NAI Blog

Chief of Interpretation Larry Frederick orients us to the popular Sheep Lakes area of Rocky Mountain National Park.

NAI just finished hosting the Civic Tourism III Conference in Fort Collins and it was very exciting. Despite light attendance of 63 agency staffers, interpreters, convention and visitor bureau staff and community volunteers, those present were enthusiastic about doing more to help communities have the kind of tourism they want.

Dan Shilling’s book, Civic Tourism: The Poetry and Politics of Place, was given to each attendee. The book emphasizes that civic tourism should include the triple bottom line of equity (social), environment and economics, invest in the story and connect with the public. Tourism is one of the top three economic forces in every state in the U.S., but there is no cabinet level position for tourism in the federal government. Many states have a tourism office that only spends money on advertising. They want more people to come but do not invest in development of the “STORY,” the product, the visitor experience, the attractions.

The Estes Park Museum tells the story of the community very well.

At Civic Tourism III we had a full day of mobile workshops that took groups out to Blackhawk/Central City, Estes Park and Fort Collins with varied attractions and tourism hosts. We wanted to study and compare communities who encourage tourism and learn what we could from them. Blackhawk is a gambling and mining town. Estes Park is a gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park and has always been a tourist town. Fort Collins has a central theme of “where renewal is a way of life with a focus on “Beets, Brews and Bikes.” The sugar beet industry was the main community support for decades, but is gone. Micro-breweries like New Belgium and Odell’s are a part of the current lifestyle with their tasting rooms and unique stories. The lifestyles of the community today are very much about renewal and sustainability.

Dave DiMatteo at New Belgium interprets their story and core values.

We took the participants to New Belgium, where they interpret their beer with the story of founder Jeff Lebesch bicycling across Belgium, meeting brewmeisters and doing lots of tasting. Each employee gets a free trip to bicycle across Belgium at their five-year anniversary. It is  likely the “greenest” brewery in the nation with its own wind farm for electricity generation.  They have made sustainability and wise use of resources part of their core values along with bicycle events (Tour de Fat), employee ownership and a rich culture of storytelling. They tell their story very well.

One enduring observation of the three communities visited and the many communities discussed was the lack of a town’s abilities to tell the story on the streets. Estes Park explained they get three million visitors downtown but only about 12,000 at the local museum, which tells the story of Estes very well. It’s three blocks from the high traffic zones.

Can you tell the community story on the streets and why should you? Towns usually have a unique, authentic story or stories that arise from their natural and cultural assets and history. Often these days the story is covered up or lost in the melee of highways, franchise stores and strangely themed neighborhoods. James Howard Kuntsler described this phenomenon in his book, The Geography of Nowhere.  If we don’t tell our story on the streets, we may be a “been there, done that” visitor experience, another generic community. Most will not visit the local museum and dig out the deeper identity of the community.

A city interpretive guide starts our walking tour near the Roman Baths.

I have tried to think of where I’ve seen a town’s story thoughtfully told at the street level in diverse ways. Providence, Rhode Island, and the Blackstone Valley do a good job with their visitor center museum combination. Mystic, Connecticut, has incredible attractions and some downtown interpretive signage that shares their rich history. Bath, England, has wonderful street interpretive tours that engage visitors with their unique history. Singapore has interesting signage on their major streets that tell the fascinating story of how a trading post turned into a major seaport and industrial city-nation in a fairly short period of time.

Interpretive planning has largely been focused on sites like parks, zoos, historic houses, museums and aquariums in the past. In recent years the Scenic Byways Resource Center has introduced corridors and communities to interpretive planning as an opportunity to share their stories. A very few CVBs like Great Bend Kansas have been out front acquiring interpretive planning skills to plan holistic experiences for visitors. Kris Collier as President and CEO of the Great Bend CVB is a Certified Interpretive Trainer and Planner who works with local attractions to build a culture of collaboration among the rural communities in her region. It can be done, but it takes leadership.

