THE BOOKS

Noah Feinstein and John L. Rudolph, Section Coeditors

Identity and the Museum Visitor Experience, by John H. Falk. Left Coast Press, WalnutCreek, CA, USA, 2009. 224 pp. ISBN 978-1-59874-163-6.

In his most recent book, John Falk puts forth a newmodel of visitor experience. This newmodel, aptly called the �museumvisitor experiencemodel,� builds upon Falk andDierking�scontextual model of learning (2000) and emphasizes the motivations individuals have forvisiting museums. It addresses how motivation affects all aspects of visitor experience,including what visitors choose to do during their visit, what satisÞes them, and whatmemories and meanings they derive. In essence, the new model proposes that motivationis a strong predictor for visitor learning.According to Falk, a model that categorizes and describes visitor motivation �has the

potential to permit museums to proactively manage the museum visitor experience in newand ultimately better ways� (p. 10). The model that Falk proposes

. . . takes into consideration how long-term memories and meanings are constructed froma visit to a museum. It is a model that postulates that a museum visit itself is stronglyshaped by the expectations an individual develops prior to a visit, based upon his or heridentity-related need, as well as by the expectations and views of the larger socio-culturalcontext. It is a model that describes how the individual�s larger socio-cultural context is, ina very real way, strongly shaped by collective personal experiences of every person whohas ever visited a museum, including the individual. (p. 10)

In developing his model, Falk draws upon past research�indeed, one of the strengthsof this book is its careful attention to prior models of visitor motivation. Whereas previousauthors have focused onwhy visitors come tomuseums at all, Falkmakes the next importantconceptual leap, building his model around �identity-related visit motivations�the seriesof speciÞc reasons that visitors use to justify as well as organize their visit, and ultimatelyuse tomake sense of their museum experience� (p. 35). In other words, he seesmotivation assomething more than a reason for visiting the museum. Motivation, according to researchconducted by Falk and his colleagues, is a strong contributing factor to what museumvisitors do, learn, and feel during their visit and even after.It is for this reason that Falk describes motivation as a part of visitor �identity.� This is

a novel concept for the Þeld, with implications for how museums market and design themuseum visitor experience and also for how researchers study learning in museums. FalkidentiÞes Þve categories of identity-related motivation, describing them as Þve categoriesof visitors: the explorer, the facilitator, the experience seeker, the professional/hobbyist, andthe recharger. These categories were derived from studies he and his colleagues conductedin a variety of institutions, including science centers, zoos/aquaria, and art museums. Falkis quick to point out that these identities are not immutable or Þxed within the individual. Inhis analysis, identity is �something malleable and continually constructed. . . that is always

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�situated� in the immediate realities of the physical and socio-cultural world� (p. 72). Inother words, different individuals take on different identities based on changes in context.For example, a woman may be a recharger when she attends an art museum at the end of abusiness trip, but a facilitator when she visits a science museum with her children.When highlighting the importance of these Þve identity-related motivations, Falk sug-

gests that other �big I� identities such as race/ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic statusare less inßuential than the �small i� identity related to motivation. Although it is truethat demographics alone should not deÞne an individual, this argument puts Falk on shakyground. Considerable evidence suggests that the design of informal science educationalexperiences can inßuence whether certain demographic groups, such as girls, underrepre-sented racial and ethnic groups, and people with disabilities, engage in science learning ininformal learning environments (National Research Council, 2009). It would therefore beirresponsible to cease considering demographics in design decisions, especially given thatmembers of these demographic groups less frequently pursue careers in science (NationalScience Board, 2006). Falk�s model of identity-related motivation should be seen as a newtool for understanding museum learning, but not one that replaces all others.Throughout the book, Falk uses excerpts from visitor interviews to demonstrate how

motivation inßuences visitor experience. His use of descriptive data is quite powerful, asit enables the reader to connect the museum visitor experience model to his or her ownexperience as a museum visitor or professional. These data also demonstrate how identity-related motivations can serve as a conceptual framework for analyzing visitor interviews,providing insight intowhy some visitors pay attention to some things and not others.What ismissing from this book, however, is an account of the statistical and/or qualitative analysesconducted by the research team. Without this backing, the reader is left to wonder whetherthese excerpts truly reßect the typical responses of museum visitors.At the conclusion of the book, Falk offers suggestions for applying the museum visitor

experience model to the practices of museum professionals. Through examples, he clari-Þes how marketing and visitor services staff can use identity-related motivations to craftmessages about what there is to see or do at a given institution and shape the services that aparticular museum offers. If a museum is looking to attract and engage experience seekers,Falk recommends highlighting the �must see� experience inmarketingmaterials (especiallywhen addressing tourists) and making it easy for visitors to Þnd this attraction when theyarrive. In contrast, if a museum is looking to attract and engage a recharger audience, Falksuggests providing visitors with quiet resting places that offer beautiful views.Falk also muses on the implications of his model for increasing the social value of

museums.Here, his arguments aremuch less convincing. FromFalk�s perspective,museumswill better serve the common good if they become more of what their communities wantthem to be. While there is great value in responding to visitor expectations, this pluralisticargument assumes that museums should be nothing more than what the public expects ofthem.Museums have already shown, however, that they can redeÞne themselveswithin theircommunities based on their own, internally derived visions. Thirty years ago, museums sawthemselves, and were perceived by their communities, as places that conserved artifactsand objects. Today, museums have placed an equal or even greater priority on educationand interpretation and have come to see themselves as dynamic centers of learning. Formuseums to contribute to the greater social good, they must do more than match communityexpectations: they must also work to redeÞne these expectations based on community needsand their own new visions for serving those needs.Despite these shortcomings, Identity and the Museum Visitor Experience is a strong con-

tribution to the museum Þeld. It simultaneously provides researchers with a framework forfuture research on visitor memories and behaviors, and practitioners with useful guidelines

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for aligning visitor experience with visitor needs and interests. This rare combination ofrobust theory with practical advice has enabled John Falk�s previous work to reverberatethrough the practices of museum professionals. This book will be no exception and shouldinform the work of the museum Þeld, both researchers and practitioners, for years to come.

REFERENCES

Falk, J., & Dierking, L. (2000). Learning from museums: Visitor experiences and the making of meaning. WalnutCreek, CA: Alta Mira Press.

National Research Council. (2009). Learning science in informal environments: People, places, and pursuits.Committee on Learning Science in Informal Environments. P. Bell, B. Lewenstein, A. W. Shouse, & M. A.Feder (Eds). Board on Science Education, Center for Education, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciencesand Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

National Science Board. (2006). Science and engineering indicators 2006 (Vol. 3). Washington, DC: NationalScience Foundation.

CHRISTINE REICHMuseum of ScienceScience ParkBoston, MA 02114USA

DOI 10.1002/sce.20383Published online 24 November 2009 in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com).

Science Education