gram of open evenings at five art museums, Freer Gallery of 

 Art, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, National Museum of African 

 Art, International Gallery, and the Hirshhorn Museum and 

 Sculpture Garden. 



The primary purpose of the Think Tank study was to under- 

 stand the behavior and learning experiences of visitors. The In- 

 formation Age study helped guide museum staff as they plan 

 changes for the exhibition. The Visual Journal study assessed 

 visitor responses to photographs. The Richard Lindner study 

 determined the effect of exhibition texts on visitors, thus offer- 

 ing curators insight into the usefulness of their interpretive ef- 

 forts. The Amber study revealed the impact of exhibition fees 

 and clarified the nature of special exhibition attendance. The 

 Art Night study provided museum staff with profiles of visitors 

 and their behavior at this special collaborative program. 



(4) Statistical information on Smithsonian constituencies 

 for bureau and office development staffs and program person- 

 nel, e.g., Visitors to the Smithsonian, a demographic profile of 

 Smithsonian visitors on the Mall, based on four comprehen- 

 sive studies conducted by ISO between 1994 and 1996; 



(5) Statistical analyses used by the Institution to meet its 

 labor force reporting requirements to the Regents, the Con- 

 gress and other federal agencies; 



(6) Presentation of research results at national conferences. 

 This year three ISO staff members made presentations at the 

 annual meeting of the American Association of Museums and 

 four ISO staff presented papers at the annual meeting of the 

 Visitor Studies Association; 



(7) Publication in peer-reviewed journals. This fiscal year 

 two papers based on previous research by ISO were published 

 in Curator, one on Space Age Barbie, a cemporary exhibition at 

 the National Air and Space Museum, and one on Degenerate 

 Art. a traveling exhibition that was presented at the Interna- 

 tional Gallery and that was studied both in Washington and 

 in Berlin. 



financial management improvements. Recognizing the impor- 

 tance of financial planning for major Institutional projects, 

 the Finance area began to work with the National Air and 

 Space Museum to develop a formal financial plan for the 

 Dulles Center project. In order to better share information, 

 issues and plans relating to financial matters, a monthly meet- 

 ing format was developed to include all Finance offices and 

 other offices with finance related responsibilities namely the 

 Office of Planning, Management and Budget and the Office 

 of Sponsored Project. 



Several employee related initiatives received attention this 

 year. First of all, a recognition award program with awards 

 tied to the Finance vision and values was developed. The first 

 award ceremony was well received by staff. In addition, an 

 Individual Development Plan program was developed for 

 implementation in fiscal year 1998. This program will allow 

 staff and supervisors to plan for training opportunities to help 

 meet core ]obs responsibilities as well as provide for career 

 enhancement opportunities. 



As a result of a number of issues and questions raised about 

 Institutional indirect cost and overhead systems, this office 

 developed a briefing paper for senior management to improve 

 overall understanding of the topic. In addition, an Institution- 

 wide Indirect Cost was formed to develop a list of issues that 

 needed to be addressed, prioritizing them and then analyzing 

 the issues and recommending solutions. 



Some additional activities are: managed the contract with 

 the external auditors; assured an effective annual audit that 

 resulted in an unqualified opinion of the audited statements; 

 prepared the Financial Report for Smithsonian Year ipp6; 

 provided guidance to major Institutional projects, such as the 

 Discovery Center, Dulles Center, and America's Smithsonian; 

 and served on the National Postal Museum Coordinating 

 Committee. 



More detailed information on the above items, as well as 

 other financial initiatives and activities can be found under 

 the entries for the Finance units listed above. 



Office of the Chief Financial Officer 



Rick Johnson, Chief Financial Officer 



Office of General Counsel 



The Office of the Chief Financial Officer was established by 

 memo from the Under Secretary dated, July 17, 1996. The 

 Chief Financial Officer continues to be responsible for the 

 Finance area which consists of the Office of the Comptroller, 

 the Office of Contracting and the Office of Treasurer. During 

 the year the Office of Sponsored Projects was moved organiza- 

 tionally to report to the Provost, certain Institution-wide 

 financial activities of that office continue to be the respon- 

 sibility of the Chief Financial Officer. 



During the year there was a strong emphasis on planning. 

 Most important of the planning initiatives was the develop- 

 ment of a 5-year Finance-wide Strategic plan focusing on 



John E. Huerta. General Counsel 



The Office of the General Counsel (OGC) protects the legal in- 

 terests of the Smithsonian Institution. In carrying out that 

 mission, the OGC provides legal advice and counsel to the 

 Smithsonian Board of Regents, Secretary, Provost, Under 

 Secretary, and other managers on the administration of the 

 Institution; represents the Smithsonian in litigation and other 

 adversarial proceedings to which the Institution is a party and 

 before federal, state, and local government entities on admin- 

 istrative matters; issues final determinations on administrative 

 tort and personal property claims against the Smithsonian; 



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