In march 2015 cover

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JVA InterpNews

2 Volume 4, #2, Mar/Apr 2015

The international heritage interpretation e-magazine.

JV Working in Korea.

Here we are again - how time flies. We are entering our 4th year with InterpNEWS and it keeps growing and getting better thanks to all the folks who are contributing articles to each issue. This issue has 15 articles - more than any other interpretive publication or magazine and we now reach over 154,000 interpreters, agencies and organizations in 35 countries.

Remember, IntrpNEWS is sent FREE, so feel free to pass it on to others as well.

Something new for JVA, I just started the first of my e-live interpretive training courses.

The first e-live course is "Interpretive Writing e-live". In these courses participants work on different interpretive writing assignments and then send them to me for review and coaching if needed. I am the "live" in the e-live courses. There is more information about the interpretive writing course on page 33. More courses to come include: Planning/Design of Interpretive Panels, Interpretive Self-guiding Trail Planning, Planning Interpretive Exhibits, and Developing Marketing Brochures for Heritage Attractions. Finally, I need articles for the May/June InterpNEWS issue. Some topic ideas are listed below. WE-INTERP.

* Interpreting and using Music for interpretive presentations. * Interpreting heritage foods and food preparation. * Interpretive research results. * Interpretation of communities. * Living history interpretation (planning/presentation).

* Interpretation for children. * Interpretation of churches/cemeteries. * Historic site-home interpretation. * New museum exhibit technology. * Interpreting climate change.

Author guidelines: up to about 4 typed pages, single spaced, with photos as jpegs. Give your contact information web site or e-mail (and a photo of your smiling face if you want to). Send as a WORD document so I can cut and paste to fit the IN format. Let me hear from you: jvainterp@aol.com - John Veverka - Publisher

In this issue: - NAI Press Release - Veverka Fellow Award. National Association for Interpretation.

- Interpret Europe 2015 Conference Registration Information.

- Interpretive Tip: How Can I Be My Best as a Manager, Supervisor or Team Leader? J. Patrick Barry - Navigate by the sun – new browser-based tour guide. Dan Boys - Big Words, Jargon, and Audience Understanding. Judy Fort Brenneman - Interpretation in the Form of a Party to Celebrate International Poetry Month . Dr. Martha Benn Macdonald - Knowing Why You Matter Really Matters: The Power of Purpose. Rachel Downey

- Why Interpretation? Brian C. Westfall - Live Musical Interpretation at Glacier National Park. Austin Barrett - Life in a Changing Country An Interactive Exhibit Timeline from 1850-1950. Michele Dunham - New e-LIVE Interpretive Writing Course. John A. Veverka - Visual Search and Viewing Interpretive Exhibitions. Dr. Stephen Bitgood - Bringing Wartime Evacuees Together With Their Community. Gillian Mawson - MUSUEM: Not Just Another Word - Jim Schultz - COLD BLOODED KILLERS and BEST DAM BUILDERS IN THE COUNTY. Jonathan Schechter

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InterpNEWS is published six times a year as a FREE John Veverka & Associates publication and published as a service to the interpretive profession. If you would like to be added to our mailing list just send an e-mail to jvainterp@aol.com and we will add you to our growing mailing list. Contributions of articles are welcomed. It you would like to have an article published in InterpNEWS let me know what you have in mind. Cover photo: Mushroom power. www.heritageinterp.com , jvainterp@aol.com. SKYPE: jvainterp.

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Press Release December 8, 2014 Contact: Margo Carlock, NAI Executive Director 1-888-900-8283

John Veverka Receives National Award

John Veverka, with John Veverka & Associates Interpretive Planning &Training Services in East Lansing Michigan, is the recipient of the National Association for Interpretation (NAI) Fellow Award for 2014.

The award was presented at NAI’s national workshop on November 22nd in Denver, CO. The workshop provided participants with professional skills and ideas and networking opportunities with others in the fields of environmental, cultural, historical and recreational resources interpretation. This year’s workshop focused on the theme of “Scaling Interpretive Heights”.

The NAI Fellow Award is NAI’s highest honor and is presented to a member exemplifying career achievement in guiding the interpretive profession by instruction, mentoring, research, writing, front-line interpretation and management, and who provides strong support for NAI.

John is an NAI Founder and Enos Mills recipient. He is a Certified Interpretive Planner, Certified Interpretive Trainer and is even a Certified Professional Heritage Interpreter through Interp-Canada. Since 1979 has published more than 100 articles in national and international journals. His most visible publication is InterpNEWS which began in 2012 as a newsletter with articles included. It quickly grew and morphed into what is now, the most widely read international heritage interpretation news magazine read by over 153,000 interpreters and interpretive agencies and organizations around the world. John’s is also a prolific book writer. His first book, published in 1994, was “Interpretive Master Planning”, and was reprinted in 1998. It was used as a primary text book in many universities teaching interpretation and interpretive planning courses. John has also been an Associate Editor for NAI’s Journal of Interpretation.

John has presented at many NAI regional and national workshops. In the words of 1988 NAI Fellow, Bill Lewis, “I was impressed with the pure interpretive skills that John possessed in helping course participants develop interpretive themes, interpretive objectives, planning, and delivery of interpretive programs.

Having watched and worked with John over many years I consider him to be a master interpretive trainer and interpretive theorist. He is very passionate about interpretation and sharing his ideas, techniques and passion for interpretation with others.”

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The National Association for Interpretation (NAI) is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) professional association for those involved in the interpretation of natural and cultural heritage resources in settings such as parks, zoos, museums, nature centers, aquaria, botanical gardens, and historical sites. For more than 50 years, NAI and its parent organizations have encouraged networking, training, and collaboration among members and partners in support of our mission: inspiring leadership and excellence to advance heritage interpretation as a profession. NAI’s growing network of members includes volunteers, docents, interpreters, naturalists, historians, rangers, park guards, guides, tour operators, program directors, consultants, academicians, planners, suppliers, and institutions. . NAI has 5,000 members in over 30 countries with three international affiliate organizations: NAI-Greece, NAI-Korea, and NAI-China. For more information about the November workshop or the organization, contact NAI Executive Director, Margo Carlock in Ft. Collins, Colorado. (1-888-900-8283) or visit our website: www.interpnet.org.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------This is such a wonderful honor and I wanted to take some space to thank everyone who nominated and supported me for this award. I have been involved in interpretive teaching, training and consulting for 40 years and really love the interpretive profession and the amazing things that interpreters can accomplish. I am pleased that InterpNEWS has been part of this growth and allows interpreters world-wide to share their ideas with so many others to help the profession grow.

I wasn't able to attend the NAI conference this year, but was able to do a YouTube acceptance speech (only about 5 minutes) that you can find here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq7iPNAZqqMA Thanks again to NAI and its members for this honor. JV

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Registration for the Interpret Europe Conference in June 2015 is now open.

The meeting will be in Krakow in south west Poland, 6-9 June, where there will be an exciting and stimulating gathering of heritage interpreters from around the world. The theme is 'Sensitive heritage – sensitive interpretation', and it would be difficult to find a more suitable location for this.

Give yourself an early Christmas present by taking advantage of the early bird discount. http://www.interpreteurope.net/2015conference.html

Copyright Š 2014 International Interpretation, All rights reserved.

Thank you for your interest in international interpretation issues.

Our mailing address is: International Interpretation 41175-2529 Shaughnessy St. Port Coquitlam, BC V3C 5Z9 Canada duane@internationalinterpretation.org

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Interpretive Tip: How Can I Be My Best as a Manager, Supervisor or Team Leader?

J. Patrick Barry, Interpretive Manager and Certified Interpretive Trainer

If you work as a leader it is easy to get caught up in the day-to-day details of the job instead of keeping track of one of your most important roles as a supervisor. How do you help those you supervise succeed and move forward in their careers?

As leaders, there are many things we can do to promote excellence and help those we supervise to achieve great things. Here are some that worked for me. I hope if you read this and other ideas come to mind you will share those ideas with me.

The first time I sit down to talk with new employees I tell them that I want them to enjoy their work and I want to be the first one to hear any complaints. In a setting where interpreters enjoy their jobs, visitors probably sense that feeling as well. If anyone has a complaint, I want to know because I can either help solve it or commiserate.

Interpreters thrive in an environment where supporting one-another’s efforts is encouraged! To me, teamwork is much more appreciated and more productive than competition.

We encourage our co-workers to share their good ideas both inside our work group and with others throughout our agency and elsewhere in our profession. In our profession we pay tribute to great ideas by “borrowing” them.

We promote peer-to-peer support. To do this, we build trust by working on projects together. We also set aside time to watch one another’s programs. We watch the program as a group. After the program, everyone tells the interpreter what worked well. Then, everyone gives suggestions about how to make it better. A facilitator keeps the discussion on-track and positive.

It is important to encourage staff to get training that helps them achieve their career goals and the goals of the organization. With that in mind, why not promote their passions? We’ve had interpreters who were also interested in developing skills including: emergency medicine, photography, graphic arts, computer skills, American Sign Language, foreign languages, history, and writing. All of these skills are very useful for interpretive staff and for the organization too.

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Nominate your employees for awards! There is a Charlie Brown quote, “Doing a good job around here is like wetting your pants in a dark suit, no one notices but it gives you a warm feeling.” When supervising interpreters, you need to notice their accomplishments, thank them for their hard work and creativity, and nominate them for awards. They get recognition and it helps them compete for their next job. Plus, the organization gets a boost. Yes, it takes time… but it is one of the best uses of your time.

Encourage team members to serve on national committees, become subject matter experts, etc. They get a “bigger picture” of the organization or the field of interpretation and you get a more knowledgeable employee.

Develop mentoring relationships! This is a formal relationship where more experienced interpretive staff members help less experienced ones grow and learn. When you assign mentors or when new employees select mentors, check in with them periodically to make sure goals are being met.

Encourage membership and active participation in professional associations. Active membership in the National Association for Interpretation, for example, is an excellent way for interpreters to learn new skills, stay on top of our ever-changing field and network with one-another. We also encourage our team members to attend National Association for Interpretation workshops, write articles and give presentations! This is a great way to encourage personal and professional growth.

Encourage mental and physical health. For many years I worked at a place where we played volleyball or racquetball at lunchtime. That break in the middle of the day got everyone revved up for the rest of the day and helped us keep in shape. Mental health is very important too. Many organizations have employee assistance programs and crisis counselors to help people get through challenging times.

These are some of the ways we support those we supervise. The working relationship between an employee and a supervisor can be positive or negative. A positive relationship is less stressful and more beneficial for everyone. Through our efforts, we can do our best to make that relationship as positive as possible. To adapt a line from former U.S. President John F. Kennedy “Ask not what your employees can do for you; ask what you can do for your employees.”

To communicate with the author, contact him at jpatbarry@hotmail.com

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Navigate by the sun – new browser-based tour guide.

Dan Boys AudioTrails.co.uk

If you have followed directions with Google Maps or shared your location on Social Media then you have been using something called ‘geo-location’. We use it to trigger locationspecific content.

Geo-what!?

