From Fantastic to Crabby, Museum Employees Are Memorable

Staff matter.  Oh, they really do.   In our recent research into adult memories of early childhood museum visits, staff, or docents and volunteers (most people cannot distinguish between the two), come up a fair amount. 

The vast majority of memories involving staff are positive, and historic sites disproportionately show up.  Historic costumes are memorable, and the guided tours or costumed interpretation common at historic sites lend them to a greater number of memories. 

But not all memories that included staff were from historic sites, and not all memories were positive.  Some memories involved becoming separated from one’s family or group, and staff stepping in.  A few mentioned how a negative experience cast a pall over the entire experience.  And there were some that illustrate how an attentive staff member can make a museum experience truly unforgettable for a child.

• Trip to New York and the Met.  I remember the museum seem[ed] huge and I got lost, so many people so many rooms.  Staff member found me and brought me to the office and gave me a drink with cookies.  It was a great cookie and my parents came and got me.
• “[The staff member] ruined a perfectly wonderful day with my family … EVERY employee counts. Even the crabby old lady behind the counter in the gift shop makes an impact on a child.”
• “I found a bone in a field and was sure it was a dinosaur bone … [The staff] were so sweet in spending the time to talk with me even though, of course, it was a cow bone. I have become an avocational archaeologist … Museums definitely influence children!!!”

Every touch point between visitors and staff (volunteer or paid) is important, but for a child, it can be transformative and memorable for decades to come. 

What do you think?  What do you remember from your childhood museum experiences?  To share, simply click on "comments" below.  (If you are reading this from your e-mail subscription to the blog, please go to http://reachadvisors.typepad.com to add a comment.)

Photo Courtesy:  Erie Maritime Museum

Comments

[Jennifer]

I've never forgotten a visit to the Major Art Museum in southern California with my two children (ages 5 and 2, the youngest in a stroller and both literally brought up in museums). A uniformed security guard literally followed us around a sculpture gallery, and every move we made elicited "watch yourselves" or a similar threat. I've worked in museums since 1967 and understand that a staff member may not reflect upon the whole institution, but it's been more than 30 years since that visit and I still refuse to return to the Major Art Museum. My then-5-year old son remembers it, too, as being "scarey."

[Kelly]

The Head of the Farm Animals,Bill Mangiardi, at Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield deserves the highest recognition - he is a natural with animals and children. His smile will brighten anyone's day. The Baby Animals are a memorable event for all...

[G. Yvonne Harris]

My father was a military man and travel much. So he was a big fan of taking us on educational trips, museums included. As an artist I love art galleries and museums and shared this with my niece now 12, since she was 2 years old. We had a video "Linnea in Monet's Garden" which she (then two years old) adored, including the little doll that came with it. We decided that it was time for her to see a real Monet at the National Gallery of Art. Three weeks later her mother called me. While shopping in a major bookstore my niece toddled over to a stack of art books, pointed at one of the covers and chirped, "Look Moma, that's a Monet" I was soooo proud. She still loves the museum.