The Importance of Labeling

labeling makes a difference

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Labels are important in a scientific museum because they directly contribute to the mission of the center, enhancing the learning experience gained from visiting the complex.  Not only do labels enhance each exhibit, but its visitors will leave the museum smarter than they walked in, whether they retain that information for an extended period of time depends on their will to pursue that which is interesting to them.

What exactly is labeling and why does it make a difference?  Is any label a good label?  Labeling according to the dictionary is "a slip inscribed and affixed to something for identification or description;" meaning some sort of writing that better explains or make sense of an object, idea etc.  Labels are found all over the world in every environment, however the labels found in museum type settings are/should be different in the way they promote intelligent conversation and inspire learning.  The goal of a scientific museum is to spark the interest of science through its exhibits into the visitors, therefore making people think and speak critically about what information is being presented.  This goal can be achieved with the help of labels. 

When people are presented with an idea which is new and unfamiliar, Hohenstein states “through language, people become familiar with and internalize ideas and concepts into complex networks of knowledge” (1559).  Knowledge is obtained through critical thinking; when people talk about the information they had just been exposed to, conversation helps solidify that information in the person's brain, retaining that information more effectively.  Can people formulate and conceptualize their thoughts simply by interacting with an exhibit?  Or should they first be prompted through labels to jump start their ideas, therefore increasing the quality of conversation amongst their peers?  By increasing the quality of conversation people have speaking to each other, they will better understand the content of the exhibit and develop as Sullivan states “problem solving skills” promoted by “effective questioning techniques”(Sullivan 99).  Learning to problem solve is a more important skill to learn opposed to pure memorization; problem solving skills allow a person to accomplish and answer questions in a wide variety of situations instead of regurgitating a single method to a specific context.

In the numerous hours spent volunteering at the Discover Center, I have studied the way in which people approach and interact with an exhibit, whether they are alone or with company.  I want to focus on the people who are 16 years of age or older, because generally those younger are less mature therefore stem away from the reading part of interaction and jump strait into trying to figure out how a machine works without direction.  The general population of the mature group of people interacting with each exhibit approaches each demonstration drawn to the physicality of the object, then discover its operability through the label beneath.  The difference is if company is present or not, if not, then after an exhibit is understood, the user operates the contraption again making sure they understand the technique, then usually strolls away to another exhibit.  If others are present, usually the two people speak about what they experienced.  This is where the content of the label is important.  If stated well, then “people often remarked to their companions about the content of the text” opposed o saying ‘that was cool’ and moving on (Hohenstein 1559). The label gives an enriched meaning to the operation of an exhibit and contributes to the knowledge gained from interaction.