We began with a very short list of options in a drop down menu that included the special exhibitions, a few specific collection areas, and the collection more generally. We quickly found the need to add a few more options. For example, the admissions team asked for a “just in the neighborhood” option as it’s a common response to the question (though the data shows it’s not as common as they likely felt it was).

The survey appears in a pop-up window and has a drop-down menu of options. Unfortunately, the option to skip or cancel is baked-in; we can’t make this a required question to complete the transaction.

Results for the first two months are interesting. In July, the permanent collection ranked highest in response rate, while for August it was our Pierre Cardin special exhibition. The initial lack of options is one of the reasons for the high “other” response rate in July, which dipped the second month as more options were added. Currently, we have 16 options plus skip/decline. This feels like a lot, but maybe it’s ok. In particular, I wonder about including Korean art and African art in the list at the moment since both are temporarily off-view, but it would help us track an uptick once those collections are on view once more. We also have to remember to update the list regularly as special exhibitions open and close. For example, both Liz Johnson Artur and One: Egúngún exhibitions closed mid-August, which explains the dip in responses.

A quick comparison of the total number of survey responses (which should be every transaction) to total number of visitors who were required to visit the admissions desk shows the transaction count is about 60-65% of the visitor count. Multiple tickets can be purchased through a single transaction—and we know most of our visitors come in pairs or groups—and that feels close to the right percentage. I think we are still getting more cancellations than we should and we’ll keep working on it. The admissions team is meant to pose the question in a casual and conversational manner so it doesn’t feel like a survey (or an interrogation!) and select a response in order to proceed with the sale, although it is possible to cancel and move on. To avoid cancellation, we included a skip/decline option. Unfortunately, not everyone is consistently asking the survey question, which we know because we can run reports on who is logging which responses. For example, we found one person mostly just cancelled the survey in the first week and were able to speak with them. While we don’t want survey completion rate to become punitive, we do want to encourage completion because the information is important for us as an institution. Finding that balance can be tricky.

After two months, we are still working out the kinks, mostly in terms of making this process habit for the admissions team. A next step is to work with our Tech team to create a report that would knit together the survey answer, ticket info, and zip code from each transaction so we can compare the data set as a whole. That would be a pretty powerful triumvirate. 

As we all pulled ourselves together after the storm, those of us who managed to make it to the Museum yesterday were delighted to discover that that many members of the community were seizing the opportunity to join us in the galleries already. (Staff and public who came to the Museum on Wednesday were actually latecomers – some of our intrepid staff were here, protecting the building and the collections, all throughout the storm, for which we are very grateful!)

As we continue to move through the week, we will post changes to programming and services, especially for Thursday, normally our late evening, and First Saturday, as we determine how the performers and others have been affected by the hurricane. Our staff is scrambling to be here to welcome you, even though many are affected themselves. Food & beverage service may be more limited than usual and our Library will be closed. Since it is unlikely that mass transit will be back to normal yet, the Museum will close at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday and 9:00 p.m. on Saturday, so that both you and our staff members can get home safely, by new and creative routes, no doubt – but that still leaves many hours for art, music and being together. We know that many within our community are struggling with recovery after the storm; we hope the Museum can function as a needed respite during this time. Please join us.

The partnership started as all partnerships do, with an idea and a goal. With the change in museum hours, now open until 10pm, the thought of a film series sparked. A list of potentials ran through my head including: local filmmakers, local films, Brooklyn films, museum films, films about our thriving Brooklyn cultural, films with appropriate subject matter that could play in compliments to our permanent exhibitions and rotating special exhibitions, films by certain distributors, and films you can’t see anywhere else on a big screen. Having evening hours planted a seed. I sent a few emails and wound up connecting with the community engagement folks at POV. After one hour-long meeting, it seemed my jumbled list of potential ideas was taking shape into something more concrete and fluid. I was in Coney Island and I had found the perfect hot dog.

Why POV? The cinema term for “point of view” POV is televisions longest-running showcase for independent non-fiction films. Their community engagement efforts aim to build new audiences, broaden public debate, and bring important social, political, and economic issues to light (a familiar mission statement). Plus, they reach a large audience and their films have won every major film and broadcasting award (including Emmy’s and Academy Awards just to start).

Q&A that followed the screening of Off and Running. Photo by Lavonda Manning.

In January and February we showed POV films Good Fortune and Off and Running respectively. Filmmakers (all local Brooklyn) were on hand for Q&A after each screening. We were pleased with the films and how they relate to the museum, the turn out, audience discussions, and continued excitement for more films from the audience evaluations passed out at the end of each screening.

Olga smoking in her kitchen in Moscow — from the documentary film My Perestroika by Robin Hessman. Courtesy of Red Square Productions.

The series will continue on May 5^th with My Perestroika, a story of five Moscow schoolmates living in post-Soviet Russia. They share personal stories of their Soviet childhoods, the huge changes of Perestroika (Restructuring), and let us see the true nature of contemporary Russian life.  Screening at the museum around Victory Day of May 9^th, (when Russia celebrates the victory over Nazi Germany) and recent, radical government change (think current events), not to mention the large Russian Community living in Brooklyn, and a local filmmaker to boot, the film is timely and appropriate.

Young Soviet Pioneers on Red Square during a May Day demonstration, Moscow, 1977 — from the documentary film My Perestroika by Robin Hessman. Courtesy of Red Square Productions.

We are delighted to have director Robin Hessman on hand for a Q&A after the film. The Meyersons, one of the families in the film, are making the trip from Russian to be here for the screening. If that still doesn’t spark your interest, Perestroika’s recent sold out shows at IFC and this New York Times article and review might.

We encourage you to purchase tickets in advance. We’ve been to Coney Island and found the perfect hot dog so look for more POV films at the Brooklyn Museum Thursdays @ 7.

Back in March, I initiated an online discussion of the issues and asked for feedback. We heard from many of our friends, and the responses we received helped drive our decision-making. As we performed a delicate balancing act of providing more evening hours without significantly increasing costs, we kept these visitor preferences in mind:

• “Keep the weekend morning hours; that’s a quiet, less crowded time that combines well with a brunch.”
• “Stay open on Thursdays or Fridays at least until 9.”
• “Provide additional late night opportunities to see special exhibitions.”

I’m thrilled that the new public hours announced today meet these goals:

• Wednesdays 11-6
• Thursdays and Fridays 11-10
• Saturdays and Sundays 11-6

We look forward to welcoming everyone as we implement the new schedule on Wednesday, October 6, 2010. For more information, please read our press release (pdf).

Brooklyn Museum via AlejandraPT on Flickr. Licensed CC-BY.

As many of you know, the museum is currently open Wednesdays to Fridays from 10am-5pm, Saturdays and Sundays from 11am-6pm, and of course—we are open (and free) on Target First Saturdays from 5pm-11pm. During the week, we know that our current hours meet the needs of school groups and those visitors who have flexibility during the day. And we can tell, given the higher numbers of visitors on the weekends, that Saturdays and Sundays are more convenient for many in our audience. But we wonder—are we missing something, or some people? Are there prospective visitors that want to enjoy what we have to offer, but aren’t able to because of our hours of operation?

While we can’t guarantee that we would be able to change our schedule overnight, we’d like to have a better idea of what an ideal schedule, from the perspective our audience, would be. So this week, on Facebook and Twitter (hashtag #museumhours), I will be asking a few questions about our hours and your preferences and we’d love to hear from you there or in the comments area of this post.

Your thoughts will help us shape the discussion internally and I look forward to hearing from you.