Geo-location is a standard feature in the majority of smart phones and tablets. Not only can it share your location, but it can also be used to tell you when you are near something of interest. Working in collaboration with Nottingham Trent University (NTU) we are now offering unique browser-based tours that trigger content within your immediate vicinity.

Browser-based tours The tours are hosted on a website that is loaded with location-aware text, images, audio and video. If you select a tour and wander through the ‘virtual’ trigger zone with your device, you will be alerted to the available content. It is as simple as that!

"Our web-based GPS Tour Guide displays text, images, audio and video, creating an immersive and fun experience”

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Hotter-colder The triggering is done with some very clever mathematics – hence why NTU are involved! You can orientate yourself using a map, in a similar way to our location-aware location native apps (www.audiotrails.co.uk/heritage (www.audiotrails.co.uk/heritage-apps), or choose to navigate by more novel methods: –

Compass bearings

–

The sun

–

Hotter-Colder

Imagine the fun children could have searching for hidden content using the sun as a guide, or by a phone that tells you if you are getting ‘hotter or colder’.

Pros and Cons Unlike native apps (those that are written specifically for e.g. an Apple or Android device) browser-based browser content is cross platform, that is, one ‘app’,, in this case a web app app, that will work on all devices – you don’t need separate apps for Apple, Appl Android and so on. However you do need mobile reception for it to work because all the content is hosted on the website. Therefore this solution won’t be suitable for every site, but it is ideal if you have a good 3G signal.

We want you!

We have created a mixture of tours ourselves that cater for different audiences. Because they all work well we’ve decided the time is right to shout about it from the rooftops and put it to the test.

Would you be interested in creating a location location-based tour for visitors to access from their web browser? We are offering a discounted price for the first three organizations org that place an order.. Please contact us at enquiries@audiotrails.co.uk for more details.

Take a step into the unknown This technology is still in its infancy. It isn’t perfect yet, but its pretty darn close! You will be implementing new digital tech that hasn’t been used anywhere else before. We want exciting ideas that will test this software to its full potential. pot It works slightly differently to our location--aware native apps because you only know where one place of interest is at a time. So take a step into the unknown and let your visitors do the same!

- Audio Trails Ltd was established in 2005. They create exciting location location-aware aware digital visitor experiences for countryside and heritage sites across England and Wales. Website www.audiotrails.co.uk

Dan Boys www.audiotrails.co.uk 40 Strettea Lane, Higham, Derbyshire, DE55 6EJ 07800 799561

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JVA InterpNews

Big Words, Jargon, and Audience Understanding. by Judy Fort Brenneman Greenfire Creative, LLC

Is jargon a good thing? How much should we expect our audiences to understand? Should we “dumb it down”? Can we trust our audiences to be smart enough to figure out technical terms and big words? Won’t they just look up (on their ever-present smart phones) what they don’t know? Or will they ignore us and move on to something easier?

“Trusting the audience” isn’t as much about using complex language as it is about communicating clearly and efficiently in ways the audience will enjoy. This isn’t “dumbing down”; it’s using language appropriately to tell stories (including complex stories) that connect with our readers.

The issue isn't jargon and whether or not we should use the "big words." Name-dropping doesn't do any good if our audience doesn’t understand what we're saying. And you can end up with poor (or brilliant) writing whether it’s stuffed with jargon or written for beginning readers.

Accessible writing requires appropriate terminology in the context of the story. Tossing fancy words out there doesn’t automatically lead to understanding and enlightenment. We must incorporate the right words, regardless of their size or complexity, such that our visitors, readers, and audience members actually understand what we're talking about and don't feel stupid or ashamed or overwhelmed.

One of the things I watch for is writing (or a verbal presentation, for that matter) that sounds patronizing, either because it’s simplified beyond belief (the underlying message is, “Gentle Reader, you’ll never have what it takes to understand this, but here are a few drops of dilute content, so you can pretend”) or because the language is so dense with jargon, passive voice, and poorly structured sentences that even the most dedicated enthusiasts zone out in under thirty seconds—and if they don’t zone out, they end up feeling embarrassed and stupid.

Their reasoning (even if it’s not conscious) is that, “Everybody else is standing around staring at the guide or feature or sign, and none of them are drooling or asking questions that indicate confusion—so I must be an idiot.”

This is NOT the emotional state we want our visitors to have! We want to engage them in ways that make them want to participate, to ask questions, to learn and explore and discover.

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This is true for all of the stories we create, and it’s especially true for the “hard” stories—stories that are complex or politically charged (climate change, evolution, and neurology, for example), stories about the terrible things people do to each other (the Holocaust of World War II, for example), or stories that make people prickly for a myriad of other reasons.

At first blush, this might seem like a trivial problem. Just use simple language, or big words in the right way, and all will be well. Of course, it isn’t that straightforward.

As an example, let’s look at these two drafts* for an exhibit label.

Draft A (39 words) More than 500 million years ago during the Cambrian period, much of the Southwest was covered by a large, shallow sea. There was little terrestrial life at the time, but corals, shellfish, and algae thrived in warm ocean waters.

Draft B (32 words) More than 500 million years ago, much of the Southwest was covered by a large, shallow sea.

Life on land was scarce, but corals, shellfish, and algae thrived in warm ocean waters.

Since we’re focusing on big words and jargon, let’s begin with the word, “terrestrial,” in the second sentence of draft A. Draft B uses “land” instead.

The problem with using “terrestrial” isn’t that it’s bigger than “land” or more “technical”; the problem is that it’s the wrong word. “Terrestrial” means “of, on, or relating to the earth” or “being an inhabitant of the earth”—it refers to the whole planet, not just land masses. In other words, “land” and “terrestrial” aren’t actually synonyms. Linguists think that although there are words that have close or similar meanings, there aren’t actually any words that mean exactly the same thing—each and every word has its own particular flavor or shade of meaning.** This brings up the larger issue of striving to use exactly the right word—looking at the precise, specific meaning of the word and making sure that it really is exactly the one best suited to the meaning you want to convey. In this case, using “land” instead of “terrestrial” is actually more accurate: there was a lot of life on the planet, and most of it was in the water.

In this particular example, the choice of terrestrial versus land is also a great example of using language for emphasis or to reinforce meaning. “Land” is a straightforward opposite to “sea” and “waters,” so it is immediately clear to the reader or listener that we’re talking about not much life on land in this area (as opposed to all land, or all areas of the planet itself, regardless of liquid/solid/gaseous state), which contrasts with lots of action in the water.

Notice, too, that the two versions of the sentence have slightly different structures: “Life on land was” versus “There was little terrestrial life at the time.” “Life” is more important and more specific than “There”; draft B’s version communicates the sentence’s meaning faster and more directly than draft A. And we don’t need draft A’s “at the time”—we’ve already specified that we’re talking about a particular era.

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Alliteration strengthens both sentences (terrestrial and time in draft A, life and land in draft B), but to my ear, the rhythm of the alliteration and near-alliteration (corals, shellfish, algae) of draft B works better.

The other “big word,” Cambrian, in the first sentence of draft A, is a little trickier than terrestrial. Is it appropriate? Is it necessary? Should we use it?

To decide, the first thing we need to ask is whether one of the goals of this text is to introduce or reinforce this word to the reader. If so, then yes, definitely incorporate it.

The second thing to ask is, who is our audience? Sometimes we think, “Oh, that word’s too big, too hard,” when it fact, it’s a lot of fun (especially for kids) to learn words that are outrageous mouthfuls. That delight actually reinforces the overall message. For many readers and visitors, having a technical term in context that allows them to understand what it means and why it’s significant is an important and enjoyable part of the experience. All of this has to do with understanding the reason you’re using the technical term or name; without knowing goals and audience, we can’t know whether it’s appropriate to use “Cambrian.”

There’s another challenge with both versions: “500 million years ago” is completely abstract. Even though the individual words in this phrase are “small,” the number itself is too big to have any meaning; it translates to “long, long, I mean really long-long-long, ago”—which may or may not matter, again depending on what story you’re telling and what else you’re saying, either in this same chunk of text, the next paragraph, or adjoining or nearby signs.

That, in turn, brings up another question: if it isn’t important for the visitor to know or understand “500 million,” then why specify the number at all? And if it is important, then we need to find a way to help the reader understand this vast long-ago. How we do that might be through language—comparison or metaphor, for example—or visually, perhaps a timeline or other graphical cue, or some element of the artifact or landscape being interpreted. The formal name “Cambrian” might (or might not) be part of that solution.

There’s another obstacle to accessibility in the first sentence, too, in both drafts: passive voice. Flipping the sentence around to active voice shortens and brightens the copy: More than 500 million years ago, a large, shallow sea covered much of the Southwest.

Active voice is easier to read and understand; it also shortens the word count. I’d push for a stronger or more unusual verb to replace “covered,” too—finding a verb that is exactly, precisely the right verb, one that’s a little surprising, which in turn will help our reader understand and remember. Which verb—lapped, flowed, sheltered, spread across, topped, veiled, masked, engulfed, something else—is best depends on what image we want to build, which in turn depends on where the story goes after these opening sentences.

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With these changes in place, our next draft might be: Draft C (30 words) More than 500 million years ago, a large, shallow sea veiled much of the Southwest. Life on land was scarce, but corals, shellfish, and algae thrived in warm ocean waters. or (34 words) More than 500 million years ago, in the Cambrian period, a large, shallow sea engulfed much of the Southwest. Life on land was scarce, but corals, shellfish, and algae thrived in warm ocean waters.

This won’t be our final draft, but it’s on its way to being accessible, enjoyable, and memorable. _____ *Thanks to Cindi Souza for the sample drafts. **This linguistic theory may not apply equally to all languages. As interpretive designer Dan DiVittorio recently pointed out to me, Italian has identical words that mean many different things—hence the need for the added context provided by gestures and intonation.

Judy Fort Brenneman Greenfire Creative, LLC judyb@greenfire-creative.com http://www.greenfire-creative.com/

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JVA InterpNews

“Interpretation in the Form of a Party to Celebrate International Poetry Month in April at Historic Home Sites” By Dr. Martha Benn Macdonald York Technical College Rock Hill, South Carolina

NOTE to interpreters: The idea for this interpretive project evolved from an activity which I have been doing for several semesters with my College Creative Writing Class, i.e., celebrating International Poetry Month by launching balloons to honor poets, putting together a poetry journal of students’ poems, and offering poetry readings in the college library. In addition, of course, we have refreshments which poets born in April may have enjoyed, and we often do other activities related to the lives of selected poets. Moreover, I selected poets whose volumes may reside in the libraries of historical venues where we interpret.

When I was recently interpreting Hattie Isabella Lindsay White at the Historic White Home in Rock Hill, South Carolina, I discovered a volume of Sir Walter Scott’s Poems purchased in 1860 by her sister-in-law, Mary Elizabeth. Because “Miss Hattie” taught music before she married Andrew Hutchison White, I am certain that she enjoyed poetry. Of course, Sir Walter Scott wasn’t born in April. You certainly do not have to choose poets born in April. Also, much as I treasure poems by Seamus Heaney and Maya Angelou, I did not include these poets in my interpretation because I interpret in homes of the 17th-19th centuries. Again, this is your decision. I chose William Shakespeare (born April 23, 1564), William Wordsworth (born April 7, 1770), and Charles Baudelaire (born April 9, 1821).

