A new research project on visitor research at museums starts at the IPN. The aim is to develop a platform.
In November the Leibniz Association granted the IPN approval for the project LePAS - Leibniz Platform for Advancing and Supporting Visitor Research in Museums: The project will receive funding of up to one million euros from 2023 to 2025 as part of the "Leibniz Transfer" program.
The funding program focuses on the transfer of knowledge from research to society, business and politics using tangible measures, such as preparations for spin-offs, political and social consulting projects, exhibitions and much more. This is exactly where the LePAS project comes in: The aim of the project is to promote visitor research within museums in Germany and to support museums in implementing their own research.
The funding program focuses on the transfer of knowledge from research to society, business and politics by means of tangible measures, such as preparations for spin-offs, political and social consulting projects, exhibitions and much more. This is exactly where the LePAS project comes in: The aim of the project is to promote visitor research within museums in Germany and to support museums in implementing their own research.
Dr. Gun-Brit Thoma, research associate at the IPN, leads the LePAS project with Prof. Dr. Olaf Köller, managing scientific director of the IPN. She summarizes the current research needs: "Although many museums in Germany already conduct their own visitor studies, there is a lack of sustainable visitor research concepts, instruments and infrastructures. LePAS therefore aims to address the following three issues: first, to collect and further develop tools to obtain reliable, standardized data from visitors, which - second - will be made available on a user-friendly research platform yet to be developed. The third element of the project is to provide training to help museums implement sound visitor research on their own. This approach will not only strengthen the Leibniz Association's leading role in museum research in Germany, but also the impact of museums on society as a whole."
Prof. Dr. Olaf Köller on how the new research project fits in within the institute as a whole: "For many, it is certainly new that the IPN is active in the field of museum research. However, in addition to our focus on schools, our researchers are dedicated to fostering informal and out-of-school learning opportunities within the research line "Science Communication and Talent Promotion". Yet museums, with their exhibitions and educational programs, are an immeasurably important pillar of lifelong learning! They aim to promote competencies such as the ability to reflect and critical thinking. Increasingly, museums are taking on an active role in society: moving away from being a "neutral place" to becoming a social actor that promotes and shapes both dialogue and the active participation of different interest groups. To do this in a targeted manner, it's important to know more about your audience and understand why people do or don't visit a museum."
Numerous renowned museums and research institutions are collaborating within the framework of LePAS.
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