Evaluation Resources & Contacts

Books

• Exhibit Labels: An Interpretive Approach, by Beverly Serrell, published by Alta Mira Press (a division of Sage Publications, Inc.), Walnut Creek, 1996.
• Introduction to Museum Evaluation, by Minda Borun and Randi Korn, Editors, Roxana Adams, Series Editor, published by the Committee on Audience Research and Evaluation of the American Association of Museums, Professional Practice Series, 1999.
• Questioning Assumptions: An Introduction to Front-End Studies in Museums, by Lynn D. Dierking and Wendy Pollock, published by the Association of Science-Technology Centers, Washington, DC, 1998.
• Try It! Improving Exhibits through Formative Evaluation, Samuel Taylor, editor, and Beverly Serrell, assistant editor, published by the New York Hall of Science and the Association of Science-Technology Centers, Washington, DC, 1991.
• The Effectiveness of Nonpersonal Media Used in Interpretation and Informal Education: An Annotated Bibliography. Wells, Marcella and Lisa Smith. National Association of Interpretation. 2000.

Professional organizations

• American Evaluation Association
  American Evaluation Association
  16 Sconticut Neck Rd #290
  Fairhaven MA 02719
  Phone/fax [phone] (toll-free in US and some of Canada)

AEA publishes American Journal of Evaluation (published three times/year).

• Committee on Audience Research and Evaluation (CARE)
  American Association of Museums (AAM)
  1575 Eye Street, NW, Suite 400
  Washington, DC 20005
  tel.: [phone]

CARE publishes Current Trends in Audience Research and Evaluation, and the Directory of Evaluators.

• Visitor Studies Association (VSA)
  8175-A Sheridan Blvd., Suite 362
  Arvada, CO 80003-1928
  303-467-2200
  303-467-0064 fax

VSA publishes Visitor Studies Today and a Directory of Evaluators.

NPS web sites of interest:

• Component for Module 340: Advanced Knowledge of the Audience (KA)
• NPS Social Science Program

HFC contact person:

• Paula Beale, Media Evaluation Coordinator, Harpers Ferry Center (phone: [phone]; email: [e-mail])