Because we do not always know how much time we’ll have or who our audience will be, I decided to use a dry-erase white board which I’ll hang behind me, sort of like the blackboard often found in older coffee houses.

Perhaps you could persuade two younger folks to dress in a period costume which differs from yours. If you dress as an Elizabethan woman, maybe one of the board holders would wear late 18th century English, the other 19th-century French. Your audience will want to know.

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I chose various topics or subjects and categories which you might interpret and do to involve the audience. Wouldn’t participants love to play a game played during Shakespeare’s time, learn a French song which Baudelaire might have known in school, or hear a beloved English folk tale. You will soon discover that many of the stories, games, dances, and flowers overlap. You know how important it is to involve the audience and offer choices. Otherwise, someone may sigh and reach for his/her cell phone or worse, whisper, gazing at you, “I’m bored.” That’s one reason I always ask questions.

In fact, this white board may remind you a little of Bingo or the old game, Lotto. Above all, if you are creative, engaging, imaginative, and having fun, you will be successful, and your audience will enjoy the celebration and leave smiling.

As you well know, remind the audience of where bathrooms, telephones, and so forth, are located, so that all participants will feel comfortable. Please adapt to suit your own needs, interests, and adjust to accommodate the audience. My categories are only suggestions. Depending on the time, you may be able to offer the theme and thesis and tell one story, teach one dance, or read one poem. I am proposing the “ideal.”

I.

INTRODUCTION—Hi everyone. Welcome to ___________________. I am so happy that you could join us this ____________________. I am ___________________, and I am your interpreter for this ______________________________. We celebrate many people and ideas in April. Does anybody have a birthday in April? Do you think of flowers or of hiding eggs if Easter falls during the month of April? Well, I think of poetry since April is International Poetry Month. Does anybody have a favorite poem?

Let’s talk about three poets born during April: Shakespeare, Wordsworth, and Baudelaire (say something brief about each, and point out each one’s picture on the chart if you can find one. We’ll also do some activities which each poet might have enjoyed. Look at the board here to my side (point out with a cane or ruler, maybe even an old wooden spoon or a stick). What would you like to do first if we start with Shakespeare (please remember that you do not have to include all of these categories---make the board work for you).

II.

(1) POEMS---See what you have written on the board, and ask if someone would enjoy hearing one of Shakespeare’s famous sonnets. Read “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day,” and ask for a brief interpretation. What does that mean to you?

III.

(2) GAMES and PASTIMES--If you think reading a poem is not appealing (you can read your audience, and you definitely want them to enjoy time with you, and leave, saying, “This was neat.”), then move on to a game. Anyone want to play “Cherry Pit” or “Fox in the Hole” or another game people living in Shakespeare’s time would have played or perhaps “La Grace,” which girls or a girl or boy may played in France? DO IT

IV.

(3) SONGS—Let’s relax with a song. I imagine everyone knows “Frere Jacques.”

V.

(4) STORIES---Or would you prefer a story? Perhaps “Dick Whittington and His Cat.” This is an old favorite.

VI.

(5) DANCES—Who is up for jig or the branle known in France as well as other countries, or the “Sir Roger de Coverley” danced in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Perhaps Wordsworth or his friends enjoyed this dance.

Great. I’ll teach it to you.

(6) REFRESHMENTS---Tired? If you would like to sit down, I’ll pass a tray of delights which each poet might have enjoyed. Here we go: Shakespeare and his friends could have sampled jumbals and gingerbread, and Wordsworth and his family may have enjoyed Sally Lunn bread (tell that story if you know it—it is neat) or Plum Pudding. Baudelaire and

his associates might have sampled madeleines or petit fours.

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VIII (7) FLOWERS/HERBS/ GARDENS---Do you like to plant flowers or experiment with herbs? You know that you can use herbs in cooking, for healing, and in arrangements. Of course, all of the flowers and herbs which I am referencing on the chart were probably known in England and France. When we’re talking about any of these poets, which flowers do you think of (have some small bouquets, arrangements, or sprigs of flowers and herbs from those shown on the board. Ask participants to identify. You might even give away some seeds or bulbs-----your choice. Remember that everyone loves to take something home.

IX (8) SKETCHES TO TAKE HOME AND COLOR. Give participants a choice, pointing to the board and showing the ones you have. I have a picture of Anne Hathaway’s cottage where Shakespeare lived after he was married and a picture of The Globe in London, a sketch of the Lake District where Wordsworth and some of his friends lived and walked, and a Paris Street scene; here’s one of the artistic districts as well as a literary district. You may enjoy coloring these at home.

X (9) Now if you’re up for learning a few poetry terms, maybe googling these or opening a dictionary when you get home and making up your own game, you might enjoy a sampling: sonnet, metaphor, simile, ode, lyrical ballads, Romanticism, free verse, Symbolism, symbols, and synesthesia.

XI. Do you have any questions? Thanks so much for coming. I hope you had a good time, and I hope you’ll remember that these poets probably had the same feelings and thoughts, fears and dreams that we all do, along with a similar love of the arts and pastimes. Do come back, and have a wonderful time at your next stop.

By Martha Benn Macdonald, Ph.D., Author, College English Instructor, Former French Instructor, Nationally Certified Historical Interpreter, and Performer (musician, dancer, storyteller).

York Technical College 452 S. Anderson Rd., Rock Hill, SC 29730 Tel: 803.981.7341 | Fax: 803.981.7216 mmacdonald@yorktech.edu

“Interpretation in Form of a Party to Celebrate International Poetry Month From Shelves of Poets Born in April in Historic Homes” Resources on the following page....

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JVA InterpNews “Interpretation in Form of a Party to Celebrate International Poetry Month From Shelves of Poets Born in April in Historic Homes” William Shakespeare

William Wordsworth

Charles Baudelaire

(b. April 23, 1564-d. 1623)

(b. April 7, 1770-d. 1850)

(b. April 9, 1821-d. 1869)

Topics or Ideas, Your Pleasure

Poems

Venus and Adonis, Any of his Sonnets.

Games & Pastimes

“Fox in the Hole”

“I Wandered Honey as a Cloud,” Lucy Poems, “My Heart Leaps Up When I Behold”

Hes Fleurs du Mal, “Chant d’Automne.”

“Bubble the Justice,” “Hide & Seek,” “Bandy-Wicket,” Others

“La Grace,” “Jeu de Volantis,” others.

“Blind Man’s Bluff” Cards, Chess, others.

Songs

“When Icicles Hang by the Wall,”“Full Fathom Five,”Others

Ballads & Folksongs

“Frere Jacques,” “Il Etait Un Petit Navire.”

Stories

“Dick Whittington & His Cat” or “The Gingerbread Boy”

“Jack & The Beanstalk,” or “The Three Little Pigs”

“The Goblin & The Huckster,” or Stories from Charles Perrault.

Dances

Jigs, Galliards, Round Dances, others.

English Country Dances, including The “Sir Roger de Coverley,” others.

Branle Gavotte, others.

Refreshments

Jumbals,

Sally Lunn bread, plum pudding, sugar cookies.

Madeleines, Petit Fours.

Gingerbread Flowers & Herbs

Pansies, Daisies, Rosemary, Roses, Eglantines, others.

Violets, Daffodils, others

Lavender, Thyme, Rue, Roses, Columbine, Others.

Pen & Ink:

Pictures of Anne Hathaway’s Cottage

Scene from the Lake District

Street scene in Paris, artistic or literary district.

Sonnet, Metaphor, Simile, Imagery.

Ode, Lyrical Ballads, Romanticism.

Free Verse, Symbolism, Synesthesia, Dream-visions

Sketches to Color Poetry Terms to Ponder

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Knowing Why You Matter Really Matters: The Power of Purpose

By Rachel Downey

How do you stand out in a world where people have so many choices? Start by asserting with your sense of purpose.

Place-based brands, non-profits, institutions, venues and cities exhibit a variety of distinct purposes, although few of them really talk about it. They focus instead on vision statements and mission statements, both of which are valuable but go after different objectives than a stated purpose.

Mission and Vision Corporations and non-profit organizations generally compose a concise mission statement, which helps everyone — inside and outside — understand the larger ideal toward which they are working. Mission statements tend to be very “What”-focused: “We will accomplish this and this and that.” They are designed to communicate what an organization does, who they do it for and how they do it. They are effective at aligning everyone toward a common goal.

Vision statements, on the other hand, are lofty ideals, describing an optimal vision for a future very different than what we see today. They embody a big goal and may not necessarily be accomplished, at least single-handedly, in the lifetime of the organization. The best vision statements are short and inspirational, helping to attract advocates believing in the same ideals.

Mission statements and vision statements are often accompanied by a set of core values, which serve as a compass for the actions of the organization and the people within it. A great analogy is: -Vision is the mountain we want to climb; -Mission is the path we take to get there; -Values describe how we intend to act along the way.

What About Purpose?

Purpose is even bigger than these other tools for success. It is an amalgam of Mission, Vision and Values and yet something of higher intent. I see it as the flag waving at the top of the mountain, which serves as a beacon for people on the way up.

Purpose is very human experience, and wrought with emotion. Humans continually seek answers to the existential question “Why are we here?” Living with a clear sense of purpose is considered the ultimate indicator of a meaningful life.

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1. Alignment What if there was a tool that gets your staff members, board members, and other stakeholders all pointing in the same direction, agreeing about the best path to take to the top. This means forks in the road and barriers are less of a hurdle for your organization. Decisions come easily because you have created alignment.

This tool is your purpose — the flag that rises high overhead, visible so that everyone can agree on what direction to go and how to face the obstacles ahead.

A clearly articulated purpose provides a clear framework for making decisions that determine overall strategies, design, communications and experiences which will engage target audiences. When an organization faces a challenging choice, it can look to their Purpose Statement for guidance.

The Nature Center at Shaker Lakes in Cleveland articulates their purpose as follows: To inspire generations of passionate conservation advocates for our natural environment. This statement proved very valuable for the planning team when it came time to make recommendations, and for the client as they decided on which priority projects to include. Many stakeholders felt that the draft plan and recommendations being discussed early in the process weren't “sexy” enough to gain interest and funding. They wanted to see a “Big Idea” project. This is where planners and designers have a tendency to go “off plan.” They conceptualize a crazy new building design, or use the newest material or construction method, desperately trying to show the client how sexy their ideas can be.

Having developed a Purpose Statement, our team knew that sexy STILL needed to equate with the Nature Center’s purpose. The team proposed the design of an interior treehouse feature. While it could have been just a cool treehouse that kids could climb all over and a photo-op for parents, we inherently knew it needed to work hard and function to provide for their purpose. This treehouse was conceptualized with an exhibit space to provide education and awareness about the forest habitats that are currently protected by the Nature Center and as a home for an additional second floor classroom and observation deck.

Knowing your purpose not only makes decision-making easier and more effective, but it also serves as a tool for your design teams, pushing them to plan and create solutions that will serve your organization and place. The big, sexy idea is the one that may come with the highest price tag. Make sure that investment isn’t just PR hype but elicits a true Return on Purpose (ROP).

