Place Distributing the Museum’s Offerings and Services

Ways to Distribute a Museum’s Offerings Off-site distribution Reciprocal memberships Curators offer lectures Museums can have branches Publish guides to museums and cultural institutions City Culture Card Partnerships with hotels, restaurants, airlines, public transport organizations On the Web

Balance the Value of distributing collections to a large number of people in the present day against the value of conserving these collections in the best state for future generations

Key Questions What are the goals of outreach and distribution? What are the target audiences for outreach and distribution? What types of distribution (or channels) are most appropriate to the goals and the target audiences? How well are the distributed offerings working? Whom are they reaching? How is effectiveness measured? What are the relative costs and benefits of several distributional methods?

Major Distribution Channels The main facility, building, place Expositions Branch museums Traveling exhibitions and loans Off-site programs Publications Electronic distribution

The Main Facility Accessibility Attractiveness Atmosphere

Building External Factors  Architecture  Features  Surroundings  Physical accessibility Internal Factors  Entrance ways  Corridors  Stairs  Physical accessibility  Galleries and other display spaces  Storage

Museum's Interior Design Two Basic Views Secular church Inviting Informal appearance Functional user-friendly design

Old-Fashioned Institutions Modern Facilities Lighting Ventilation Wayfinding Functionality Access for handicapped individuals

Options for Interior Show more of its collections Fewer paintings commands greater attention Benches in every gallery Leave visitors standing Silent exhibits or noisy exhibits Fill interior with neon lights Stimulating graphics Create multiple theaterlike spaces for demonstrating science

Atmosphere Sensory Auditory Visual  visitor orientation and way finding  color-coded directional signs  computer screens  orientation galleries  electronic aids that print out customized maps

Branch museum  Guggenheim Museum Museum complexes  Louvre

Traveling Exhibitions and Loans Growing visibility of museums Reduce storage costs Sponsors Press attention

Financing Museums have to cover the cost of  loans  shipping  conservation  exhibit costs  costs of technical assistance  sharing of curatorial expertise  ensure the care of objects

Museum Without Walls No building of its own No permanent collection organize exhibitions across the city, at places ranging from  schools  libraries  community centers to  corporate headquarters and  municipal buildings

Special Places Train (Artrain) Bus (Bibliobus) Ship Airplain Subway, underground Open space

Off-Site Programs Distributing  Materials to other locations  Loans and exhibitions  Lectures by visiting curators  Workshops for educators  Technical and consulting services  Instructional materials to schools  Off-site museum stores

Publications Books describing a museum's history and illustrating its collections and departments Books, pamphlets, and catalogues on special exhibits Travelers guides Card and board games based on the museum's collection Members' newsletter A magazine or journal Children's guides to museums Annual reports, distributed to sponsors and donors Catalogues

Electronic Distribution cyberspace visitors available via the Internet digital visits to exhibitions and views of objects in the collections audio-assisted guides to Internet visitors real-time discussions with curators setting up a "chat room" to communicate with other members on-line an excellent response to followers who live at a distance from the museum even across the globe, who want to maintain contact with the museum the museum experience far away from the traditional museum-going offers of special merchandise that can be purchased at the Web site

Advantages The cost effectiveness Web sites provide feedback Museum managers can learn  how many "hits" the site has had  which parts of the site command the most attention,  how long visitors stay at the site, and Museums should be able to finance their Web sites by advertising and finding sponsors