50 



Annals of the Smithsonian Institution 1999 



Institutional Studies Office 



Zahava D. Doering, Director 



The activities of the Institutional Studies Office (ISO) can be 

 grouped into four major categories: museum and exhibition 

 planning, exhibition assessment, membership studies, and 

 research. 



In museum and exhibition planning, the office conducted 

 a major study of three linked museums — the National 

 Museum of American Art, the National Portrait Gallery, 

 and the Renwick Gallery — that was designed to provide es- 

 sential data on visitors to guide planning. Data collection 

 took place in different seasons to capture a wider range of 

 visitors. For the National Air and Space Museum, the office 

 conducted exploratory interviews with visitors to aid in 

 planning the new Air Transportation hall, as well as surveys 

 and in-depth interviews for the future "Explore the Uni- 

 verse" exhibition. At the National Museum of Natural 

 History (NMNH), ISO interviewed visitors extensively in 

 the Kenneth E. Behring Hall of Mammals to learn how they 

 experience the displays. These explorations led to a large- 

 scale survey study that yielded information to guide 

 planning for the reinstallation of the hall. 



Exhibition assessment activities included an in-depth 

 study of the "Geology, Gems, and Minerals" exhibition at 

 NMNH that provided valuable insights into how the mu- 

 seum could enhance attendance in its major exhibitions. At 

 the National Zoo, a series of three studies investigated visi- 

 tor behavior, attitudes, and experiences in the Amazonia 

 exhibit, with a focus on the Amazonia Science Gallery and 

 its use by families. 



Two membership studies repeated and enlarged on studies 

 conducted 10 years earlier. For the Cooper-Hewirt, National 

 Design Museum, a study showed how the museum's support 

 has changed over time. A study for The Smithsonian Associ- 

 ates emphasized Internet use by members. 



ISO's research activities continued work on the types of 

 experiences that visitors anticipate and find satisfying in 



museums. A study of entering and exiting visitors at the 

 National Museum of American History demonstrated the 

 usefulness of this model in clarifying the museum's impact 

 on its visitors. 



The peer-reviewed journal Curator invited the office to 

 submit articles for a special issue on ISO's work. Staff mem- 

 bers prepared five major articles, which were accepted and 

 scheduled for publication early in 2000. 



Scientific Diving Program 



Michael Lang, Scientific Diving Officer 



As an Institution-wide research support program dedicated 

 to the safe conduct of underwater science activities by 

 Smithsonian staff and affiliated researchers, the Scientific 

 Diving Program facilitated projects and diving expeditions 

 by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, the Smith- 

 sonian Environmental Research Center, the National 

 Museum of American History, the Smithsonian Marine 

 Station at Fort Pierce, and the National Museum of Nat- 

 ural History. These projects involved more than 200 

 scientific divers and approximately 4,000 incident-free 

 dives. 



Program staff were involved in research diving expedi- 

 tions in the Caribbean and the Pacific. The Scientific 

 Diving Control Board chair and the scientific diving officer 

 co-chaired a two-day marine sciences workshop at the 

 Smithsonian Environmental Research Center that examined 

 underwater research efforts at the Smithsonian and its net- 

 work of marine research facilities. The program also 

 conducted two three-week scientific diving courses, one at 

 the National Museum of Natural History and one in Spanish 

 at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. At the invi- 

 tation of the Japan Marine Science and Technology Center, 

 the program was involved in the development of a scientific 

 diver network and manual in Japan. 