2. Attraction Just as a clear sense of purpose rallies us around the common goal of helping each other as we trek up the mountain, it also attracts more folks to join the expedition.

In his 2012 TEDTalk “How Great Leaders Inspire Action,” Simon Sinek outlined the chief benefit of communicating your purpose:

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“If you hire people just because they can do a job, they’ll work for your money. But if you hire people who believe what you believe, they’ll work for you with blood and sweat and tears.”

Whether you are working with a non-profit, a company or a public agency, the lesson is the same — if you attract people to join the journey because they share your passion for the cause, you have a much greater chance for success. You’ll have more people, with more bandwidth, broader expertise and larger circles of influence who can break down barriers with greater speed. And when your team is moving in sync in the same direction, you’ll ascend more smoothly with fewer distractions.

Keep in mind that a strong sense of purpose does more than attract talented, dedicated staff and volunteers. Purpose also attracts donors, repeat visitors, members and enthusiastic fans, whose support translates into more resources which allow you to take further steps toward achieving your vision.

Articulating (and acting on) your purpose acts as a magnet, pulling like-minded folks to your organization, place or cause.

3. Altitude One of Simon Sinek’s mantras is, “People don’t buy what you do; people buy why you do it.” We become loyal to the things we believe in and to the brands and places we love. Loyalty and advocacy are the highest levels of engagement (need link) possible for a customer and all organizations should understand the process that instills these feelings.

Imagine the experience of a grocery store. You probably shop regularly at a particular store. Why is it your favorite? Is it selection? Price? Simply that it’s close? And how loyal are you to that store? Do you frequently pick up items at other stores? If you moved, would you start going to another store? Now imagine a grocery chain whose “Why” is so powerful that when you do move, you seek a place near one of their stores. It becomes a determining factor in where you live. Wow! This is the case for Heinen’s, a family-owned grocer in Northeast Ohio and Chicago. Their shoppers are intensely loyal. And yes, I’ve heard first-hand accounts of people making home-buying decisions based on proximity to a Heinen’s store.

That is because customers appreciate the “Why” of Heinen’s. The groceries Heinen’s offers are mostly the same as other stores, but the experience of shopping there is different. Their associates are happy, in part because the stores are only open until 9 p.m. and closed on holidays, even at the risk of inconveniencing shoppers. The associates are well-trained and stay with the company longer than at other grocery chains, which ensures better service and shorter lines. They load your car for you, no tips allowed. Their stores are generally smaller, which means items in the store are carefully curate to customers’ taste so you have a more efficient shopping trip.

The stores’ motto is: Heinen’s Cares. This isn’t marketing-speak, this is a genuine way of running their business. It’s evident in every interaction at the store and with Heinen’s associates. You walk out of there feeling better than when you walked in. How many times have you felt that way about shopping for bread and blueberries?

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Heinen’s “What” is selling food for your dinner table, but their “Why” is caring deeply about their customers and bringing them only the best, which is what they deserve, even if it costs them a little more in the short run.

This success story highlights the power of Emotional Loyalty. When people feel this way about a brand, they go out of their way to embrace and promote it. They post a review on Yelp or TripAdvisor. They tell their friends. They write blogs and articles about it. (Yes, I feel this way about Heinen’s.) Emotional Loyalty represents the ultimate level of engagement on the brand conversion pyramid. You only reach this altitude when people “get you” and feel like you “get them.” It is a relationship of respect, admiration — even love.

To win this kind of customer loyalty, you must get to the heart of your “Why” — your sense of purpose — and then open that heart for others to see and fall in love with.

That’s how to attract loyal people to join your climb to the peak — your high-altitude Vision.

The Flip Side If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.

-Lewis Carroll So what happens when you skip the work of understanding and articulating your purpose. Does it really make a difference? Yes! Yes! Yes! That’s the biggest lesson I’ve learned after 20 years working in brand strategy.

I know how difficult it is for clients to develop the right brand that moves them toward their business goals. It can be frustrating and, at times, feel impossible. This can be further hindered by a lack of alignment of priorities and goals among staff and board. No one can help develop strategies to open up a new future for your brand if the “Why” of the project is undefined or vague. This results in dilution, confusion and indifference. People need something to latch onto.

Mattering Matters It does matter to understand why you matter. You can’t simply hope for people to notice you or know about you. Defining your purpose stands as an opportunity and a responsibility to be clear about the value and vision of what you bring and why others should believe in it too.

Plant Your Flag First In mountaineering, you plant your flag after reaching the summit, but in the world of business, you plant your flag as you start out. Seeing that colorful symbol flapping in the wind keeps everyone focused on your goals, and catches the eye of others who will want to share in the adventure.

Nobody climbs a mountain merely because they like to trudge up steep terrain. They want to reach the peak.

Your purpose is what will carry you to the top of the peak — it will serve as your organizing principle for the journey forward. Raise your flag high. Respect it. And keep on trekking!

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If you want to discover your Purpose, your “Why� or why you Matter (all the same thing!), contact Rachel Downey with PlaceHolder. You can find out in six weeks or less!

PlaceHolder is a consulting practice concerned with the maximizing the human experience through design by connecting people to place. www.placeholderllc.com Studio Graphique is a lead branding, placemaking and wayfinding firm with expertise in shaping how people interact with public entities and environments. www.designwithdirection.com You can follow Rachel @PlaceSage on Twitter or email rachel@placeholderllc.com

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Why Interpretation?

Brian C. Westfall U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

George Tabb, retired U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chief of Natural Resources, adamantly proclaimed during his career: "When people tell me they can't afford to do interpretation, I tell them they can't afford to NOT do interpretation!"

From the top down, interpretation is important, but what is interpretation? Interpretation is not just something we do for water safety or for children’s programs and is definitely not just a nice thing to do.

Interpretation is the voice or boots-on-the-ground communication tool for natural and cultural resource managers. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers uses this definition in modified form and focuses on the mission of the Corps. The EP 1130-2-248 definition of Interpretation is: Communication and educational processes provided to internal and external audiences, which support the accomplishment of Corps missions, tell the Corps story, and reveal the meanings of and relationships between natural, cultural, and created environments and features. The Corps of Engineers also has an outreach program that involves the interpretive services program. Outreach is defined as: Communication efforts involving interpretive programs that reach diverse populations such as students, teachers, organized groups such as Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H and general public beyond the physical boundaries of Corps projects and facilities.

Interpretive services and outreach program goals are designed to serve as the blue print or playbook for all Corps employees, not just Park Rangers, to follow. Interpretation is a management tool to achieve management objectives. Interpretation improves overall interagency communication and performance.

Likewise, interpretation serves as our voice so that others understand what our agency has to offer. It is not something "extra” we have to do. Interpretive programming gives our staffs the ability to better communicate with park visitors, customers, stakeholders and community leaders on a wide variety of management issues.

The goal is to promote faith and understanding and ultimately, voluntary compliance with organization’s operating principles, rules and regulations.

Interpretation helps reduces accidents and fatalities, vandalism, recreation area degradation, erosion, graffiti, gray and black water dumping prevents invasive species proliferation and theft. Conversely it improves compliance, resource protection, partnerships, ownership, understanding, support, donations, sponsorships, volunteerism, energy reduction and community pride.

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Every dollar spent on interpretation pays significant dividends. How much return have our National Forests gotten from the U.S. Forest Service’s “Only YOU can prevent forest fires” campaign? How about Woodsy Owl’s slogan, “Give a Hoot, Don’t Pollute?” Both examples have made huge differences for protection and sustainability of public lands. Interpretation is the voice of the present and future of public lands!

An outstanding example of interpretive excellence is the annual DeGray Lake Shoreline Cleanup. The program fosters environmental awareness and stewardship sustainability. sustainability For decades, community support and commitment from the staff have helped make DeGray y one of the cleanest lakes in the nation.

The interpretive team helped visitors develop a mindset to care enough not to litter. Positive results have been realized as children that helped clean up the lake are now bringing their children back to DeGray. Thousands of volunteers have removed tons of litter and now, more volunteers pick up less trash. This longstanding public awareness program continues to be a viable environmental program and is now a best management practice for Corps lakes and rivers across the nation.

DeGray eGray Lake Cleanup 1972.

1972

Through interpretive programming, our personnel sing the praises of Corps Civil Works programs. The Corps is the 4th largest electrical utility, has reduced flood damage 19.7 billion dollars over the last 10 10-years, maintains 25,000 miles of commercially available navigation channels, protects wetlands and waters of the United States, provides dependable water supply, and and serves as a land steward for almost 12,000,000 acres.

Corps employees are also making a positive impact nationally in our emergency response mission, in our global war on terrorism and in support of the Wounded Warrior program. All these missions are of o great value to the nation.

Utilizing interpretive techniques is a fantastic way to promote and enhance safety programs for both employees and visitors. When safety becomes interpretive, team member interaction and accountability increases. The results esults are lower accident rates. An outstanding example of the power of interpretation in visitor safety is the Corps of Engineers water safety program. Before the boating and water safety program was enacted in 1973, an average of 500 visitors perishe perishedd annually while recreating on Corps lakes and rivers.

Now, the number of fatalities has diminished dramatically and the overwhelming majority of visitors return safely to their homes after a weekend of recreation.

Interpretation entices families to spend more time outdoors. Sedentary life styles are now the norm. It is the duty of interpretation to support the Get Outdoors campaign, which has proven to positively impact physical and mental health. Effective interpretation educates the public aand nd helps improve visitors’ grasp of natural resource management strategies. Outreach enables them to better benefit from what we do at our recreation sites, their public lands.

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2005 National Scout Jamboree, Brian Westfall, Interpreter.

As these management strategies are absorbed, stewards entice our youth to become our next generation of rangers, scientists, engineers and mathematicians. The Corps of Engineers Science, Technology, Engineering and Math awareness program (STEM) is a great example of interpretive services outreach, encouraging great young, creative minds to be the stewardship leaders of tomorrow!

As stated, interpretation is not just something we do for water safety or for children’s programs. It is a communications process that we use to make business practices more effective and integrated. The role of interpretation has been re-directed. Interpretation can help with marketing, water safety, environmental stewardship/sustainability, compliance, shoreline management, off-road vehicles use and anything else that relies on more efficient communication with the public. Interpretation is our boots-on-the-ground communication tool for natural and cultural resource managers. It should be the first tool you grab for in your toolbox!

Brian C. Westfall U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Ouachita Project Management Office Brian.C.Westfall@usace.army.mil

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Live Musical Interpretation at Glacier National Park By: Austin Barrett

As interpreters, we strive to provide opportunities for people to connect with places and stories. We attempt to translate our heritage resources into broader, more universal concepts that our audience members can relate to.

At the core, we are provoking visitors to think about something through their own lens of understanding, and in turn, develop their own personal connections and meanings.

One way to effectively encourage these types of connections is to utilize the power of music within your interpretive programs. Several authors have suggested that music could have beneficial application in environmental studies because it “offers an inherent connection between between humans and the natural world� (Turner & Freedmen, 2004, p.6). From the bouncing lines of a robin, the low moans of a whale, or the fluting tones of a waterfall, music can be heard all around us in the never-ending never ending symphony of nature (Dossey, 2003; Gray et e al.

