OATdb Archive

2009 - 2010

Museum

Goal
Cultivate Success By Maintaining A High Quality Museum.
Cultivate success by maintaining a high quality Museum.


Objective
Provide An Intellectually Rich, Historically Accurate Experience For Museum Visitors.
The Museum staff will provide high-quality interpretation to supporters, visitors, and tourists to the Sam Houston Memorial Museum.  Utilizing both first and third person interpretive techniques, historical re-enactors, and costumed living-history interpreters.

Indicator
Satisfaction Feedback On Site Visits / Tours
On site work and play program and standard tours will be provided to grades four and seven as well as individuals on a scheduled and drop in basis.  Evaluation  materials are collected from these visitors. Teachers are provided paper surveys prior to their visit as well as links to an online post-vistt survey, which scale satisfaction with experience on a 1-5 Likert-type scale. In addition a wealth of informal feedback is collected in the form of spontaneous thank you notes containing specific comments.

Criterion
90% Satisfaction With Site Visits/ Tours
90 % of the survey and anedotal feedback responses will indicate high satisfaction.

Finding
Post Visit Survey Findings
Of the 54 schools that reported the post visit survey, 98% were very satisfied.

Action
Improve Museum Experience Evaluation
The Museum will attempt to improve the methods by which it evaluates vistor satisfaction, and increase the return rate of its post visit surveys by sending follow up emails prompting and reminding visitors to complete their post-visit surveys.

Goal
Cultivate Success By Maintaining A Hgh Quality Museum
Cultivate Success by Maintaining A Hgh Quality Museum


Objective
Site Preservation And Conservation
Preserving Bear Bend Cabin by planning, moving and restoring the cabin on the Museum grounds.

Indicator
Site Preservation And Conservation
The designated historic structures will be preserved and maintained according to the standards of the National Park Service and the National Trust for Historic Preservation within appropriate timeframe.

Criterion
Cabin Move By Aug 1 & Re-Opened By Dec 1
The cabin will be ready for moving by Aug 1 and restorated, according to standards  specified in objective by Dec 1 2010.


Finding
Bear Bend Cabin Move And Reopening-not Completed
As of May 2010, the site has been prepared and is ready for the cabin to be moved to the Museum grounds during the summer or FY 2010. The target dates are in the future as of this writing and will be reported when completed in the corresponding OAT DB Assessment reporting cycle.

Action
Bear Bend Move And Restoration Completion
Finish the move in FY2010 and the restoration in FY 2011

Goal
Enhance The Image Of The University
Enhance the Image of the University

Objective
Museum Events & Promotional Materials
The Museum will hold Events with high public profile & will produce and disseminate high quality  Promotional Materials which will extend awareness of and interest in the Sam Houston Museum and Sam Houston State University.

Indicator
Number/Quality Of Events & Material Distribution Number/Quality
The Museum staff monitors the number of events  such as exhibit openings, exhibit receptions, film showings, Friends of the Museum events, rentals of Museum facilities etc. that  will be conducted annually to support this objective . Many events such as seminars, and conferences are also evaluated by attendees. The number of materials that are distributed is also monitored , and the quality of the venues in which promotional informaiton is exposed to the public is informally rated by the Museum staff.

Criterion
Numbers/Quality Of Events & Materials
The Museum staff expected 4 rececptions, 3 Friends-of-the-Museum events; 3 letures/symposia or conferences in 2009-2010.


Finding
Exceeded Expectations
The Museum hosted more than 116 event in FY 2010. More than 50 were rentals; 4 were symposia/lectures; 7 were receptions; 6 were Friends of the Museum events. 

The quality feedback assessments were collected and processed by Humanities Texas for one symposium. They reported Summary results of great satisfaction with the event.

About 12,000 pieces of promotional material were distributed in FY2010, which represents an increase of 100% over last year. One impact of this increase was observed in an increase of requests for Museum materials. Another impact may be assumed to be the fact that the museum has had not reduction in visitors despite the fact that the Museum started charging admission Sept 1 2009.

There was in increase of articles published about the Museum in which it was featured as a tourist destination or point of interest.


Action
Improve Methods Of Assessing Quality Of Events /materials
The Museum Staff is considering means for improving the consistent collecction of attendee satisfaction feedback after attending symposia and lectures. They are also considering reinstating a policy of inquiring and recording responses about where visitors had learned of the Sam Houston Museum.


Update to previous cycle's plan for continuous improvement

Plan for continuous improvement Sam Houston Memorial Museum staff works tirelessly to provide a complete experience to all that visit through tours and teachings, exhibits and collections, events and planned activities. The staff continues to preserve, maintain, and restore the Houston Artifacts, Historic Homes and cabins, and Museum grounds; as well as provide a rich, intellectually and historical experience.

The museum staff will continue  to serve the university and the general public.It will institute the self assessment improvements mentioned earlier in relation to its eduation program and event s,and the staff is  looking forward to a new and improved  conference and community space (Walker Education Center) next year which will better support the Museum's ability to enhance the image of the university