sent staff to our Kellogg workshops, but an even greater 

 number of smaller institutions have done so, such as the 

 Paine Art Center and Arboretum in Oshkosh, Wiscon- 

 sin; Paris Gibson Square in Great Falls, Montana; and 

 the Plains Art Museum in Moorhead, Minnesota. Visits 

 to various remote areas of the country would no doubt 

 turn up people who are acquainted with Field Museum, 

 since many small, widely distributed museums have sent 

 staff to our Kellogg workshops. 



Natural history museums account for about 21 per- 

 cent of the total number of institutions attending the 

 workshops. Other major natural history museums in the 

 U. S. which rank with Field Museum in size and scope — 

 the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, the 

 American Museum of Natural History in New York, the 

 California Academy of Science in San Francisco, the 

 Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, and 

 the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Nat- 

 ural History, in Washington, D.C. — have all sent staff 

 members to Field Museum's Kellogg workshops. But 

 these workshops provide professional development 

 opportunities for a much greater number of personnel 

 from medium-sized and small natural history museums, 

 many of which would be otherwise unable to provide 

 such opportunities for their staff. And the same holds 

 true for those museums whose purview is not natural his- 

 tory. One participant's comment was typical: "Because 

 our budget is so restricted, I have not been able to travel 

 to any meetings or seminars before, and didn't know 

 what an enriching experience it would be. It has given 

 me greatly increased confidence in myself, both from a 

 personal and professional standpoint." 



The remaining 25 percent of the participating insti- 

 tutions comprise children's museums, science and tech- 

 nology museums, and museums with live collections — 

 aquaria, zoos, arboreta, and botanical gardens. The 

 diversity of institutions and their staffs has been an 

 important element in the design and conduct of the 

 workshops. Workshop participants have found they 

 have benefited greatly from the resulting variety of per- 

 spectives on common problems. Said one: "A key ele- 

 ment to gaining insight was the diversity of types of 

 museums that were represented at the Field Museum 

 workshop. It gave me contact with people who were 

 doing totally different kinds of programs, both in con- 

 tent and audience. In turn I found it much easier to 

 stretch my imagination about types of programming we 

 could be providing that fits easily into the scope of our 

 institution." "This multi-disciplinary approach opened 

 my eyes," commented another. 



Participants evaluate the workshop upon its con- 

 clusion, and also report on its effects three months later 

 and nine months later. Their responses have been very 

 enthusiastic. One participant reported, "[My] museum 



has improved in the area of public programs as a result of 

 the workshop. Prior to the workshop, many programs 

 were planned at the last minute. Now, more time is 

 spent in planning and preparation. Also, each program 

 is evaluated by the staff members for planning future 

 events. As a result, the programs have been better 

 planned, run more smoothly, and have had a more pro- 

 fessional look to them. There has also been an increased 

 attendance since we have time to publicize the programs 

 now!" A member of one of the exhibition development 

 workshops commented, "The workshop made me think 

 about my role on the team and how my performance 

 affects fellow team members. Although we have long felt 

 we worked as a team, we never stopped to discuss the 

 process. It's not often that one gets the luxury of taking 

 time to reflect. For me, the opportunity enlightened me 

 about the division of labor, others' constraints, and the 

 amount of time needed to work as a team successfully. I 

 think that it has made us more helpful, sensitive, con- 

 siderate, and less demanding. This has led to better 

 exhibit planning and a smoother development both in 

 construction and interpretation. Thank you again for 

 the opportunity." 



As the results of the follow-up evaluations continue 

 to accumulate, the considerable effort that the Field 

 Museum staff have put into developing and conducting 

 the workshops is well rewarded by the impact of the pro- 

 grams. "Utilizing more long-range planning and forcing 

 ourselves to focus on more appropriate and specialized 

 goals is streamlining our procedures in the education 

 department and the museum as a whole," one partici- 

 pant said. Another was delighted to report that "a fund- 

 raising event modeled after one put on by a fellow 

 Kellogg participant's institution raised more money 

 than any single fund-raising event ever put on by our 

 museum. It will be an annual event!" Yet another 

 predicted: "I anticipate that not only will the content [of 

 our exhibits] continue to improve, but the types of 

 exhibits that we will be presenting to the public will 

 have greater scope. Just to be able to sit down on a reg- 

 ular basis and discuss how each of us sees an exhibition 

 developing opens many doors to improving the quality of 

 the message and our understanding of each other's role 

 and the importance of each position in providing a qual- 

 ity exhibition program for the public." 



And that, after all, is what the Kellogg workshop 

 program at Field Museum is all about: enhancing the 

 quality of exhibits and programs, and finding new ways 

 to serve museum visitors better. 



Museum professionals who would like more 

 information should contact Teresa LaMaster, program 

 coordinator, at (312) 922-9410, extension 361; or 

 Carolyn Blackmon, chairman of the Education Depart- 

 ment and Kellogg project director, extension 247. Ml 