2001; Rothenberg, 2001). Considering these inherent ties, live musical performances have great potential as an interpretive approach. The following piece is written mostly as a reflection on my own use of live-music live within a campground program at Glacier lacier National Park in northwest Montana.

Coming from a musical background, I was already predisposed to adopt music as a primary interpretive technique. Upon first arriving to Glacier National Park, I knew that living and working in that special place would serve to be a source of creativity and artistic inspiration. As I delved deeper into the human history of the park, I soon realized that Glacier had played a role in inspiring countless other artists, musicians, and poets. As such, I paid many visitss to the park library to rediscover the work of these artists so that their voices would not be lost on the current generation of Glacier Park visitors.

Drawing on the prose of two early Glacier Park poets, I began to craft a suite of songs that each conveyed a unique message and connection to the glacially carved landscape.

Over time, I began to write my own songs that reflected my experiences while living and working at the Park. These songs eventually formed the basis of a 45 minut minute campground program that I gave once a week to a large audience of campers.

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The campground program utilized nine songs of varying lengths to weave together a story about a hypothetical trip to Glacier Park. The program encouraged audience members to think about their own reasons for visiting Glacier, and what meanings they have begun to derive from their experience thus far.

The program began with a song entitled “Walk With Me,” whose words were penned by a long-time Glacier Park Interpretive Ranger Doug Follet. The song served as an invitation for visitors to join me in this story of awe, grandeur, and reflection. The song also helped to introduce Glacier National Park as an extraordinary setting for this powerful story: “Come with me to where the grizzlies roam; to the places that they call home. Alpine meadows flower filled; and hanging valleys glacier chilled.”

Our story begins at moment you(our hypothetical visitor) decided to take a trip to Glacier National Park.

Maybe you had read an article in the travel section of your local newspaper, had seen a television program on Glacier, or had the Park recommended to you by a friend. Regardless, you heard the mountains calling, and luckily, you decided to answer that call: “Hallelujah, I can hear the mountains calling; Hallelujah that sound…”

From your initial inspiration to visit Glacier Park, our story now skips forward to your arrival at Glacier when you see the mountains rise impressively out of the plains for the first time. At this moment, you realize that by coming back to pure nature, you have really returned home: “There is a voice from the sea where the billows blow; But one silent call it lingers deep in my soul;‘Tis the voice of the mountains I long to hear; Come calling, calling, I hear it so clear.”

After setting up your campsite, you decide to take a hike on a nearby trail. While hiking, you run in to a Park Ranger. During your brief conversation with the Ranger, you begin to day dream about how glorious and glamorous the life of a Glacier Park Ranger must be. A funny song entitled “It’s Nice to be a Ranger in the Park” soon follows that humorously, and erroneously, documents your impressions ofthe daily life of a Glacier Park Ranger: “A pleasant life must Rangers lead of minor chores and cares; With time share the romance of the sheep and goats and bears. It’s great to be a Ranger and to draw a Ranger’s pay; For doing things that’s fun to do along the Sun Highway.”

After the daydream is over, you then proceed to ask the Ranger about the namesake of the park. Specifically, you had read how Glacier’s glaciers are now disappearing at an alarming rate due to climate change. The Ranger then tells you that all of the Park’s 25 remaining glaciers will be declassified within the next twenty years. This comes as quite a shock to you. Reflecting on this, you then begin to envision what the past, present, and future of life would be like if you were a glacier at Glacier National Park: “Once I was a glacier, and I sat high in the peaks; But now I’ve disappeared into the forests and the streams; But my spirit is still with you and I hope that you can hear; That if you work together than you have nothing to fear.”

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Fast forward a few days and you are now physically ready to hike one of Glacier’s challenging trails that takes you up towards the high mountain passes where the air is thinner and the views are grander. Although, doubt in your abilities and an arduous uphill hike stands in your way of accomplishing your goal. While hiking up the never-ending switchbacks, you also begin to question if the effort will be worth the view waiting for you on the other side of the pass. Despite these struggles, a calmness settles over you that pushes you to the highest reaches of the trail: “When I have climbed to the top of that last great pass; Above all the timber and the bright green grass; And I mount my horse for that last great ride; This time I know what will be there on the other side.”

After coming down from the harsh, high reaches of the mountain pass, you find yourself in the calm of an open alpine meadow. Here, the serenity of nature envelops your senses. You open yourself up to the sights, sounds, and smells of the wild around you. You soon realize that the busyness of your everyday world has been drowned out the peacefulness of simply being one with nature: “Where the cares of the city are far, far away; Oh let me there linger ‘til the end of the day; Give me a hill where the red deer play; Where the green grass is waving day after day…”

Now it is time for you to leave Glacier to return back home. Though sad that you have to leave this mountain paradise, you are happy that you were able to forge powerful experiences and memories while atthe Park. You know that you’ll have these memories to return to when life in the “real world” becomes more than you can bear. But, more than that, you know that you will always have this little piece of heaven to return to whenever you can make the trip again. The mountains will be waiting to welcome you back home: “I’m thinking that I’ll remember this forever; I’m thinking that my memories; Hoping that my memories; Praying that my memories will see me through.”

At this point, the story concludes. The program then morphs into an exploration about what Glacier Park means to the audience members. Near the beginning of the program, before the songs and the story, I would have handed out twelve printed sheets to various groups of audience members. Each group would then be instructed write on the sheets some of their reasons for visiting the park and the meanings that they have begun to develop. In my initial instructions, I encouraged audience members to write on the sheets during the hypothetical story (and songs) described above. After the story has concluded, and all of the group members had contributed their reasons for visiting, I would collect the sheets from the groups. Then, I would read out their responses to the entire audience. After reading the responses of a single sheet, I would lay them on clipboards that would hold them in place on the ground. This is necessary because each of the individual sheetsis part of a larger picture/mosaic. Once completed, this mosaic of meaning depicts Mount Gould, one of the more famous mountains in Glacier National Park (see picture).

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This mosaic activity effectively contributes to the overall use of music/creativity to explore visitor meanings of Glacier National Park. This activity gives visitors a chance to share their connections to the Park as well as an opportunity to hear about the connections their fellow audience members have begun to develop.. This type of activity helpsto encourage participation in the program, but also provokes visitors to think about what the park really means to them. . As interpreters, we often hope to provide an opportunity for this type of provocation (see Tilden, 1977).

77). Instead of hoping that this type of provocation occurs, this mosaic activity came right out and asked them to think about, and write down, their own meanings and connections to the park.

Though it may forthright to ask visitors to share their own connections and meanings, the use of live music and the creative mosaic activity helped to create an atmosphere that visitors felt comfortable sharing their thoughts.

To round out the program, I encouraged audience members to sing along to “The Glacier Park Song,” a traditional park song drawing its origins from the 1930s. As audience members sing along to the song, they are reminded that their own visit is contributing to the ongoing legacy of Glacier National Nat Park: “I stand, I gaze, I wonder how heaven more beautiful be; In the land of glory I love to linger on; And to join in the Glacier Park Song.”

From my three summers of presenting this program, I was consistently struck by the overwhelmingly positi positive response I received from visitors. Year after year, visitors kept coming back and brought their friends/travel companions to my program to hear the songs and participate in the story. From these field experiences, I became convinced that the use of live ve-musical musical interpretation is a powerful technique to connect people’s hearts and minds to places and stories.

In my ongoing career as a student and researcher, I have discovered that I am not alone in my views that live music holds great potential within the field of heritage interpretation. From sessions presented at interpretive workshops, to a few peer-reviewed reviewed scholarly papers, I have found that the use of music within interpretation is receiving a growing amount of attention amongst practitioners and scholars alike.

With the need to provide positive, enriching, and educational interpretive experiences to visitors, I would like to conclude by encouraging practicing interpreters, interpretive trainers, and interpretive researchers to consider the power er of integrating live musical techniques into their efforts of further developing the field. As a universal language of emotional expression, live music has great potential to provide powerful connective experiences for park visitors. After all, it was Freeman Tilden himself that said, “the interpreter must use art, and at best he will be somewhat of a poet” (Tilden, 1977, p. 27).

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JVA InterpNews References: Dossey, L. (2003). Taking note: Music, mind, and nature. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 9(4), 10-10-4, 94-100.

Gray, P. M., Krause, B., Atema, J., Payne, R., Krumhansl, C. &Baptista, L. (2001).The music of nature and the nature of music. Science New Series, 291(5501) 52-54.

Rothenberg, D. (2001). Music in nature. Alternatives Journal, 27(2), 30-31.

Tilden, F. (1977). Interpreting our heritage. (3rded.) Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.

Turner, K., & Freedman, B. (2004). Music and environmental studies. Journal of Environmental Education, 36(1), 45-52.

Author’s note: For a complete outline of the interpretive program described above, please contact Austin Barrett at austin@psu.edu. Additionally, recordings, musical notations, and lyrics of the songs described above are also available from the author.

Austin Barrett, M.S., CIT Doctoral Student Department of Recreation, Park, & Tourism Management The Pennsylvania State University

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Life in a Changing Country An Interactive Timeline from 1850-1950 Michele Dunham The Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm provides social studies field trips, called Community Classroom Experiences to all students in grades K-4. They are based on core curriculum and GLCEs.

Fourth grade students view glimpses of changes over time from 1850-1950 on these iPads framed to look like old time school slates.

The kindergarten program is called Joshua Van Hoosen Had a Farm and students get to handle artifacts and help tell the story of Joshua Van Hoosen who lived on the farm. There is an artifact for each letter of the alphabet and the letter S is a slate that would have been used by Joshua at the Stoney Creek Schoolhouse in the 1840s. When given many clues and asked what it was, one kindergartner replied “a smart board!” That one comment was the inspiration for the 4th grade program called Life in a Changing Country. Primary sources, secondary sources and timelines are part of this program that helps students to begin to think like social scientists and expand their “lenses” to include history, geography, government and economics.

Students begin their Community Classroom Experience in the Stoney Creek Schoolhouse, a one-room schoolhouse that was built in 1848. They discuss primary and secondary sources and view diary that was written by Ella Matteson in 1863.

The diary has been transcribed and each student receives a paper that has 3-5 entries. Students then analyze and interpret what life was like for this 18 year old girl living in the village of Stoney Creek.

Next, they travel 100 years, down the hallway, to the classroom that was begun in 1948. There are many artifacts and an exhibit called Life in a Changing Country. Students get to “travel” 100 years by decades – 1850-1950 by using this interactive timeline of 10 iPads. Each iPad has been programmed to show the students images and brief text of headlines, fashions, sports and leisure, toys and books, inventions and music of the decades. Museum Educational Program Coordinator, Michele Dunham, and a volunteer researched the topics, located images, text and music. Digital Design Services of Green Bay, Wisconsin built the exhibit (in Green Bay) and programmed each iPad with the images and text that were provided electronically. President, Joe Rugowski and Web Designer, Monica Knutson, spent 2 days installing the exhibit in late October just in time for a teacher in-service and the first class to arrive in the early November.

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JVA InterpNews Students work in teams of 2 or 3 and are assigned a topic that they view and analyze for each decade. When they have answered the questions for the decade on their assigned topic, they can explore the other topics before the bell rings and they travel to the next decade.

