Organization of the Table

The table that follows lists current and planned interpretive media and their uses. The table is based on several principles.

• Variety — In each area of the collection a variety of information will be presented in several different formats to address different learning styles and provide varying levels of complexity. Some information will be heard, some read or seen, and some accessed through computer programs. We will offer this broad range because visitors have varying interests, educational backgrounds, and needs. They are more likely to feel validated and motivated when they can control significant aspects of their experience. Some people learn by listening and then discussing ideas with others; some like to examine and reflect on authoritative information; some like to be challenged to integrate theory and practice; and others learn best by discovering underlying principles through trial and error. We know that visitors who can choose how and what they learn place greater value on their museum experiences.
• Proximity and Availability — The most essential information belongs on object labels, the medium in closest proximity to the art objects. The object label is our primary means of communicating with the general visitor. More complex, detailed, or specialized information can be presented in one or more of the other formats.
• Accessibility — Visitors to museums learn differently than students in schools. Learning in schools is structured and linear, whereas learning in museums is self-directed. Museum materials must be organized to accommodate a non-sequential approach and arranged in small, discrete units that can be encountered in any order and still make sense.

The media listed in the table fall into three broad categories: print, audiovisual, and tours. Within each category, the most general and widely used media precede more specialized forms. The list is open-ended, and new media will undoubtedly be added in the future. Lectures, the Institute’s Bulletin, Arts magazine, and library resources are not listed in this table because they are not used in direct conjunction with works of art.

Applications in the Galleries

Some media will be used more than others. The gallery ID and object ID labels are indispensable and must be ubiquitous. Other media are appropriate to many parts of the collection, but continuous loop video and slide programs may have more limited application.
    While any medium can be used in isolation, a combination of two or more may sometimes be appropriate. However, no particular combination should be considered obligatory. In fact, some media are distinctly incompatible. Those that encourage quiet contemplation should not be located in the same area as those that require sound or active use. For example, “A Closer Look” areas should not be linked to interactive multimedia stations. Two active formats, such as docent tours and interactive multimedia, should not be made to compete in the same space. Formats that emit sound, such as interactive media, loop video, and slide shows, might be sound-screened or have speaker-to-listener devices.