Historical Commission Agenda and Packet 2016 08 03 JT

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Page 21 of 150 Needless to say, this was a treasured visit for the Museum because of the opportunities to share information about the Curtan family, Louisville's telephone system, and the history of 913 Main. The Museum is the only obvious tourist destination in Louisville, and the Museum staff and volunteers always rise to the occasion to welcome visitors from other places, answer their questions, and give them travel information and directions. Often, the conversation that a group of tourists has at the Museum is the only personal interaction with a Louisville person that the group will have, other than talking with a waiter or waitress at a local restaurant. The Museum recognizes this personal interaction with visitors as an essential role that it fills, albeit it is a relatively new one (based on observations made over about the past ten years). However, there are challenges that come with being the only tourist destination. The Museum has a limited staff and limited public hours. It can also be difficult for the Museum staff to simultaneously meet the needs of both tourists and, for example, researchers, all within the confines of a small building. Through the addition of a Visitor Center on Main Street, tourists would be clearly welcomed to Louisville and given maps and information about what there is to do, as well as information about shops and restaurants. For the City to truly embrace the economic benefits and other opportunities presented by increased numbers of tourists, it could consider several options. In addition to the construction of a Visitor Center building, other opportunities include the establishment of a visitors bureau, research into official visitor numbers, the creation and maintenance of a tourism website, and the encouragement of other tourist destinations such as privately owned museums. Strengths of the Collections and of Exhibits The Museum collections and its exhibits are clearly an important part of its mission. More information about both the current approach to the collections and the exhibits, and future plans for them, are available elsewhere in this Interpretive Plan. Challenges that the Museum Faces Specific challenges relating to the Museum campus site are described elsewhere in this document. However, the Museum also faces challenges unrelated to its specific buildings and infrastructure. One such challenge is that many people don't realize that the City owns, operates, and funds the Museum and that it is a division, alongside the Library, in the Department of Library & Museum Services. Even some City employees assume that it is operated by a volunteer -run private historical society and are unaware that it is professionally staffed and is part of the City administration. Some strategies for addressing this issue are detailed below in the section on Interpretive Strategies. VI. Whom Does the Museum Serve? Usage of the Museum Campus The Museum meets many diverse needs of the public on site. This results in different types of foot traffic at the Museum campus. The following are the primary examples of who uses the Museum on site: • Local residents such as newcomers and families who are eager to learn the history of the town. 13