It is exciting to think about what our diverse towns and communities might be like if they embraced their local stories and became skilled at telling them. NAI’s interpretive planning courses can be hosted anywhere and the towns and cities of North America pose a great opportunity. We need to put our stories on the streets, but we have to plan it and not just hope it happens.

-Tim Merriman

The interpretive planning class gets a site visit at West Creek Reservation to better know the site early in the planning process.

Last week in Cleveland our interpretive planning class worked on plans for interpretive media for the grounds of the new park and interpretive project being developed by Cleveland Metroparks (CM) in collaboration with the Northeast Ohio Sewer District and City of Parma. A previous class worked on the overall concept for the Stewardship Center and many of their suggestions have been included in the design of the building. At last week’s class, John Cardwell, CM’s landscape architect, presented on progress being made on the center that is now under development, the WaterShed.

The West Creek watershed is on the Cuyahoga River, which caught on fire thirteen times in the past hundred fifty years and served as a catalyst for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to toughen standards regarding water pollution through the Clean Water Act and other legislation.

Not only is West Creek on a famously polluted watershed, the specific property of this reserve has an old landfill on it. It is surrounded by industrial sites and some homes who have only recently been moved to city sewage from having septic fields. The stream quality here is currently not so good and it is a great place to pursue their two goals – demonstrate restoration change on the ground and engage local citizens in applying best practices to bring about the positive change.

John began by explaining that they are working with “The Sustainable Sites Initiative™ (SITES™) in design of the grounds and  LEED standards with the building for the WaterShed. Best Management Practices (BMPs) are being encouraged already in the community by doing rain barrel workshops at some CM nature centers. These help homeowners build inexpensive rain barrels to install at home. Rainwater HOGs, large rain barrel systems, are being installed on nature centers as demonstrations. Slowing down water in the watershed is desirable to

Wetlands provide wildlife habitat while serving as a filter for stormwater and residential runoff.

increase the natural filtering of stormwater. Wetlands, in addition to providing wildlife habitat, are key components in this streamshed for slowing down stormwater.

CM’s chief scientist, John Mack, explained that they have 30 years of mainstem streams data collection in Ohio, one of the largest databases of its kind, but little headwater stream monitoring.  Scientific monitoring of the change on the ground is vital to the process. The creative interpretive media being planned will engage local residents in using better practices in their yards that drain into the West Creek watershed.

We have many watersheds in the U.S. where people live close to landfills, mining tailings, and industrial grounds. Improving water quality with citizen participation is a learning process from all directions. Too often we clean up our problems with no citizen awareness that it has been done. Good interpretive planning in this setting will help the community understand their roles and responsibilities in watershed protection, improvement and management.

The reconstructed wetlands on West Creek already attract great blue herons.

The parks department, sewage district and city cooperating on a major stewardship and ecological restoration project is fairly unique and a great opportunity. The sewage department is already offering discounts on sewage bills for those who use BMPs to help improve water quality on West Creek. Careful monitoring of the change in West Creek by scientists will give an important check on the effectiveness of the BMPs and citizen participation. The park will provide recreation space for residents while engaging them in a very worthwhile community project of restoration.

I’m looking forward to going back for a visit in two years when the WaterShed building and grounds at West Creek Reservation are redeveloped and being used by the people of Parma and surrounding areas. I want to see the creative interpretive ideas on the ground and in the hands of local children and families.

A nineteenth century conservationist in Japan, Tanaka Shozo, said, “The care of rivers is not a question of rivers but of the human heart.” Interpretation helps people make the emotional connections with places and stories that lead to commitment. This is a great place to demonstrate the power of such efforts.

- Tim Merriman

Bob Hinkle introduces the planning class to the West Creek Reservation site for the new WaterShed project.

I’m not in the new sitcom, Hot in Cleveland. I’m in Cleveland and it’s not hot this week, temperature-wise. But it is really HOT in our business due to Cleveland Metroparks (CM). Bob Hinkle is the Chief of Outdoor Education and for 39 years he has been a member of NAI and AIN before that, one of our two parent organizations. His leadership in CM’s education and interpretive programs for 28 years has been amazing. Dr. Bob, as many affectionately call him, has encouraged professional development as a cultural norm in this old and revered park district.

