Moving stuff around occasionally not only evens out wear, fading and such, but also might call attention to something that could be ignored if left in one spot for years. As for "playing with trains", what's wrong with that? I love to see museum staff having a good time, not to mention using the equipment for its intended purpose of Moving Stuff.

Seasonal exhibits, special event displays, loaned collections--those are the kind of things that get my attention and attract me to a museum we've seen before. It's a bit of a haul for us to get anywhere, as it is for many people, and the price of gas is always in the back of our minds. "Same old thing" is unlikely to get us to pay a visit unless "same old thing" is really special. "Hey, did you see the Such-and-such traveling exhibit is at Train Museum? We haven't been there all year, and the weather should be nice"makes a big difference.

One other thing...if a museum goes with all static displays, expecting a steady flow of school tours or whatever, keeping those displays in good condition and any interactive features working is crucial. Does anything say "we're out of money" more clearly than elaborate displays with all the buttons broken and the video off?

Show me a railroad museum that is asking questions about changing displays and I will show you a museum that does not listen to its visitors. Or a museum where management does not listen to docents or others who are talking with visitors.

We have so many differnt types of museums that making a general statement about changing displays is impossible. We have museums that own three cars and all are on display; we have museums with a hundred cars that display only a few. We have museums with signs comparable with those at the Smithsonian and museums where signs consist of a few scribbles of a dye marker on an old piece of paper.

The first thing we need to admit is that we as railway museum staff see another museum very differentl than most visitors. We are not competent to judge another museum because we do not see it the same way as the general public. Only if a museum is designed only for viewing by museum professionals (very few are), can we properly judge it.

Decide who your museum is designed to serve. Then listen to your visitors.

This thread reminded me of this article. If feasible, museums can increase awareness and target new markets by reorganizing exhibits to tell a new story to a new audience.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/22/travel/op ... e-museums/

Like turning USS Constitution. Entertaining, educational, evens wear