One aim of the "Reading The Museum» program is to promote the use of clear arid plain language in museum exhibitions and displays. To this end, the program has held workshops across the country that have, among other things, looked at writing and reading la/gels and other textual material. Clear and plain Language was also a goal of several of the programs demonstration projects. In the Woodside Historic Site project, adult [earners developed a clear brochure for the site. To keep language and labels front and center, here is a review of Exhibit Labels: An Interpretive Approach, a recent publication that is receiving widespread attention. The review is followed by a brief selection of sources that curators, educators and designers can consult, chosen from an extensive list of publications almost museum texts.

Beverly Serrell
Exhibit Labels: An Interpretive Approach
Walnut Creek, Ca:
Altamira Press, Sage Publications, 1996. 260 pp.

Reviewed by Virginia Penny,
Interpret Design Inc.,
Edmonton, Alberta

This book is a sequel to Serrell's 1979 book, Making Exhibit Labels: A Step-by-Step Approach. In her preface, Serrell states how much her ideas have changed, and this new book provides an excellent entree to current thought about effective communication in museums. The book is an excellent read and is written in a clear and accessible style. Serrell gives plenty of details and facts to back up her recommendations. She manages to tuck this information into her narrative without ever being ponderous. She practices what she preaches. Serrell sees exhibit labels as meeting The immediate, contextual needs of visitors and their curiosity and information priorities... Most visitors in a fast-browsing mode are looking for concrete, specific titbits of information" (p. 81). It is this same approach that makes this book so inviting.

However, some of the most intriguing and innovative ideas are too tucked away, and risk being overlooked.

Consider the discussion of voice in the exhibition. As Serrell puts it: "The voice means who is speaking to visitors in the labels. Is it a knowledgeable expert? A close friend? An experienced docent?... If the voice of the labels is unique to a specific individual it should be identified as such to the readers. Visitors should be aware, from the outset, if the labels were written with a personal viewpoint, if that is the point. Otherwise, visitors will assume (by default) the institution's view, values, or opinions are being expressed, and that can lead to confusion" (p. 112). These are key considerations, yet they are found in Chapter 11, entitled "Tasks," which is in the third section of the book. One would have expected to find such basic points in earlier discussions about how we initially approach the presentation of content in exhibitions.

One reality that Serrell reminds us about and that informs her whole approach is how little time visitors actually spend in exhibitions. In the chapter entitled "Levels of Information and Modalities," she provides the following useful information and analysis: "I use two types of time-both the average time visitors might be expected to stay, and an index for a rate of time per unit space (as visitors walk slowly along, looking around, stopping occasionally), which I have called sweep rate. One minute per 300 square feet is a reasonable guideline for sweep rate, based on empirical data from 60 different exhibitions... Visitors by and large do not spend time in exhibitions. The average time is 10 minutes or less in many exhibitions ranging from 2000 to 5000 square feet, regardless of the topic, type of museum, or modes of presentation. With normal non-blockbuster subjects... it is very likely that most visitors will spend less than 20 minutes" (pp. 71-72). Serrell's observations raise fundamental questions about the nature of communicating in exhibitions. What are we trying to do? Is the effort and expense we undertake reasonable? Can we "improve» these averages? In her preface, Serrell states: "There are very few exceptionally good exhibitions." Her statistics confirm this statement.

Serrell does provide recommendations for change and she presents them clearly. For example, in the first chapter entitled "Behind It All: A Big Idea," she emphasizes what for her is the earmark of a successful exhibition. It is "the definition of a big idea, written as a big idea statement." As she continues: "The big idea provides an unambiguous focus for the exhibit team through the exhibit development process by clearly stating in one compound sentence the scope and purpose of the exhibition" (pp. 1-2). Over and over again, she emphasizes that content choices and style of presentation must be decided in reference to this "Big Idea."

This book covers considerable territory. It tries to provide a theoretical framework and gives very practical recommendations for developing the content in exhibitions. Yet the author avoids several matters that should be addressed in order to achieve better interpretation in exhibitions. Two of these are authority and approval. How can one ensure that good copy work ends up in the final product? And who is best suited to writing the content? An expert, a professional writer, a programming/educational consultant? The book does not clearly answer these questions. Finally, there is a need to ask whether label writing should be a separate entity, apart from the selection and presentation of artifacts and the exhibition design. We do rely on text to convey knowledge in museums, yet exhibitions are not entirely verbal environments. How can we best integrate text? Is this task rightly a role for the label writer?

Conclusion
Apart from these reservations, I found very little to disagree with in this book. In fact, Serrell handles some fairly difficult issues very diplomatically and constructively. To illustrate, she points out that "Current notions about diverse audiences stress the differences between people. Yet within the diversity there are many similarities" (p. 48).

Looking for common ground in a sensitive and intelligent manner as far as labels and exhibitions are concerned is what Beverly Serrell does very well. Her book deserves a place on the bookshelf of every institution that is committed to developing visitor-centred exhibitions.