Are Slovenian Museums And Galleries Accessible To The Visitors Of The Third Age?

The research was organised by members of the Education and Communication Group - a part of Slovenian Museum Association and it was carried on between January and October 2018 in 29 museums that means 1/3 of the whole museum and gallery community.

After trial questionaire with 12 questions we went on with the improved final one and we got feed back all together from more than 400 persons (78 in trial and 334 in final version). Firstly descriptive analysis and later research correlations, interdependances and differences were analysed.

The main goals:

• who are the visitors over 55 in public museums and galleries,
• in what way they usually visit heritage institutions,
• how much these institutions pay attention and are they accessible,
• what they mind as most important what museums offer.

After the visitors research we continued with the similar research among the musem stuff. We wanted to acknowledge how They evaluate the accessibility for the third generation.

Limitations

However the sample wasn’t used strictly and the number of the respondents was too weak to say that the research was representative, it should be taken in account the politness, the emotional enthusiasm from one side and on the other fear or sense of doubt if their answers mean something.

Profile of respondents

Almost half (46%) of segniors come from urban area (Ljubljana, Maribor, Celje, Koper and Nova Gorica. Half (51%) of the respondents are over 65 years old, only 5% are older than 80. There are more women (66%) than men.

The visitor structures in ten institutions where they note down the statistics of group and individual visitors over 55 show only 16% portion of the segniors in the years 2015, 2016 and 2017.

For the most of the asked visitors (46%) the main reason why they come to a museum is the interest for cultural in natural heritage in general, while one fourth (24%) respond that it is something for their soul; it relaxes them, interest for the topic has the same portion of answers. One fifth (21%) come because they want to share their memories on past times, about 17% visit the museum with the grandchildren.

Half of the respondents (51%) often use the internet at home (PC), more than 1/3 from time to time, while for 59% smartphones and tablets are often and for 28% periodic way of using internet.

Interpretation of the results

Accessibilitiy is the key word

Accessibility in all phases of the visit was the focus of the research. Starting with the visitor coming to an institution the analysis has shown us that all the elements like signposts to museum, the communication of the museum personal at the enter giving qualitative information and orientation accross the exhibitions were evaluated as not good nor bad (mark 3 between 1-5). Seniors were more satisfield with the gentless of the personal and less with the signposts.

Even though many general compliments expressed in an open question, seniors wrote, that at the enter of the museum they had been already worried about physical/mobile accessibiliy. This is the biggest problem as most of the museums in old buildings don’t have lift so visitors could only use stairs.

Anyhow segniors quite often use internet and GPS orientation on smartphones, it was evident from theanalysis that classic street orientation with signposts and labels to the museum are very welcome.

If we look now on the accessibility of the contents presenting on the exhibitions, the results of the analysis tell us that three main factors are most imprtant for seniors. Exhibition should be audible (understandable), popular and instructive, the thematic should be represented from the more points of view.

Segniors expressed as less important the contents, which challenge them to make their own opinion.

Among another eleven factors of accessibility for the seniors taking place in the research the most important are the gentle stuff. This quality of the visit is a high bonus of the museum and it seemed to be a red line of the research feet back. From noumerous experiences in the public institutions like hospitals, civic administration offices and also in cultural institutions seniors need a warm personal contact, words of welcome and engagement, basic information what up or more detiiled explanation, help to go around and last but not least invitation to come next time.

In presence of content and emotional accessibility there are not less important biological needs and last but not least finacial limitations. As we know from psychological and social research including our analysis it is strong reccomandable to have more and accessible toilets already near the entrance of the museum. Although many seniors are coming in groups, it is worth to to stress that they need also tranparent orientation trough the building (signposts on the wall or on the ground) so they could go around by themselves. As we are more and more stratified society it is should be taken in account that more than half part of slovenian retired could hardly afford the visit by themselves. This means museums ought to offer different discounts on tickets, workshops and other kind of museum programm.

The older we are the needs for our the accessibility are noumerous and become more sharpened (more detailed).

Paying attention to the visitors of the third age

According to our research less than half of the respondents (46%) consider, museums pay very much attention to older generation. We could not be quite satisfield with this assessment. Of course it is difficult to talk in general but if we omit the politeness of respondents, giving points from (3) neither…, nor… up to (5) very much, we have noticed 30% of respondents in 5 institutions had evaluated the attention as middle (3). Concluding our interpretation we admit we are very satisfield that over a half of respondents over 55 years old (67%) wrote down their remarks and propositions improving the accessibility in museums and galleries. Among them they prevail ideas how to improve physical amenability (lifts, and enough chairs to rest) and warming.

The institutions participated in the research could plan their plan their low cost shortterm program or make long term projects of improvements. Especially considerable problem are the old museum buildings protected as a monument of cultural heritage, which should function as public institutions accessible also to visitors with special needs like invalids, blind, seniors, children and families.

Three urgent agenda are proposed:

• Systematically statistical collecting of data on visitors over 55 and monitoring their profile
• Action plan of short and long therm measures of improving accessibility
• Education and training of personal working with the visitors and users