This is our fourth interpretive planning course in Cleveland at his request and managers of nature centers and programs in this system are required to earn the Certified Interpretive Manager or Planner credential. CM’s planner, landscape architect and designers have had the planner course, helping them work together with site managers and interpreters, all using a common process and planning vocabulary.

Lisa Brochu explains logic models with an example.

This week’s course is working on the challenge of planning the interpretive elements on the WaterShed grounds that augment the services of the building in achieving site objectives. Participants are from all over the U.S. and Canada along with six staff members of CM, with varying levels of experience in interpretive planning and graphic design. During the course, participants are exposed to planning principles and processes, then apply what they’ve learned to the on-site project challenge.

The culture of professional development and interpretive planning encouraged by Bob Hinkle is important to the success of CM’s six nature centers and other outdoor programs. Large organizations with  policies, politics and bureaucracy can end up with a “can’t do it” emotional environment, but thoughtful training and planning keeps professionals open to personal growth and empowers them with an understanding of what they CAN DO cost effectively and efficiently. CM continues to invest in helping their dedicated professionals grow and become better planners – that’s HOT and is making a difference in Cleveland.

-Tim Merriman

Freeman Tilden’s Six Principles of Interpretation (Interpreting Our Heritage, 1957) have endured as wisdom about the profession for 53 years. In 1998 Ted Cable and Larry Beck updated them as the first six in their Fifteen Guiding Principles in their excellent book, Interpretation for the 21st Century. So I hereby propose the 7th or 16th Principle, depending on whether you cite Tilden or Cable and Beck. It is:

“Interpretation is management.”

For all my 40 years in the field I’ve heard, “Interpretation is a management tool.” The difference between that statement and the belief that interpretation is management is subtle, but important. A tool can be picked up or left in the toolshed. It may or may not be useful depending on how someone wants to solve a particular problem. If we believe that interpretation is management, then it becomes an integral part of every operation, not an option.

Hundreds of social science and communications studies document the ability of well-planned communication to influence attitudes, beliefs and behaviors. Using that knowledge, we can design thematic programs and media that help achieve our objectives.

I first heard Mike Watson, former Superintendent of Mather Training Center for National Park Service, say, “Interpretation is management” many years ago. The more I’ve thought about it over the years, the more convinced I am that this idea should be fundamental to how we think and teach in this profession. In 2007 we added the words “mission-based” to our definition of interpretation after deep discussions with other professionals in the Definitions Project that produced a new lexicon for the field.

To me this Sixteenth Principle is key because it suggests that what we do must be designed to make a difference in pursuit of our mission. Few managers will keep interpretive programs through thick and thin unless it has value as management. It’s the 7th or 16th Principle of interpretation in my view.

-Tim Merriman

Tomo Hara of Japan, Rick Morales from Panama and Tim Merriman chat at the 2010 International Conference in Townsville, Australia.

More than 40 years ago my college roommate, Bernie, told me that his supervisor in the guidance counseling office at Southern Illinois University shared the secret of long relationships. It was simple – “Give 100%, expect nothing back. Don’t think you are in a 50/50 relationship with your spouse, friends, customers or anyone. You’ll begin to feel you’re giving 55? and they are only giving 45%. You turn a relationship into a contest. Then someone has to win and someone has to lose. It was a wise thought back then and one I need as a reminder every day or two.

If you care enough about thoughtful relationships to give 100% and just be surprised and pleased at anything shared back with you, you will do well with relationships. I was not surprised today to get a promotion from the Simple Truths website indicating they sell a book based on this idea as the 100/0 Principle. I know the notion is at least 40 years old, but perhaps it is thousands of years old, as old as relationships.

Interpreters meet people daily with an opportunity to create lasting relationships. The visitor or guest that seems to be with us for the day may return, tell a friend or not see us for decades. Just this past year a woman from Illinois contacted me by Facebook to ask if I am the same Tim Merriman who worked at Giant City State Park. Geri explained she is a Postmaster in a town near where I grew up. She visited the park and attended my snake program and I showed her family the behind the scenes animals during their visit. She said it made a great impression and she raised her children to be respectful of wildlife and snakes especially. I was pleased to learn more about her life, family and deep interest in nature and we continue as Facebook friends.

