effectiveness of museums

The article written by S.E. Weil on the factors that affect the quality of museums, he outlines four basic criteria. These criteria are: purposiveness, capability, effectiveness, and efficiency. Based on personal experience, I would say that the quality of my museum visits can be traced back to whether or not the museum has a good mission statement, and/or if the mission statement is made, and the quality of the resources the museum has. Whenever I go to a museum, I look forward to learning something new, and so if the mission statement includes the goal of providing knowledge to visitors, then I will most likely have a better experience at that museum. Also, the quality of resources of the museum has available affects the organization and presentation of the exhibits. With this point I am not necessarily talking about the content of the exhibits, but rather the way that the artifacts are being presented to me. Looking at a display that is constructed haphazardly and disorganized restricts my ability to understand the point of the exhibit and my learning of the new information. Thus, if the resources (including the people constructing the exhibits - more professional means clearer designs) the museum has available are of high-quality, then I am more likely to have a good experience at that museum.