MUSEUM from its ICOM 2007 is a non-permanent institution in the server of the society and its development, open to the public which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment for the purpose of education, study and enjoyment. The museum develops the society through the services it renders and changes the society too. The visitors and the users make up the audience that the museum is to reach out to. BERNICE EGO MICHAEL, STEPHEN OLUWATOYIN and NGOZI ONUBA educate us.
WHO are museum visitors? Museum visitors are people who come to the museum for research and educational purposes. They pay a token. They are conducted round the gallery. They are captured in the monthly statistical record of visitors to the museum.
Who are museum users? Museum users are those people who come to the museum not for research or educational purposes. They only use the museum halls for weddings, receptions, birthday parties, or use the museum kitchen or other facilities within the museum environment but they do not enter the gallery. They may also come for rituals. For example, in Osun Osogbo grove; some come for rituals while others come for research. Some go to fetch the Osun River water to use for fertility. These are museum users, while those who go there for research purposes are museum visitoris.
In this 21st century, museums try to develop the society through the services they render to the public. Visitors expect a lot from the museum so that they will enjoy their trip to the museum. With the development in the society, museum should strive to encourage a lot of visitors. For museum visitors to out-number museum users, the following factors should be considered:
First, museum should be involved in market research. This entails creating a marketing department for marketing and promotional development of the museum services. The work of this department should be to go out, interact with the people to know what they need, or want with the intent of finding out the feasibility of museum extending their services to them. This market research approach contains a brochure which indicates the museum location, gate token/ticket, list/menu of museum activities, number of visitors that can be attended to at a glance, etc. These are very important and should be evaluated regularly using SWOT/SMART analysis.
The market research should not be based internally where the information gotten inside the visitors notebook in the gallery is the only source of data. Museum should sit and embark on external market research where staff are sent where the people are, to interact with them, know what they want and then organize in-out people oriented programmes for their education, entertainment and enjoyment. To make museum visits more enjoyable, museum should look inward to find out their competitors, chart out programmes that will inspire and attract their audiences.
Secondly, museum should plan programmes with the communities where they are located. The people living in museum communities should be carried along in all museum programmes. Jos Museum is a very good example, as the International Museum Day in Jos is fascinating and enjoyable. Jos Museum is known as a museum that belongs to Jos community. This is evidenced in all-inclusive participation of every ethnic group in the state. International Museum Day in Jos is a cultural carnival for Plateau State people. It attracts more visitors to the museum than any other programme.
Thirdly, facilities in the museum also attract more visitors to the museum. A lot of museums in Nigeria should be special need compliance. There should fatigue breakers, rams for persons with special need. Also in this hyper-connected world, exhibitions should be on display, multimedia and slide-projectors with Braille writing to make them enjoyable for normal visitors and other visitors with special needs.
Fourthly, museums should be cited in well located areas. They should be cited in a noise-free area with good road network and serene environment.
Fifthly, exhibition on display should not be kept permanent because monotony kills interest.
Sixthly, attitude of museum professionals on duty are very important. It can encourage or discourage visitors turn out. If their attitude is good to visitors this will go along way attracting more visitors into the museum.
Furthermore, museum should treat their visitors like client and not strangers. I mean treating them like people who are using the services of a professional thereby being accountable to them. Professionals on guided tour should promote its products. That is, what are the things we put in place for museum to be known by the public? Here, publicity should come in if museum should be advertised to the public. Their programmes should be advertised through the television, radio, newspapers, online and so on.
Museum is the custodian of culture. It should be known all over Nigeria. There is no state in Nigeria that does not have a museum. Some states have two.
Museum should also partner with lots of media houses. It can print souvenirs and put their logo and that of the media house logo which people can buy when they pay visits at affordable prices.
Museums can also promote museum programmes by printing raffle draws for their programmes which people can buy towards the end of the year. They can also organisze programmes and allow first 25 persons free entry to the gallery.
Finally, museum as the central bank of culture is to be known and visited by every Nigerian. Our culture is in the museum. Culture is life. Our culture is our history and our identity.
Let us promote our culture and our museums. We should remember to observe all the Covid 19 protocols when we visit museums.
A Poem: By BERNICE MICHAEL
My culture is my history
Its my pride
I speak culture
I eat culture
I dress culture
Its total way of life.
Lifeless I am without you
Culture housed in museum
Oh! My culture, oh my pride!
How wonderful are you?
Many of you are extinct
Those good ones have to be revived
My culture is my life
Long life culture
Long life my history
My identify my pride.
MICHAEL, OLUWATOYIN and ONUBA write from the National Museum Jos.