Our investment in others will come back in great ways if we do not expect it to be an equal exchange. We share all we can and should expect that an investment in honest, thoughtful communication will lead better places, even if we disagree at times. I am not suggesting we be doormats, just not turn relationships into contests with a winner and loser. We can and should have honest dialogues about real issues of importance.

Relationships with partners, donors, members, supporters and guests are easier if you take personal responsibility for communicating well. Honesty is important. But honesty can be a bludgeon or it can be helpful in a relationship. It depends on the kindness in the delivery. Helping a colleague perform better may require some honest advice from a friendly perspective. If it just sounds like criticism, it doesn’t work as well. It can also be opening an honest discussion rather than a heated disagreement. Either can be about the same issues, but the one with empathy is likely to help the relationship grow.

I claim no personal mastery of all of this. Every day is a challenge in finding the right words in each relationship. It is all worth the effort to do better in every circumstance. Complaints are especially an opportunity to work on relationships. The LAST method is often taught by trainers as a way of remembering the right reaction to complaints. LAST stands for Listen, Apologize, Soften and Thank.

In application it sounds something like. “Umm, OK (listen while they explain), I apologize for what happened. That would upset me as well. Let’s talk about how we might make this situation better for you. Thanks for bringing this to our attention. We only get better if we know what is not working.” It’s easy to be defensive (I know, I’ve done that too often), throw someone under the bus (the blame game), or over react. Most folks just want a fair hearing and fixing a problem will often result in a better relationship, maybe a lasting one. Sometimes they know there is no real “fix.” They just want to vent and be heard to protect a future guest from whatever happened.

Relationships take honest effort on our part and listening skills. We cannot expect others to do their part. We only control ourselves. Every day we have new opportunities to create great new relationships that will enrich our lives and our organizations. It is not always easy, but it is worth the effort.

-Tim Merriman

For thirteen years I directed a nature center in Pueblo, Colorado. In my first days there I was surprised to hear the gravel industry across the river from the center described as “the enemy” by some board members. I was told they owned all the land south and west of us and would eventually mine it all, leaving behind lakes surrounded by sterile hills of concrete slabs. I could agree that I did not want to see all of the riparian cottonwoods cut down for the gravel mines, but I could not grasp the concept of them being the enemy, so I got acquainted with them.

At Rotary meetings, I would often sit with Mark, their General Manager, and chat. He was a nice fellow and obviously cared about civic responsibility. Our conversations led to candid talk about the relationship we potentially had as neighbors. His employer owned the land and planned to mine it. We relied on the woods to the west for scenic beauty and wildlife habitat. We preferred it not being mined, but they owned it and had permits to get it done. And yet, they would prefer we not show up at “404″ permit hearings and attempt to block their normal business interests of mining gravel and making concrete. Gravel is the number one mineral in Colorado, not gold, silver or molybdenum as many might think.

In the spirit of cooperation Mark invited me to tour their gravel mines and concrete operation and suggest how they might work more compatibly with the nature center. As we drove around, I commented that they seemed to be burying huge granite boulders. He explained that they were too big for their crusher so they buried them as waste material. I suggested it would make great riprap for the river banks they were currently covering with large flat slabs of waste concrete. He smiled when he said, “Concrete is beautiful.” I laughed. We shared the unspoken joke of seeing each other’s different perspectives on how we work with resources and people. He said they might be able to do something about their approach to riprapping. We went on to talk about cottonwood reforestation on the older banks of the river and lake. They had a replanting program as required by mineland reclamation laws. I suggested they leave a few large “mother” trees and blast the hillsides with water when the cotton seeds of the cottonwoods blow all directions in June each year. They would get free regeneration of native trees. He thought that sounded reasonable. We did consider the possibility that the healthy beaver population would defeat this idea by cutting down the few trees left. That had happened throughout this Arkansas River valley when only a few trees were available for beaver food. Our tour resulted in two possible suggestions for changing some of their work approaches.