The comment heard repeatedly from teachers and parents is “look how engaged these students are!�

Submitted by: Michele Dunham Educational Program and Volunteer Coordinator Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm dunhamm@rochesterhills.org 248-841-2690

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Interpretive Writing Course - 8 Units - 2 CEU (Continuing Education Unit) Credits.

Want a real college level interpretive training course you can do at home? Then you're ready for e-LIVE interpretive training. Prof. John Veverka is pleased to announce the development of the first of several e-Live interpretive training courses under development. "My goal - any interpretive training experience should be taught by Certified Interpretive Trainers with college degrees specifically in heritage interpretation (ideally at the MS or Ph.D. levels), and/or with many years of real interpretive experience in actually doing what you teach - to be able to offer state-of-the-art college level interpretive training courses."

Who is the course for? Any interpretive planning, education or design staff charged with developing interpretive text/copy for interpretive media projects (Exhibits, Outdoor Panels, AV scripts, interpretive guides) or any other writing project that requires interpretive text (provoke, relate and reveal) to inspire and powerfully connect your message with the imagination and lives of your visitors.

Interpretive writing for Museums, Parks, Zoos, Botanical Gardens, Historic Sites, Nature Centers, Commercial Design Firms, Commercial Attractions, and related heritage sites and facilities.

How does e-LIVE work? Our first e-LIVE course is limited to 10 participants at one time, to allow for maximum interaction with the course instructor.

- You'll be sent a course package with course content to read and interact with for each of the 8 units of the course.

- John will provide you with reading materials, e-books and articles as part of the course resource materials.

- You'll be given a writing assignment for each unit which you will send directly to John for review, comments and writing coaching as needed. You will be able to talk/communicate with John about each assignment via SKYPE, e-mail or phone. Thus the e-LIVE design of the course. John will be your personal instructor and writing coach who you can talk with about your work and writing goals or your specific writing projects.

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JVA InterpNews - When you've completed each unit you'll be sent the next unit materials for the course to work on. Again, you'll be given writing assignments for each unit to submit to John for review, comments and writing coaching as needed.

- When you've completed the 8 Units you will be awarded a Certificate of Completion and 2 CEU (Continuing Education Unit) credits.

The estimated total completion time of the course is about 20 hours - and you can work at your own pace, take as long as you need. You can use/work on actual writing projects you have going on or will be working on in the future to make the coaching more focused for you to create actual project interpretive copy.

What are the 8 interpretive writing units?

1. Unit One - What makes the writing "interpretive" anyway? ( Tilden +) 2. Unit Two - Planning for Interpretive Writing Projects (theme, objectives +) 3. Unit Three - Tangibles, Intangibles and Universal Concepts for interpretive writing.

4. Unit Four - Writing with feeling and imagination - painting with words.

5. Unit Five - Writing for Museum Exhibit Lables - 50 words - really?

6. Unit Six - Writing for interpretive panels and wayside exhibits.

7. Unit Seven - Writing for self-guiding trail or tour leaflets/media.

8. Unit Eight - Writing for media to accomplish management objectives.

When will the course start? The course is now available. The cost of the 20 hours of training will be $200.00 USD, which can be paid for by credit card or PayPal at the JVA web site e-Live web site page http://www.heritageinterp.com/interpretive_writing_course.html.

To learn and hear even more, let me tell you about the course: https://www.youtube.com/edit?video_id=JbaSn_ZCgOs The training course will be presented in English, and we welcome participants from any country interested in improving their interpretive writing skills.

As the course is limited to10 participants at one time, to see if there are course openings, or like to know more about the course content and each unit, send John an e-mail and he'll send you additional course registration information.

If you have any questions at all please feel free to ask: jvainterp@aol.com Cheers, Prof. John Veverka jvainterp@aol.com Certified Interpretive Planner/Trainer Certified Professional Heritage Interpreter

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JVA InterpNews VISUAL SEARCH AND VIEWING INTERPRETIVE EXHIBITIONS STEPHEN BITGOOD Professor Emeritus of Psychology Jacksonville State University

In this exhibit mock-up, up, the arrows make clear the desired sequence of reading each block of text.

There are interpretation professionals (as well as researchers and evaluators) who suggest that if visitors do not pay attention to an exhibit, it is because of their agenda and/or “identity” (e.g., Falk & Dierking, 2012).

“Free-choice choice learning” implies that visitors make their own choices of what to learn and what not to learn. To some extent, this is true; however, as with many oversimplified assertions, patterns of paying attention are considerably more complicated. Too often visitors do not engage with exhibit elements because of design factors. They may be distracted away from engaging with one exhibit toward another nother more highly attractive exhibit; or, they may miss viewing an exhibit because it does not fall within their line of sight as they pass by it; or, they may be confused by the organization or layout of exhibit elements; or they may perceive that engagement requires too much time and effort with too little payoff.

My experience is that when visitors are given more guidance on how to process exhibit information, when the cues for visual search are more explicit, and when they perceivehigh value ffor investing time and effort, visitors are more likely to deeply engage with the exhibit content and have a more satisfying experience (see Bitgood, 2013; 2014).Too often, visitor attention to exhibits occurs, not by visitor choice, but by inadvertent design flaws.

What is visual search? It includes critical processes associated with paying attention to exhibits, processes that have received little attention in the interpretive literature. Visual search includes: (1) scanning the environment for items of potential value in which to engage; (2) selecting which of those items deserve focused attention; (3) choosing a strategy for viewing one item after another; and (4) adopting a pattern or strategy to move through exhibitions in an efficient manner while searching for value.

Why is it important? Visual search is important because it determines what and how interpretive information is processed as well as the depth of visitor engagement. How visitors visually search can turn a museum visit into either a meaningful eaningful experience, or a lost opportunity. In addition to understanding how visitors visually search, it is equally important to understand what factors influence the visual search process.

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The Cedar Glades panel is not organized in a way that makes it easy for visitors to use. Layout of blocks of text give conflicting cues and do not correlate with objects in diorama.

Visual search involves a combination of sensory, perceptual and cognitive psychological processes interacting with exhibit design factors. The role of each of these personal and setting factors need to be better understood. However, be aware that limitations in space of this article make it difficult tto provide enough information to ensure effective design. Additional knowledge and skills are necessary.

Factors Involved in Visual Search 1. Types of visual search.. Three types of search are possible: stimulus stimulus-directed, directed, goal-directed, goal and a combination of both.

Stimulus-directed search responds toa powerful attracting force that demands attention. You may be in the process of reading label text about an exotic zoo animal as the zoo train goes by and blows its whistle. The sound of the whistle inevitably captures your attention, distracting you from reading interpretive text. Once distracted, it is rare for a visitor to return to reading (e.g., Bitgood, Patterson, & Benefield, 1988).

Stimulus-directed directed search is likely to result in hit-and-miss hit attention to exhibits. The visitor gives attention to the most salient cues that “pop out” of the background.

Goal-directed search looks for items of potential value (high interest and low cost in terms of time and effort). Goal-directed directed search is more likely to be sequential (attention moving systematically from one element to another) rather than simultaneous (waiting for something something to “pop out” of the complex of elements).

Combinations of stimulus- and goal goal-directed searchare are common. A concrete object may attract attention

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JVA InterpNews Combinations of stimulus- and goal-directed goal search are common. A concrete object may attract attention because of its size, shape, and color (stimulus (stimulus-directed). Once attention is captured on the object, the visitor may look for relevant interpretation (goal-directed). (goal Suggestion: Design for minimum distraction, or, none at all. Remember that what strongly attracts may also distract visitors from engaging with meaningful meaningful interpretation. Loud sounds, sudden movements, and very large objects should be carefully controlled within the exhibition so they do not compete with meaningful engagement.

2. Sequence of search for objects, photos, illustrations, and text text. When multiple le exhibit elements (objects, photos, illustrations, text) are available, concrete three-dimensional three dimensional objects almost always attract attention first. Photos and illustrations are two-dimensional two dimensional and less likely to attract. Text is least likely to initially attract attention if more concrete stimuli are unavailable. Visitors are most likely to look for interpretive text once they find an object of interest.

Suggestion: Start design with concrete objects and use text and graphics to support and explain the objects.

Text content should refer directly to the objects (What are you looking at? Why is it important?)

3. Sequence of reading blocks of

In this graphic, the tendency is to start with the text at the top left, move down sequentially and then go to the top right

texts. texts One of our studies examined how museum visitors read four blocks of text arranged in a two by two matrix (Bitgood & New, 2013). If the blocks have an equal distance between them, then the predominant reading pattern is: upper leftleft lower left left-upper right-lower right. This is consistent with learned reading habits (at least in Western cultures). When the proximity of the blocks are changed so that the upper left and upper right are closer together than the two upper blocks from the two lower blocks, the ppattern shifts to: upper left-upper left rightlower left left-lower right.

This finding suggests that Gestalt principles such as proximity, influence reading patterns associated with visual search.

4. Value as the motivation for goal-directed directed search. search. Visitors are looking for maximum value from their investment of time and effort viewing exhibits. This means they want the maximum benefit (satisfaction, enjoyment) from minimum cost in terms of time and effort. Even when exhibit content is of high interest, the perception of a high workload tends to discourage attention (e.g., Bitgood, 2013).

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JVA InterpNews Suggestion: Make it look easy to process information. Use minimal text and structure text so that it is easily processed (e.g., bullet main ideas). Dividing long text passages into short ones generally increase engagement.

5. Visual access to the environment. Visual access refers to the sight lines available to the individual and what objects can be easily seen. Whenever we enter an environment, we use the visual cues of what is in the environment and what pathways are available as an aide to reaching specific locations. Visitors tend to approach objects with high potential value, but if they can’t see it, they are not likely to approach it. The casinos of LasVegas are well-known for limiting visual access in an effort to minimize patrons from becoming distracted while they are gambling (Bitgood, 2003).

Suggestion: Give visitors good visual access of the environment, or provide a floor plan or map so that they can see how the space is organized.

6. Layout or organization of elements in the environment. The arrangement of objects in space influences how much objects compete with one another and it provides cues for the sequence of viewing objects. For example, objects that are placed close together are usually assumed to belong together conceptually. The layout also gives cues of the order in which exhibit displays and elements are meant to be viewed. Gestalt perceptual principles (e.g., proximity, shape, continuity, line) are important in design of exhibits.

Suggestion: Think carefully about how the exhibit layout might tell visitors how to visually search the exhibits.

7. Provide explicit cues to visitors. One of the most important undocumented problems with exhibitions is the lack of visitor understanding about what to do in order to process exhibit content. Explicit cues (numbering, lettering or arrows) can be very effective in influencing the order of viewing.

Suggestion: To minimize confusion, prompt visitors what to look at, how to use, which direction to go, and provide other cues about how to use the exhibit spaces.

8. Design simple, easy to follow pathways. Pedestrians attempt to conserve energy by taking the fewest steps possible. Make sure there is an efficient, easy-to-follow pathway through exhibitions.

