In this article, Thomas A. More of the U.S. Forest Service presents a review and discussion of current research on the benefits of urban parks. More also discusses the issues of fairness in the distribution of these benefits (i.e. the less affluent receive fewer services and servies of lesser quality).
In this article, Marilyn G. Hood, of Hood Associates, discusses major issues in the field of museum audience research. Hood explains how much of her work has focused on two specific aspects: (1) probing the psychographic dimensions of current and potential audiences and (2) determining why people are not at the museum.
In this article, Lynne M. Westphal of the USDA Forest Service, North Central Forest Experiment Station, outlines discussions exploring the interactions between plant communities and people communities at a November 1992 symposium. The symposium aimed to assess current knowledge about the active involvement of people with plants and to clarify research needs that will lead to improved program management and information delivery.
In this article, Marilyn G. Hood, Ph.D., of Hood Associates, discusses two year-long studies at major outdoor settings, which offer insights into the reasons why people choose to visit botanical gardens and arboretums and what they enjoy about these visits. Hood summarizes methods and key findings from theses four-season studies, which were conducted in 1987 at the Holden Arboretum (Mentor, Ohio) and in 1989 at the Chicago Botanic Garden (Glencoe, IL).
In this article, Marilyn G. Hood, Ph.D., of Hood Associates, discusses African-American attendance and non-attendance at art museums. Hood presents findings from focus groups and individual interviews used to better understand African-American feelings about and perceptions of art museums, which she divides into internal dimensions and external dimensions.
In this article related to evaluation and multicultural audiences, Jacksonville State University's Stephen Bitgood presents a "progress report" on a visitor center and environmental education project in Puerto Rico that is being designed to serve both the local Puerto rican audience as well as the international visitor. Bitgood shares findings from the study featured in a report to the Caribbean National Forest, part of the USDA National Forest Service.
In this article, Jacksonville State University's Stephen Bitgood and Don Thompson address the issue of how museums can appeal to multicultural audiences and assess the impact of their attempts to attract new audiences. Bitgood and Thompson outline a four-step process for addressing problems of multicultural audiences.
In this article, Rosalyn Rubenstein discusses how the focus group method can be used in museum visitor studies. Rubenstein provides a general description of the focus group method, describes the process by breaking it down into its component parts, uses case studies as examples of how focus groups have been used and the data they elicit, and draws conclusion about the projects to which focus groups are appropriate. This paper also makes reference to aspects of methodology in consumer market research and revisions, which Rubenstein uses to apply the technique to museum audience research.
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Rosalyn RubensteinVisitor Studies Association
In this article, Sydney Donahoe discusses visitor research at the San Diego Wild Animal Park. Donahoe explains three main reasons for conducting this research: advertising and marketing campaigns, to improve their product, and to assess visitor learning and enjoyment.
In this article, Marilyn G. Hood of Hood Associates discusses a visitor study of the Holden Arboretum in rural Mentor, Ohio. The year-long study helped arboretum staff and trustees learn how the institution might more effectively serve its audience, which they suspected differ from season to season.
In this article, G. Donald Adams of the Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village discusses the influence of positive word-of-mouth on motivating attendance at museums and other visitor attractions. Adams shares an example of a word-of-mouth situation and how assessments made at various stages in the process can help a museum plan public programs that create positive impressions.
In this article, Patricia Munro discusses the "Baffling Beauty" project developed by the Anstiftung, a nonprofit research organization in Munich. Munro summarizes the development of this "health forum," traveling exhibition as well as how evaluation techniques were integrated into the exhibit planning and implementation process.
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Patricia MunroVisitor Studies Association