jose Museum of Art. Of the two museums that comprise the Fine Arts Museums, I observed tours at the de Young Museum for this study. Initial research revealed that these institutions have established and active docent organizations with a consistent touring schedule. They are also located in the same geographic area and collect American and/or European art. All three of these museums meet these criteria and when juxtaposed, allow for successful cross-comparative case studies. The year 2007 is also the 100th anniversary of docenting in the United States. The scope of this master’s project furthers the discussion on how docents are valuable contributors to art museums. Recommendations for docent programs based on the results of these case studies helped to identify characteristics for a model of best practices for art museums in the San Francisco Bay Area. Lexie Smith Kliebe
Still the Uncertain Profession: The Current State of Museum Education Departments The purpose of this master’s project was to explore the current state of museum education departments from the perspective of education directors in mid-sized institutions in California. To this end, I sought to identify the current challenges and demands on these departments, such as the education director’s priorities, financial responsibilities and measures of success. I was interested to discover if the comparison of museums’ resource allocations to attendance and visitor services revealed anything about the positioning of education within museums. There is a current debate among museum educators and administrators regarding several aspects of this topic. However, based on my preliminary research, only one formal study, The Uncertain Profession: Observations on the State of Museum Education by Elliot W. Eisner and Stephen M. Dobbs, has been conducted on this subject and very little has been published about it. Initial research for this topic did uncover the need to discuss issues occurring within mid-sized museums and to provide a public forum for educators to share their experiences and perspectives with the greater museum community. Based on the format of qualitative research, this study did not test hypotheses but did evolved and developed throughout the process. It was my intention to highlight common issues and challenges facing museum educators and bring them to the forefront of the museum community. Within museum education departments, I surveyed the range by which various directors define and achieve success. My aim, through detailed research, was to investigate the array of investments that California museums were making in their mission to educate the public. This was explored by comparing each individual education department to their museum’s financial resources and visitation rates. Perian Sully
Inventory, Access, Interpretation: The Evolution of Museum Collection Management Software The purpose of this project was to provide an overview of the development of content management software in the context of the changing needs, motives, and philosophies of the museum profession from the 1960s to the present day. Specifically, I investigated how museums have developed their software to respond to outside pressures for increased access to collections. I also explored the many theories forwarded by collections managers and museologists as to the best way to use computers to organize collections and respond to wider institutional goals. By researching how CMS development dovetails with larger institutional goals since the 1960s, I present a context for how to think about CMS today. Based upon responses from collections and information managers, I also report on how today’s museum professionals use their software and how CMS is not being used to their fullest potential. Miegan E. Riddle
The New Philanthropy: Its Impact on Individual Giving at Art Museums The purpose of my master’s project is to determine whether “new philanthropists” are becoming involved with art museums in the U.S. and, if so, how art museums have adapted their donor cultivation strategies to accommodate the new philanthropic attitudes that arose in the mid-1990s. This project is intended to provide current art museum development directors with insight into the “new philanthropy,” with examples of how new philanthropy might be impacting individual donors to art museums, and with recommendations for what art museums could do to better attract and retain benefactors with more contemporary motivations for giving. Stephanie J. Verbanszky
Winning Over Tweens: Museum Programming for Middle School Audiences The purpose of this project is to improve the way that museum educators can understand and serve a “tween” audience with more compelling age-appropriate programs. The research for this project focuses on museums in the state of California and describes the characteristic behaviors and needs of tweens, through researching tween psychology and neuroscience and assessing the prevalent attitudes and beliefs about tweens from professionals in the field, as well as from tweens themselves. The purpose of compiling this information is to articulate what museum educators need to know about tweens in order to better address their needs. Through effective programming for tweens, museums can reach an important, but largely underserved audience that can really benefit from what museums have to offer. The end result of this project is an analysis of the essential elements in a successful tween program and recommendations for museum educators to use when programming for a tween audience. Lindy Villa
Rediscovering Discovery Rooms: Creating and Improving Family-friendly Interactive Exhibition Spaces in Traditional Museums For my master’s project, I researched family learning in discovery rooms. For the purpose of this study, I define “discovery room” as a separate area, within the context of a traditional museum, that features activities, objects, artifacts and exhibits to provide visitors with interactive, discovery experiences. I use the terms discovery room and interactive exhibition space interchangeably. My definition of a family is an intergenerational group of two or more casual visitors consisting of at least one adult aged 18 and older and one child. To study this issue, I reviewed current literature; interviewed exhibit developers and museum consultants within the United States; surveyed museum educators who work in anthropology, art, history, natural history, or specialized museums in California; and performed site visits to institutions with a discovery room in Southern California. The purpose of this project is to inform museum educators how to design their own family-friendly interactive exhibition space. This project can also help museum educators improve the current state of their discovery room to engage family visitors. My end product is a small booklet that outlines eleven concrete steps to creating discovery rooms. Designed for museum educators and in-house exhibit designers, the booklet discusses the characteristics and issues involved with discovery rooms that actively engage families and provide an optimal learning environment.