I went back to the nature center, pleased that we had such an interesting conversation. I had shared my hope that there would be a way for the gravel company to trade the cottonwood stand by the nature center for other property to mine. He said anything is possible. By the next day we looked across the river and the gravel company had covered sixty feet or so of river bank with the large “waste” granite boulders, covering the concrete slabs. From then on the river banks where they worked had more of a natural granite look and the concrete was obscured. I called to thank Mark and he said to come back in a few days and see their “mother” trees. I did and they had welded industrial size beaver guards around half a dozen large female trees. He explained that they had large pumps and could easily spray regeneration areas to start new cottonwoods.

Over the next few years we encouraged discussions between state parks and the gravel company about land trades. Eventually a corn field on state parks land that held gravel deposits was traded for the cottonwood stand by the nature center. Valco Sand & Gravel has since sold to LaFarge and continues to be a major gravel and concrete provider in Pueblo. Meetings during this period were frustrating because Valco had a clear fifty year plan and state parks did not work that strategically, but eventually it all worked. We found that collaborating with our friends next door was valuable for all of us. Their good will was evident in every way and they often donated concrete to nature center projects.

Some viewed our getting acquainted with a gravel company as fraternizing with the enemy. I think we got to know our neighbors and learned they were good people with an interest in taking care of the community. We all listened and learned.

-Tim Merriman

Most of the time I spent as a park ranger was fun and rewarding to say the least. I wouldn’t trade those days for anything—except the Fourth of July. It was the one holiday I really learned to hate. We had some grand celebrations in the parks—community picnics, music, skydivers, fireworks and more. But from the ranger’s perspective, July 4 also included an exceptional assortment of drunks, auto accidents, grass fires and other events designed to vex the ranger staff. It was consistent. I could count on a couple of fires, and least one trip to the county jail, and extra reports to write about all the day’s activities. July 4 was just a day to survive and hope that it passed as quickly as possible. Sunup on July 5 was always a welcome sight.

Photo by Bethany Carlson

Then one July 4 I struck up a conversation with a gentleman who was a WWII veteran. He mentioned that he loved the holiday from the aspect of family picnics, town parades and the sense of community, but he really disliked fireworks. He went on to explain about July 4, 1944 when he was fighting in the battle of Normandy. The day started with an artillery barrage and another day of fierce combat ensued. He said that for a moment, the artillery triggered a flashback to July 4 celebrations back home and a wealth of warm, vivid memories came rushing back. Those memories reminded him of what he was fighting for, and helped get him through a very difficult day. That July 4 was one he hoped to survive, and he was happy to see July 5 roll around. He never missed another July 4 after the war. However, he had developed a lifelong sensitivity to loud noises that reminded him of artillery and gun fire, so he was never excited about fireworks.

That conversation changed my attitude about July 4 as well. I realized that the July 4 holiday is a gathering together of all Americans to celebrate our heritage as a nation. It shouldn’t be a surprise that most of us choose to celebrate outdoors, because the outdoors and open spaces are such a central element of our national identity. The parks, plazas and beaches fill with people on this holiday, not just to enjoy the summer weather, but also because something just feels right about being outside, sharing food and fun with family and community. That’s who we are.

This is an opportunity for parks and historic sites to shine for a public that is again reminded about the importance of preserving and celebrating our heritage. There will always be a few folks in the crowd that behave badly, but I guess that’s good job security for rangers and enforcement staff. But the majority of folks we see on this holiday represent a grateful nation that values heritage sites and open spaces—and appreciates the people that take care of these places on our behalf.

I hope you had a good July 4 holiday—wherever you were, whatever you were doing. And if you were busy working the holiday (as many interpreters do) I wish you a peaceful and serene July 5.

