CENTENNIAL DIRECTIONS 



study halls will free the thematic exhibits to focus on an 

 introduction and overview of the subject rather than an 

 exhaustive presentation. In addition, some curatorial 

 activities, including packing and unpacking for expedi' 

 tions, can be done in the study halls, so that the public 

 can see and better understand the activities that go on 

 behind the scenes at the Museum. These areas will be 

 comfortable, informal, quiet, multi-leveled spaces with 

 lots of seating and subdued natural lighting from re- 

 opened windows looking out onto the park. 



Supporting Initiatives 



While exhibits and general public programs are central 

 to the vitality and appeal of Field Museum, several oth- 

 er initiatives are needed to reinforce and broaden its 

 usefulness: 



* School services that will help the Museum comple- 

 ment the formal educational system and further the stu- 

 dents' interest in and understanding of natural history. 



* Community outreach efforts, to help the Museum 

 better serve the broadest spectrum of Chicago's people. 



* Marketing initiatives to increase awareness of the 

 Museum and to foster the perception of Field Museum as 

 human, approachable, and fun. 



More than 200,000 zoological specimens in the Field Museum 

 collection were loaned to researchers at other institutions between 

 1981 and 1985. William Burlingham photo. 



School Services 



Illinois law mandates that all Illinois students and teach- 

 ers be admitted free to museums located in public parks, 

 and Field Museum welcomes them. The Museum oper- 

 ates a number of formal educational programs geared to 

 Chicago-area schools. School attendance has ranged 

 from a high of 384,944 in 1969 to a low of 176,352 in 

 1981. New initiatives have increased attendance. Dur- 

 ing 1985 over 4,500 school groups, composed of 219,607 

 students and teachers, visited Field Museum to augment 

 their classroom studies. Free loans of dioramas and expe- 

 rience boxes were made to over 1,500 teachers and com- 

 munity organizations to prepare for their Museum visit 

 or for in-school study. 



To improve the school programs, the Museum must 

 strengthen its relationships to elementary and secondary 

 school curricula and to relevant programs of community 

 and natural history organizations. Specifically, the 

 Museum should: 



* Increase Museum usage training programs for teachers 

 and broaden them to include leaders of educational, 

 community, and natural history organizations 



* Work more closely with schools and with community 

 and natural history organizations on joint curricular and 

 program planning 



* Develop more classroom kits and other educational 

 materials for use away from the Museum. 



Community Outreach 



Although Field Museum serves a wide variety of con- 

 stituencies, it has a special responsibility to the people of 

 Chicago. We need to do a better job of serving all of 

 Chicago's people, and the Museum therefore plans to 

 establish an outreach program. This program will seek to 

 introduce the Museum to non-users, increase their com- 

 fort with it, and get Museum resources out where they 

 can be used to meet day-to-day community needs. The 

 program's mission will be to build long-term links to 

 community agencies, such as boys and girls clubs, Y's, 

 branch libraries, preschool and after school day care 

 centers, senior centers, settlement houses, day camps, 

 recreation centers, playgrounds, and park programs. 



The exact nature of the outreach programs will de- 

 pend on the needs of each community. Programs might 

 include: 



