‘Big picture’ studies of the impact of science centres and museums

The Impact of Science Centres/Museums on Their Communities. Robin Garnett (2002)

This international science centre impact study was initiated by a small, informal group of science centre CEOs in 2001 and was funded by 13 individual science centres. A steering committee identified three main aims for the project:

• to collect and collate reports and studies on the roles played by science centres in their communities
• to summarise and present these studies in a useful, accessible way
• to identify gaps in current knowledge on the impact of science centres.

The Project Officer contacted many science centres and museums around the world to obtain copies of published and unpublished reports relating to their impact on their communities. These, together with relevant papers by researchers, were used to develop a model based on four main types of impact: personal impact; society (community and cultural) impact; economic impact; and political (policy development) impact.

Download the summary report of this study (pdf, 152 kb)

Museums and Impact. Carol Scott (2003)

Carol Scott, Manager Evaluation and Audience Research at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Australia, is exploring the value to and impact on communities of museums; whether evidence exists to support claims of impact; and methods by which impact can be assessed. This paper reports on significant areas of agreement between how museum professionals and the public see the social, human and economic impact of museums, and suggests that these areas of agreement may provide the basis for indicators against which the contribution of museums can be gauged.

Read this paper at the fuel4arts website.

Museums and Impact: Some issues for museums to consider. Carol Scott (2003)

In this paper, Carol Scott discusses a number of unresolved issues in museum impact evaluation: the core purpose of the museum, clarity of outcomes, terms and definitions, appropriate methodology, relevant indicators, establishing cause and effect, ethical issues, the conflict between advocacy and research, and the absence of substantiating evidence.

Read this paper at the fuel4arts website.