Suggestion: Plan the pathway through the exhibition so that the visitor is not likely to miss anything important. It helps to design pathways so that visitors avoid back tracking and are able to take as few steps as possible, 9. Learned strategies of patrol. Patrol describes the strategy taken to move efficiently through a local area of an environment. Patrol strategies include: straight-line pathway; zig-zag back and forth from one side of the pathway to another; circulation around the perimeter in a counterclockwise or clockwise pattern, or making successive loops around the area and return to the original location. Each strategy may be most efficient given a particular layout of the space. People often find that consistently using one strategy (e.g., straight line through an exhibition space), minimizes the effort of making choices among alternatives as they move through a museum or some other space.

Suggestion: Encourage an efficient patrol strategy for moving through local areas (e.g., one room from a multi-room exhibition).

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Summary Since we have limited knowledge about the visitor search process at the present time, it is wise to be cautious about making conclusions. However, we do know that the factors summarized in this article are important and need to be considered in the design process. Combined with evaluation methods (e.g., formative and remedial evaluation), the effectiveness of design on visitor engagement can be vastly improved. More explanation of visual search and its relationship to other attention processes can be found in publications from the bibliography.

Bibliography Bitgood, S. (2003). Visitor orientation: When are museums similar to casinos? Visitor Studies Today, 6(1), 1012.

Bitgood, S. (2011).Social Design in Museums: The Psychology of Visitor Studies, Vol. 1. Edinburgh, UK: MuseumsEtc. Bitgood, S. (2013).Attention and Value: Keys to Understanding Museum Visitors. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press.

Bitgood, S. (2014).Engaging the Visitor: Designing Exhibits That Work. Edinburgh, UK: MuseumsEtc. Bitgood, S., & New, B. (2013). Visual search patterns for a graphic panel under changing design conditions.

Unpublished paper. Jacksonville State University.

Bitgood, Patterson, & Benefield (1988). Exhibit design and visitor behavior: Empirical relationships.

Environment and Behavior, 20(4), 474-491.

Falk, J., &Dierking, L. (1992). The museum experience. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press.

Falk, J., &Dierking, L. (2012). The museum experience revisited. Walnut Creek, CA: Le! Coast Press.

STEPHEN BITGOOD Professor Emeritus of Psychology Jacksonville State University

steveb@jsu.edu

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BRINGING WARTIME EVACUEES TOGETHER WITH THEIR COMMUNITY

by Gillian Mawson

On November 8th 2014 I organised a wartime public engagement event as part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science. It took place at St Mary's Parish Church in the Market Place, Stockport, Cheshire.

The event brought together Guernsey evacuees (many of whom did not return home after the war) and English evacuees. This allowed both parties to share and compare their experiences with each other, and to view their wartime documents and photographs. The BBC filmed the event and it featured on BBC North West Tonight that same evening. It was also shown on BBC Channel Islands the following day. Unfortunately the event date clashed with many First World War civic commemorations that were being held that day but the Mayors of Buxton and Oldham attended the event in memory of all the evacuees that their towns had taken in during the war. The evacuees present were honoured by their attendance and had the chance to talk to them about their personal wartime experiences in those towns.

The Mayor and Mayoress of Oldham, and I, discuss the evacuation display, whilst being filmed by the BBC.

Despite the bad weather, evacuees and visitors alike travelled from all over the UK to attend the event. One evacuee drove all the way from Portsmouth, leaving home at 5am, because he had seen the event mentioned on Facebook the previous day. Others travelled from Yorkshire and Wales to share their stories with the public and were particularly keen to speak to children. One man stated “I realise that children learn about evacuation at school but nothing beats talking to someone who was actually there. There will come a day, not too far distant, when we have all passed away. I want to share my story with as many as I can before it is too late.”

Many visitors had no idea that over 20,000 evacuees had fled to England from the Channel Islands which were occupied by German forces on 30 June 1940. Over 2,000 of them had lived in Stockport during the war, and some of those who never returned home belong to my Evacuee Community Group. Evacuees from Guernsey told visitors and English evacuees that they had been unable to write letters to their families in Guernsey during the war. The only communication possible, if they could afford it, was an occasional 25 word Red Cross message and replies took up to six months to receive. One evacuee told another “When a reply arrived it was wonderful as it meant that my Father was still alive.” The English evacuees showed the Guernsey evacuees the touching letters they had received from their parents. One lady who had been evacuated from Manchester to Shropshire could not imagine the lack of parental communication that the Guernsey children had endured for five years.

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Evacuees also shared their memories of the return home in 1945 – and these varied from wonderful homecomings to a feeling of alienation from their parents who no longer recognised them. Some, including many from Guernsey, said that their families had never really covered from five years of wartime separation.

Three Guernsey evacuees said, with great emotion, that they had been called 'Cowards who had fled their island and left others to suffer under German Occupation.' A number of evacuees told me that it was wonderful to be able to share their memories with others who had undergone similar experiences during the war. Some had never shared their stories with anyone before and said that they would now start to write them down for their grandchildren. Members of Stockport Heritage Trust were also in attendance, in 1940s dress, eager to record wartime memories of Stockport and to share their wonderful archives with visitors.

There was a half hour break in the proceedings for musical entertainment from The George Formby Experience.

This led many evacuees to discuss wartime entertainment, with some stating that they had loved George Formby. Others had not enjoyed some of his more risqué wartime song lyrics! I noticed that very young children, who had never heard of George Formby, were clapping along to the (non risqué) songs, clearly enjoying the atmosphere and jollity! St Mary's cafe volunteers also produced some wartime food which was very well received by visitors and evacuees alike. It also caused a great deal of conversation regarding rationing, 'Grow Your Own' and 'Make do and mend.'

This overhead shot, taken early in the day, shows the beauty of the recently refurbished St Mary’s Parish Church.

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Many adult visitors, whose children study Evacuation at school, brought them along to give them a chance to talk to evacuees in person and ask questions. The brutal honesty of children's questions was very refreshing to the evacuees. One evacuee was asked by a 7 year old boy “When you went home had any of your family died whilst you were away?� She calmly told the child that her grandfather had passed away but that he was very elderly when she had left home in 1939. Children were also able to read Guernsey evacuees' Red Cross letters then write their own. Visitors of all ages were allowed to look inside a real Guernsey evacuee child's suitcase which still contained a few of the original wartime items. A wall mounted display was also created so that the public could read about wartime evacuation and view wartime photographs and documents. Feedback forms were left out and we received some extremely positive comments on our event.

Children look inside a real evacuee suitcase and write Red Cross letters.

The event also gave me an opportunity to publicise the work of the Evacuee Reunion Association and to pass contact details on to a number of evacuees who are seeking wartime friends. Some evacuees actually mentioned the names of wartime friends that I recognised and I hope to put them in touch with one another over the next few months.

I plan to organise a church service at St Mary's, Stockport, in August 2015 to mark the 70th anniversary of the return home of thousands of Guernsey evacuees from northern England. The service will be closely based on a special Channel Islands evacuee service that took place in London during the war. All British evacuees are invited to attend this Stockport service and details will be posted in a few months time on: https://guernseyevacuees.wordpress.com/community-project/ You can find out more about my evacuation research, and books, on my blogs. I can also be contacted there: British Evacuation: https://evacueesofworldwartwo.wordpress.com/ Guernsey Evacuation: https://guernseyevacuees.wordpress.com/evacuation/

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MUSUEM: Not Just Another Word Jim Schultz Central Michigan University Museum Studies Dr. H. J. Swinney When you hear the word “museum”, what comes to mind? Is it an impressive Greek Rival building along the D.C. mall? Is it a remote pre-historic site preserved to reflect a past civilization? Or maybe it’s a memory of a trip with your family. Or a field trip with your grade school class and a favorite teacher. Maybe a controversial painting or a one-of-a kind industrial artifact comes to mind.

In the latter part of the 20th century a week long workshop funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities took place in Pensacola, Florida. Twenty newly initiated museum professionals were flown in from across the country. They were to attend workshops taught by experts of various cultural resources that related to the museum field. Each of these professionals had a two hour block of classroom time. There were three sessions per day for six days.

This group of “no longer young” professionals occasionally crosses paths in the 21st century. Of the eighteen sessions, some of the attendees remember parts taught by members of the Smithsonian, the Getty and the Kodak Company. However, most of the sessions have faded from memory-- and some like Kodak 35mm film are no longer valid.

Yet everyone remembers one session like it happened yesterday. It was a session that forced the instructor to call a truce at the one hour mark due to the loud shouting between class members. Within ten minutes the fact that artifacts should be at least 100 years old was dispensed with wit and laughter. Within sixty minutes, two members from the National Park Service in uniforms, complete with smoky-the-bear hats walked out, complaining, “We’ve had enough of your academic gymnastics!” What was the class title? During these discussions no one can quite remembers—but we are certain it had something to do with museum strategic planning. But everyone remembers the opening statement and question by Dr. Holman J. Swinney, of the Cooperstown NY Museum Studies Program, “Class before we start, lets all agree on what the word “museum” means.”

I did not shout or leave the class. I never saw Dr. H. J. Swinney again. But I do know that he later became the director of the Strong Museum in Rochester, NY. What I did do was take reasonable notes during the class that H. J. Swinney taught in the style of Socrates.

Swinney started the discussion talking about a need for a point of departure to begin any planning function related to a museum exhibit or program. That point of departure ought to be an understanding of what a museum is and is not. We are all from museums that are operating, admitting visitors and carrying on regular programs. We all must know what a museum is? Yet as many of you may know, it took our American Museums Association committee a year to hammer our basic definition of a museum. In that regard, surprisingly few museums have ever seriously come to grips with this definition.

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Swinney went on to quote several dictionary definitions of the word “museum”. Let us examine the American Heritage Dictionary definition of “museum” that Swinney used for our class: Museum: An institution for the acquisition, preservation, study and exhibition of works of artistic, historical or scientific value.

Swinney went on to point out that the same dictionary had no definition for historic Site. Even though there was a definition for field House, there was none for field museum or field site. Nor was the definition of interpret any help: Interpret: To explain to oneself the meaning of. To expound the significance of. To represent of . To render the meaning of . Through an artistic performance. To offer an explanation. To serve as an interpreter for speakers of different languages.

After fielding questions about dictionary definitions of museums, Swinney took the class in a totally new direction by pointing out that these definitions are good enough as far as they go. But certainly not a good enough definition for new museum the professionals the NEH has flown in from all part of the country. What’s missing he asked us? After more questions, he finally made us realize that these definitions are inadequate because they omit any reason for the preservation and exhibition of objects. What we need to do as a class is formulate a step by step consideration of the basic purpose of a museum.

After more arguments and discussion we all agreed that museum is an institution which possesses collections of objects of artistic, historical or scientific virtue—or of virtue in some related field. Within this realm are private collections—not under the jurisdiction of any institution. They may range from milk-bottles tops and matchbook covers to splendid assemblies of antiques or works of art collected by connoisseurs over a lifetime.

Are these collections museums? Despite the scholarship often demonstrated, the most usual reason for these collections is the pleasure it brings the collector. This motive is perfectly valid. It would be unreasonable to suggest that there is something wrong with individual collecting for the pleasure of possession.