—Jim Covel

Researchers at Reach Advisors have been mining a mountain of data from an in-depth survey of thousands of museum members and dedicated museum goers across the US. A number of interesting patterns are emerging, yielding helpful insights into this audience. I suspect the museum-going community may also be a part of the audience we see at nature centers, historic sites and other interpretive venues, so I’ve been very interested in the reports from Reach Advisors.

One of the significant audience segments they’ve identified is the “ultra mom.” Ultra moms are particularly active in providing a variety of experiences for their children. They want to provide opportunities for their kids to have fun and learn, and they may be frequent instigators of a family visit to the museum. In addition, the ultra-moms are more likely to be the adult that accompanies children to the museum. This group tends to be some of the most enthusiastic supporters of museums and programs for kids, and they may be some of the more steadfast members—at least as long as their children are engaged in the museum and programs.

"Ultra Mom" Sebrena Lewis with daughters Gracie and Anna at the Chicago Field Museum.

In his work on Identity-Based Motivations among audiences in zoos, aquariums and museums, John Falk identified a category of guests that he described as “Facilitators.” These were visitors who were focused on facilitating a good experience for others—often children, family members, friends—and their satisfaction was linked to the enjoyment experienced by the those they were facilitating. Moms are a classic example of this Facilitator group, and if their children are having a good time they feel they’ve been successful in providing a great experience. I see a pattern here: perhaps ultra moms are also ultra Facilitators.

But there’s that troubling trend that ultra moms tend to drop out of the museum audience as their kids get older and “outgrow” the institution. That suggests that these adults aren’t finding value for themselves in the museum, they only see it as a value for their children. So how can that be addressed? I have seen some museums (particularly children’s museums) provide coffee and some space for parents to socialize while their kids are engaged in programs. That may help nurture a social network among adults (those that are regulars at the museum) that lasts for many years, even as their kids grow older. In addition, providing programs (adventure camps, science days, student docents, etc.) that appeal to the “tween-age” and teen age audience may extend the involvement of ultra moms and their families. This has the added benefit of developing the next generation of supporters as the family stays engaged with your institution.

Look for the ultra-moms in the audience for your interpretive programs this summer and see if you observe this phenomenon. If you can connect with this segment, try to establish a relationship with the ultra moms and find out how you can better serve their needs. They may well become some of your most loyal fans and supporters—and we can’t have too many of those these days. If you’d like to read more about ultra moms, you can start with this recent blog post from Reach Advisors: http://reachadvisors.typepad.com.

—Jim Covel

One of the more rewarding—and sometimes challenging—audiences we work with would be guests with disabilities—challenging in that some disabilities challenge us to be innovative in making interpretive experiences accessible to the audience. Rewarding in that enabling every audience member to connect more deeply with nature and history is a source of professional pride and satisfaction for any interpreter.

When individuals with disabilities connect with the natural world, there may be something more at work beyond the skill of the interpreter. Nature itself may have ways to minimize the limitations that accompany some disabilities. I was reminded of that again today as I watched youngsters with a variety of disabilities try scuba diving in the Great Tide Pool at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The tide pool provides a protected environment, separated from Monterey Bay by some carefully constructed rock work, but with the same marine life one might see on a dive in the bay. Stairs and a special platform provide easy access to the tide pool. Special kid-sized dry suits, tanks and regulators make it possible for youngsters to use real scuba equipment. Staff and volunteers with advanced dive skills work with each individual to ensure a safe dive experience.

Some of these kids with mobility challenges fight gravity every day to accomplish activities that you and I take for granted. However, once in the water, gravity ceases to be a challenge and the freedom to move, float and drift is exhilarating. There’s the thrill of observing fishes and other marine life up close and personal. It can be a life-changing experience. Some of our other divers weren’t fighting physical challenges, but had cognitive or developmental disabilities. Whether overcoming a physical disability or building the confidence to do something way beyond one’s comfort zone, there’s a sense of triumph with every child that gets into the water. I’m not sure which I enjoy more—looking at the smiles on the kid’s faces, or seeing the tears of joy on the faces of mom and dad watching their child engage in an experience they never thought possible. So I enjoy watching both.

