Historical Commission Agenda and Packet 2016 08 03 JT

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Page 31 of 150 and meetings have to be held in other public buildings besides the Museum. Mail and packages for the Museum are received at three different locations. It is clear that there is not only a perception but also a reality of the work being scattered. The plans for the campus improvements and a new Community House building with increased public space, office space, and work space would bring a focus to the Museum's work and would increase the efficiency of City services. • The Museum buildings do not have the ability to provide shelter from storms and tornadoes, and the buildings are not near City buildings that do have a storm shelter. The basement of the new Community House buildings will supply not only collections storage space, but also a space for a storm shelter for the public, staff, and volunteers during weather emergencies. • Personal security of Museum staff and volunteers at the Museum is of concern, particularly given that they are working in public buildings in which a staff member or volunteer is often alone in a building with a member of the public. This particular challenge is not one that is likely to be addressed through the planned campus improvements because there will continue to be distinct buildings for the public to tour. Staff and volunteers are strongly encouraged to use one of the Museum's silent alarm fobs to call the police if they feel unsafe or uncomfortable with a visitor. IX. Interpretive Theme Statement Metcalfe observed during the 2014 needs assessment process: The most important characteristic of the Museum is listening. It is an attitude about public history that places the authority and importance on content that walks in the door, not just on the existing collection and the scholarship applied to that collection. It is an assertion that the value of history is in the telling of stories by the people who experienced it directly or as descendants of those who lived it and its impact on their lives. What we share across a kitchen table in our families' homes is modeled at the table currently occupying the center of the Jacoe Store, where museum staff and volunteers engage visitors, listening to their stories and sharing stories related to their lives. Metcalfe suggested the tag line of "We're Listening" and also wrote in the Needs Assessment Report: We determined that the Community Table is the appropriate metaphor for understanding and shaping our plans for the Louisville Visitor Center and Historical Museum. This means that the entire campus and the new building designed to meet operational needs would be conceived as reflecting that idea; they would together serve as a place to gather, share stories, to listen and to be heard. The analysis of the Museum as a place where people sit together at a kitchen table to share stories leads to the following Interpretive Theme Statement: 23