But then Swinney pointed out that a museum is not an individual and it cannot experience pleasure from the possession of collections. There must be some further reason. Is it for the preservation of its things? Again Swinney implied that preservation is clearly an important component of a museum’s function, but questioned whether or not it cannot be its end purpose. This is the point where the shouting began. After the shouting died down, Swinney lead us to one of his major points-- if preservation were the end purpose of a museum it could best is accomplished not by the construction of galleries, but by carefully designed warehouses. Warehouses built with no windows, controlled temperature, constant humidity and rows of non-corrosive shelves for storage. But would this be a museum? A warehouse with no exhibition space open to the public?

After more questions and arguments Swinney led our class to the conclusion that exhibition is the key. It is only when the museum organizes it material into exhibitions and opens its doors to the public that its character is finally formed. Finally the class all agreed on something, here is the key, the material had been collected and preserved in order to exhibit it to the public.

But Swinney was not satisfied. He asked, why exhibit? Are you all saying the mere installation of exhibits is the end purpose of a museum? Why does a museum have the right to expect the visiting public to come? Is the purpose of a museum the entertainment of the visitor? This is where the two men in uniform walked out, saying they were not listen to the heresy anymore and that they came here already knowing what a museum is!

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JVA InterpNews But Swinney was undeterred. I am sorry to see our colleges leave the class. I have been to their park’s museum and respect their professionalism. I certainly agree with them the entertainment is a part of the museum paradigm. But I feel if a visitor does not have a good time in a modern museum, something is wrong-- and it is wrong with the museum—not the visitor.

After more questions, Swinney led the class to an agreement that entertainment is not the main purpose of a modern museum. He went on to say, museums are far to complex and expensive for that alone. Disneyland is an institution which uses many museum techniques and yet is primarily intended for entertainment. The folks at Disney are very creative, professional and do a successful job. But Disneyland is not a museum. It is often a work of fiction that uses many museum techniques. But in the end Disneyland is intended for entertainment-while a museum is fundamentally factual.

After many Swinney lead questions and in-house arguments our class finally reach a consensus that a museum collects and exhibits because it has something to say. In addition we agreed that a museum wishes to present an idea, a concept, a fact or some combination of these goals. Therefore it could be classified as a teaching institution. Its students are its visitors and its teachers are the collections-- aided by the knowledge and skill of its curators, researchers and interpretive staff.

Swinney ended by saying, it seems we can not escape the fact that a museum is by its nature an educational institution and that the American Heritage Dictionary is flawed because it omits the idea of education.

Does Swinney’s definition hold for all museums in the 21st century? Of course not, but for me, it is still worth remembering what session had the most impact on us young professionals from all parts of the country and from every type museum discipline. Based on what I learned from Swinney’s workshop, it is my observation that since that class in the late 20th century many new high tech forms of interpretation have been introduced into the museum field. They are eventually replaced by newer high tech forms of interpretation and that trend seems to know no end. It is also my observation that museums based only on high tech forms of interpretation and virtual exhibits are not necessarily the museums that are flourishing, Swinney’s definition of the word “museum” will not be intimidated by web, high tech communication devices and/or the social media.

Jim Schultz CMU Museum Studies Schul2jh@cmich.edu 517-285-6820

A photo of the author (back row far right) with students from the CMU Museum Studies Club touring Chicago museums.

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COLD BLOODED KILLERS and BEST DAM BUILDERS IN THE COUNTY: Creating Shock and Awe Interpretation!

Jonathan Schechter, Nature Education Writer Oakland County Parks

Principle Planner Jon Noyes displays the new eye-catching beaver interpretive sign. As soon as the ground thaws it will be placed near multiple trail side locations with beaver activity.

Well-chosen words coupled with creative shock and awe images are powerful tools. As interpreters we know this, but sometimes we fail when our focus is on the message and not the delivery. And sometimes we forget that when it comes to creating quality signage, less can be more. Whether one is hiking a cliff-hugging trail in the mountains of northern Israel or trekking through a popular woodland park in populous Oakland County Michigan, interpretation can and should aid the visitor and the agency. But are we up to creating a lure that snags the visitor’s attention?

Without a hook, it is tough to catch a fish and without words and art blended into an eye-catching package, our signs go unread and the opportunity to deliver meaningful interpretation that enhances visitors’ satisfaction and assists our management goals may be lost.

Oakland County Parks and Recreation manages 6,700 acres of diverse parklands in southeast Michigan. Its park system has 13 parks and nearly 70 miles of trails. For the past year the department has been redesigning its interpretive messages to get bigger bangs for the buck as it strives to link tangible resources to an intangible meaning through creative interpretation that leans to a shock and awe approach. It all starts with something that grabs the human eye. In this era of electronic gadgets and constant external distractions in a wired world, that may appear to be an insurmountable task. It is not. David Larsen is a former National Park Service Interpreter and in his book Meaningful Interpretation Larsen details how interpretation connects hearts and minds to places, objects and resources. Oakland County Parks understands this concept –and the results have been exciting.

Here’s an inside look at what Oakland County is putting on the interpretive platter.

An interpretive sign that leads off with the sensational words of Cold-Blooded Killers creates a visual distraction for the park visitor, but then within seconds of stopping to see what those words mean they are hooked by the art, and in this case the lead sentence, “Growing up is hard to do when your siblings try to eat you!” A few seconds later, a wide smile indicates recognition that the interpretive sign is describing the secret world of predators in a trailside marsh and one of those “cold blooded killers” is the northern pike. When designed with specific objectives in mind and placed in the proper locations, signs have the ability to lure and hook park visitors in ways never imagined—and enhance their experience.

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Cold Blooded Killers grabs attention--and then gets read, a hit with children and adults at Rose Oaks County Park, a wilder side park of Oakland County Parks

Studies have revealed that fewer words are more likely to be read than longer wordy passages. So what is an agency to do when the message cannot be delivered in 100 or 200 words? Perhaps it is time for the dreaded staff meeting - but with a twist. Loosen restraints of the past and be bold. Push the limits even if you are a government agency. The public wants excitement. Give it to them.

Jon Noyes, Principle Planner for Oakland County Parks, places strong emphasis for interpretive signage on three levels of understanding that hooks visitors on the first try. It starts with that shock-and-awe approach that draws attention. Cold-Blooded Killers is a perfect shock and awe with words. And the Israeli Nature and Parks Authority sign with a graphic of hiker tumbling off a cliff along the Sea to Sea Trail does the trick too. Noyes goes on to explain, “As humans we are hardwired to respond to danger, mystery and the unusual or new, so when we can use imagery to evoke such emotions in our visitors, they will stay longer, read more intently and learn more about our parks. " After the visitor is hooked with the shock and awe, the meat of the message—the presentation—is exposed using language and illustrations that capture visitors’ imaginations regardless of their personal interests. Sounds tough? No really. Just be sure you test your message on others that do not know the intent of the message. Sometimes a great idea in our minds produces a "Huh? What do they mean?” in others. It makes sense to find out before producing the sign. If they grasp the message then proceed to what Noyes and this writer refer to as the “Geek Text”.

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JVA InterpNews Geek text is all the extra stuff. It is the stuff you wanted to include but had too many words. So, how do you do it? The last thing you want to do is clutter up the sign board with hundreds of words in the same font size.

That spells B O R I N G; and no matter how good the information, it won’t be read. Geek text is science-rich and full of enticing tidbits that are easy and fun to read. For example, the newest interpretive sign at Oakland County Parks, a sign that will be used at multiple locations in three parks, is titled Best Dam Builders in The County and shares the tale of dam building and under ice lodge-living. A “geek text” segway in smaller font delves into the world of beavers under ice, a time they are dependent on lake bottom food caches known in cold climates as “Beaver Freezers”. The geek sentence lead paints a vivid picture with imagery: “Industrious beavers are busily preparing for winter before hummingbirds fly south and sassafras turn fiery red in autumn”. That sentence is key and connects the park visitor with tangible visuals hummingbirds and sassafras - and it sets the WHO, WHAT, WHERE and WHEN that is used in a basic press release. And the art work of a beaver freezer draws the eye to the words.

Funding interpretive signage is often not a priority for park agencies. That is unfortunate. Creative quality interpretation creates support for the department just as much as a first rate wave pool or multi-cultural special event and that is critical at millage renewal time. Oakland County Parks and Recreation has been fortunate and works with local corporations that have a stake in Oakland County’s future. County Parks Executive Officer Dan Stencil explains the mutually beneficial and growing relationship between ITC, the nation’s largest independent electricity transmission company based in Novi, 15 miles from park headquarters this way.

“ITC has a long history of corporate citizenship in Oakland County, and is proud of being an active member of our community, funding projects that improve the quality of life of our residents. Oakland County Park staff, in partnership with the Oakland Parks Foundation, sought financial assistance from ITC to expand our interpretive signage program. The application for funding was approved, but ITC representatives challenged us to reconsider how we compose our wayside exhibits to make them more appealing to park visitors. It was this challenge and the seed money to move us forward that enabled our new approach” he said.

The Oakland County Parks interpretive story is a triple win, first and foremost for the park visitors that are greeted with 5-star colorful, creative, easy-to-read interpretation on the trails and in the 13 Oakland County Parks. And of course parks wins too with a medium that delivers a message that promotes parks policies while sharing nature education and historical information. And lastly, but certainly not least, ITC wins for it has their logo on the signs - a proud salute to its cooperate citizenship.

Jonathan Schechter is the nature education writer for Oakland County Parks and Recreation. Visit DestinationOakland for detailed information on all 13 parks, trails, regulations, special events and programs. schechterj@oakgov.com

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JVA InterpNews John Veverka & Associates Interpretive Planning and Training World-Wide Certified Interpretive Planner/Trainer

Cape May NWF - Interp. Plan

Our Services: - Interpretive Master Planning - Interpretive Exhibit Planning - Scenic Byways Interpretive Planning - Interpretive Training Programs - Heritage Tourism Planning - Feasibility Analysis - Interpretive Exhibits and Panels - Interpretive Driving Tours - Self-guiding interpretive experiences - Regional Interpretive Systems Planning - Training Manuals and workbooks.

Leslie Science & Nature Center, Interpretive Planning Focus Workshop Session. 2015.

Some of our current/recent projects: - US Army Corps of Engineers Interpretive Training (two 4-day workshops).

- Snowdonia National Park Training Center,Wales, UK – 4 day interpretive planning courses.

- National Parks of South Korea/Daegu University Environmental Education Center Concept Development/ Interpretive Plan - Pilot Project - Historic Falmouth (Stafford County, Virginia) Interpretive Master Plan - Cape May USFWS Refuge Visitor Services Plan.

- Old Baldy Foundation, Old Baldy Lighthouse Interpretive Master Plan/Exhibit Concept Design Plan.

- Korea National Arboretum – Interpretive Training Plan.

- Chessie Circle Trail - Interpretive Plan - Graphic Standards - US Army Corps of Engineers – Advanced Interpretive Training Courses (5 Year Contract).

- Metro Parks of the Toledo Area, Ohio – Interpretive planning and training services.

US Army Corps of Engineers Rangers Interpretivae Training, January 2015.

Interpretive Planning/Training... Korea.

John Veverka & Associates www.heritageinterp.com jvainterp@aol.com We teach what we do, and do what we teach.