find their proper place in this grouping of colorful birds from all parts 

 of the world. More complete information about the exhibition pro- 

 gram is given in the separate reports of the four scientific departments 

 of the Museum. 



New records were established for group attendance in the Mu- 

 seum. Many of the groups were aided by Raymond Foundation. 

 On May 17 a new record was established when eighty-nine organized 

 groups came to the Museum in a single day. The record number of 

 groups attending the Museum in any one month was also achieved 

 in May, with 1,104 groups and 51,149 students. 



During July and August the film "Through These Doors," which 

 gives a background story of the work of the Museum, was presented 

 on forty-two occasions before a total of 4,574 persons. Many visitors 

 reported increased enjoyment of the Museum because of the effective 

 briefing that they received by viewing the film. 



ATTENDANCE 



This year's attendance of 1,097,561 at the Museum was about 4,000 

 less than last year (actually, this was an average of only about two 

 persons a day less than in 1956, as that year, being a leap year, was 

 one day longer). It is well, however, to note the changing pattern 

 of attendance at museums and other cultural institutions. It is rec- 

 ognized that many persons are now content to view television at 

 home rather than make the effort to visit institutions as they did a 

 few years ago. Further, the lack of adequate transportation, par- 

 ticularly on weekends, due to curtailment in service by the Chicago 

 Transit Authority, has been disastrous to the institutions in Grant 

 Park. The discontinuance of service and elimination of the tracks 

 across the Illinois Central Railroad at Roosevelt Road was protested 

 at the time without avail. Our weekend attendance continues to fall, 

 and the increasing numbers of persons coming to the Museum by 

 automobile have taxed parking facilities to the extent that many po- 

 tential visitors give up their attempt after vainly circling the Museum 

 in search of parking space. 



The Museum's response to declining attendance has been met by 

 new programing and special offerings, particularly by Raymond 

 Foundation (see page 24), which brought to the Museum this year 

 almost 40,000 additional school children and 1,300 more teachers. 

 The programs offered by the Museum are reaching many thousands 

 of persons through radio and television and a greatly increased dis- 

 tribution of its published material. 



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