XVI International Botanical Congess

One museum in the U.S. opens every 3.3 days. Improving an institution's attractiveness without losing its educational component has become one of the challenges of some curators, designers, and administrators. How can these facilities compete with the attention-grabbing, non-intellectual forms of entertainment for a share of the public's attention? Effectiveness-evaluation should be incorporated into every stage of exhibition planning and construction. Yet this process is sometimes neglected. Will an exhibit capture and hold a visitor's attention? Does it stimulate enough interest to make him want to return and learn more? This poster illusrates an educational assessment of some Missouri institutions by statistical analysis, comparing administrative interviews to visitor surveys.