Those who work with children have long observed the advantages that children experience in the out of doors. In Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv writes about the phenomenon of children with certain learning disorders increasing their academic performance when moved into an outdoor classroom setting. Students that may have difficulty focusing in an indoor classroom seem to have more success in the more complex setting that nature provides. It stands to reason: Most of the learning throughout human evolution has occurred as experiential learning, in the outdoors, with adults serving as guides, mentors and teachers. Putting kids inside a classroom, focusing on rote memorization, reading (or working on computers in more recent times), are very new and different learning scenarios for humans. This is one of the reasons I suspect interpreters—offering experiential learning opportunities in natural or cultural settings—may be very effective teachers as well.

Most current training for interpreters includes background and methods for working with audiences with disabilities to ensure access to interpretive opportunities. That doesn’t just mean physical access, but also access to the intellectual content, emotional connections and overall experiences, and this effort will improve the quality of programs for every audience. I would strongly recommend taking advantage of every chance to engage individuals or audiences with disabilities. This will be one of your best professional development opportunities. Beyond the opportunity to build your skills as an interpreter, there’s the sense of personal pride that comes from helping individuals cross barriers and conquer challenges to connect in new ways with the world around them.

—Jim Covel

Many interpreters face a daily dilemma that impacts our programs significantly.  We all recognize the importance of evaluating our work.  We need feedback from our audiences to find out if we’re being effective in meeting the goals and objectives of our programs, and to find out where and how to improve further.  In addition, that feedback helps document our success and provides valuable ammunition when defending our programs and budgets.

Here’s the rub:  Many programs are sponsored by public agencies and any significant survey of guests has to be cleared through an elaborate and time-consuming human subjects review process.  That process was originally put in place to protect the well-being of research subjects (which is a good thing) but it also presents a serious impediment to getting systematic feedback on the impacts of interpretation.  What’s a conscientious interpreter to do?

We get away with a lot of informal evaluation under the guise of “audience building”—asking folks to answer a few informal questions or asking for a show of hands during a presentation.  We may also use some unobtrusive measures, such as observing stay time in front of exhibits or labels, looking at license plates in the parking lot, and so on.  However, most of these methods don’t provide much insight into the motives, attitudes or thought process going on inside our visitors.  However, we may be able to get some insight into those deeper aspects of an interpretive experience.

One of my favorite places to look for additional research is to see what’s going on in the closely-related museum field.  Here are a few resources I’ve found useful:

• I’ve learned a lot about population trends, effectiveness of history centers and community museums and other useful information from the Reach Advisors website (http://reachadvisors.com/).
• The Institute for Learning Innovation is a good resource related to free-choice learning—evaluating effectiveness of museum exhibits, programs and experiences.  Their study, Why Zoos and Aquariums Matter, has some great information on audience characteristics and how interpretive experiences can change attitudes and behavior.  You can access that study on the ILI website, http://www.ilinet.org/display/Resources/Resources+Available .
• CAISE (Center for the Advancement of Informal Science Education) has good resources available on conducting evaluation, learning in informal environments, and other helpful articles (http://caise.insci.org/).
• InformalScience is a web-based compendium of evaluation studies, research and projects related to all types of non-formal learning environments (not limited strictly to science): http://informalscience.org/ .
• Visitor Studies Association (VSA) is a good resource, particularly for evaluation studies, particularly focused on museum environments: http://visitorstudies.org/ .

There are more resources out there, and these sites will link you into many others.  A visitor reading a label in a museum may not be that different from a visitor reading a label in your visitor center.  Looking at the visitor research and evaluation findings in other non-formal learning environments may provide some insights we can use in other interpretive settings, and may also provide some thoughts for more ways to evaluate our own work.

Of course the best resource is NAI’s own Journal of Interpretation Research.  You have the opportunity to subscribe to JIR as a member, and it’s well worth it.  You can read about research that relates directly to interpretive settings, including evaluation studies.

One of my favorite sayings is, “None of us is as smart as all of us.”  When we take advantage of the research findings in our field and related fields, we enhance our professional knowledge and capacity to be more effective interpreters.

—Jim Covel