Unless you are going to a science museum, not many consider that museums in and of themselves are science driven.Let's go behind the velvet rope Consider this, conservation of artefacts is in every way a hard science. The purpose of conservation is to slow down the effects of object aging and deterioration. It is also used to repair or at the very least stabilize an object so that further degradation does not occur. This is accomplished through the understanding of chemistry (how a given object's material make up with react to light, air, humidity, sound, cleaning processes etc.) Pest control (understanding which insects/vermin like which materials and how to recognize the signs of infestation. It also entails methods for eradication and prevention of these pests.) My favourite example of this is placing artefacts in a cooler that is just cold enough to kill insects but not so cold it will damage the object. Quite a balancing act, I assure you!
On the other side of the velvet rope is the soft science of Visitor Experience. It deals with the psychology of visitor behaviour and the sociological aspects of museum visitation. Everything from the way an exhibit is displayed to whether or not there are seating areas and even lighting of public areas are all affected by this. I will go into more depth on visitor experience later.
