Exhibit Labels

Beverly Serrell has been an exhibition and evaluation consultant with art, history, natural history, and science museums, as well as zoos and aquariums. She was previously head of a museum education department for eight years, and worked as a high school science teacher and a research lab technician. Serrell holds an MA in science teaching in informal settings and a BS in biology. In 1995, she was a guest scholar at the J. Paul Getty Museum and has received two National Science Foundation grants to conduct research on visitor behavior in museum exhibitions. She has been a frequent museum visitor all her life.Katherine Whitney is a museum consultant specializing in exhibit development and label writing. Her work has taken her into art, science, history and children’s museums, as well as zoos and aquariums. She is particularly interested in how families engage with museums and has written about her own family’s experiences. Whitney has an MA in Museum Studies and a BA in Art History.

In this third edition, Beverly Serrell and Katherine Whitney remind me of what’s important and challenge me to do better—with humor, humility, and references to the great work colleagues have done creating and evaluating exhibit interpretation. This book provides inspiration, examples and connections to other museum colleagues and organizations who have navigated similar interpretive labyrinths. I can’t imagine working without it by my side and on my team.

• PrefacePART I: INTRODUCTION1. Guidelines and EssentialsPART II: OVERVIEW2. Behind It All: The Big Idea3. What Are Interpretive Labels?4. Types of Labels in an Exhibition5. The Importance of Captions6. Label SystemsPhoto Figures for Part IIxxPART III: CONSIDERING THE AUDIENCE7. Who Is The Audience?8. Audience Segmentation9. The Number of Words10. Readability Issues11. Multilingual Labels12. The Labels Voice: Who's Talking to Me?Photo Figures for Part IIIPART IV: ENHANCING THE VISITOR EXPERIENCE13. Improving Orientation14. Being Visitor Friendly15. Making Words and Images Work Together16. Labels That Ask Questions17. Labels for Interactive Exhibits18. Digital Label StrategiesPhoto Figures for Part IVPART V: TASKS19. Getting Started, and Getting Done20. Prototyping21. Typographic Considerations22. Production Materials and Issues23. Evaluation After OpeningPhoto Figures for Part VPART VI: VOICES FROM THE FIELDPART VII: CONCLUSIONS24. What Research Tells Us About Visitors 25. Essentials Takeaway AcknowledgementsPhoto Figure IndexBibliographyIndex