Sherburne County Heritage Center Interpretive Plan Final Report 2005

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As the Interpretive Plan evolved, MSP took care to suggest interactive components in nearly every section that would help tell the story. This is part of a strategy for layering sections and meeting different audience needs. In the next step, the conceptual design will begin to assign space to each concept, and the plan will need to be revised based on spatial limitations. With a few exceptions, MSP tried to create an Interpretive Plan that is low -tech to keep initial cost and maintenance as low as possible while still meeting audience expectations for an interactive, experiential, and colorful exhibit. Station Organization The stations were systematically organized to be sure we were integrating all previous planning and research. Each interpretive station contains the following major planning elements: Topic: Describes the general subject matter Story: Summarizes the major research information on the subject Themes and Subthemes: Lists the themes and subthemes that this story tries to explore in some way. Contemporary Visitor Relevance: Integrates.the audience research into the planning, so we know how our audience might respond to the subjects and experiences in each section. Desired Learner Outcomes: Describes what the visitor will be able to do or know as a result of visiting that station. This can be used to evaluate the success of the station. Visitor Experience: The story describes the content of a section. The visitor experience element describes the visitor experience at that station. Different Points of View: It is likely that visitors will disagree with some points of view, and this element attempts to predict those disagreements or differing perspectives, so SCHS can plan for it or incorporate it into the exhibit. Iconic object/media/activities: This element identifies the major exhibit component that will initially attract visitor attention and organize their experience in that section. Additional media and activities: This element lists other potential artifacts, photos, documents, or activities that will be integrated into that exhibit section. Interpretive Program Self -Guided Tours The primary experience at SCHS will be self -guided tours. We recommend guided tours for for scheduled bus tours and school groups. The entire tour should be organized with overarching themes and more detailed subthemes at individual stops. At each stop on the tour, an interpretive guide should focus on major themes and related subthemes, eventually working through a range of themes and subthemes related to Sherburne County history. Interpretive Staffing Required: The general experience is designed to be self -guided, however, visitor research for the project clearly indicated that many audience segments would enjoy personal interaction with interpreters. Guided tours will be particularly important for school groups, and these will be most successful if they are split into subgroups of 12 to 15 students and rotated throughout the Heritage Center experiences. Most scheduled bus tours will also respond well to guided tours. We recommend that at least one volunteer Sherburne County Historical Society Heritage Center Interpretive Plan, April 21, 2005, page 5