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Mark Mauthner Associate Curator, Gems & Minerals Houston Museum of Natural Science (With the best mineral collection in the world) Abstract Most early museum mineral collections, like most natural history collections, were stored or exhibited in some sort of taxonomic arrangement because of their research/learning function. Indeed, taxonomy figures largely in how many current collections are displayed. These types of exhibits have become ¡°boring¡± to today¡¯s audience. In the current climate, university and other museums are coming under increasing pressure to prove their mineral collections relevant, whether on display or not, and usage, including visitation, is a significant factor in determining relevancy. In terms of increasing visitation, entertainment value has become a real criteria that modern museums must deal with. In recent years, museums in the West have made several attempts to update minerals halls in this regard, with mixed results. Several examples are discussed and evaluated in this presentation. Any institution or person endeavoring to produce a mineral exhibit today might like to take a number of elements into consideration. First, museum visitors come to see and experience objects¡real things that they cannot otherwise observe first hand. ¡°Textbooks on walls¡± are generally disappointing so having objects is of primary importance. The quality of those objects is also very important when making acquisition choices. Decisions regarding quality need to take into account aesthetics, rarity, cultural significance as well as scientific importance. Second, it is on rare occasion that placing ¡°an object in a box¡± sufficient to generate visitor satisfaction. Visitors want not only to be ¡°wowed¡± but to learn something as well. Objects need some sort of context or interpretation. Historical and contemporary examples show that creativity is need to give ¡°tired¡± exhibit techniques the kinds of boost that with make visitors take note, and even think. The third factor affecting the visitor experience is the space itself---the sights and sound of the exhibit. |