WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 1 00:00:03.880 --> 00:00:07.720 Hello and welcome to our Museums for All informational webinar. 2 00:00:08.040 --> 00:00:11.443 My name is Helen Wechsler, and on behalf of the Institute of 3 00:00:11.443 --> 00:00:15.015 Museum and Library Services, I'm pleased to welcome you to this 4 00:00:15.015 --> 00:00:17.860 webinar about one of our national initiatives, the 5 00:00:17.860 --> 00:00:19.200 Museums for All program. 6 00:00:21.760 --> 00:00:24.440 There are three speakers during today's session. 7 00:00:24.680 --> 00:00:28.265 In addition to myself, we'll be hearing from Brendan Cartwright, 8 00:00:28.265 --> 00:00:31.575 who is the program manager at the Association of Children's 9 00:00:31.575 --> 00:00:34.720 Museums and the coordinator for this special initiative. 10 00:00:35.480 --> 00:00:39.524 And for a participating museum perspective, we will also hear 11 00:00:39.524 --> 00:00:43.698 from Ken Meifert, Vice President of Sponsorship and Development 12 00:00:43.698 --> 00:00:46.960 at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. 13 00:00:50.440 --> 00:00:53.487 To set the stage for more detailed information that we'll 14 00:00:53.487 --> 00:00:56.693 be sharing about the program, I'd first like to present some 15 00:00:56.693 --> 00:00:58.480 general introductory information. 16 00:00:59.760 --> 00:01:03.982 Museums for All is a cooperative venture with the Association of 17 00:01:03.982 --> 00:01:07.879 Children's Museums with the goal of expanding access to the 18 00:01:07.879 --> 00:01:11.777 nation's museums by offering free or reduced admissions for 19 00:01:11.777 --> 00:01:14.960 EBT or electronic benefit transfer card holders. 20 00:01:15.560 --> 00:01:18.440 EBT cards hold food assistance benefits. 21 00:01:19.520 --> 00:01:23.801 Over the past 10 years of this initiative, which started in 22 00:01:23.801 --> 00:01:27.796 2014, IMLS has been working closely with ACM to recruit 23 00:01:27.796 --> 00:01:30.080 museums as program participants. 24 00:01:30.720 --> 00:01:33.856 One of the strengths of this nationally branded program is 25 00:01:33.856 --> 00:01:34.760 name recognition. 26 00:01:35.160 --> 00:01:38.670 Member museums know that they're part of a large nationwide 27 00:01:38.670 --> 00:01:39.080 effort. 28 00:01:39.320 --> 00:01:43.215 Policy makers are becoming familiar with the program and 29 00:01:43.215 --> 00:01:47.316 visitors who might not otherwise be able to visit know that 30 00:01:47.316 --> 00:01:51.280 Museums for All participation means they will be welcome. 31 00:01:51.920 --> 00:01:55.867 Another strength is that access provided by this program is not 32 00:01:55.867 --> 00:01:58.520 limited to certain days or specific times. 33 00:01:58.920 --> 00:02:03.352 Museums for All participants are dedicated to providing access to 34 00:02:03.352 --> 00:02:07.181 everyone during their normal working hours, every day of 35 00:02:07.181 --> 00:02:07.920 every week. 36 00:02:09.160 --> 00:02:12.590 We began the program with a pilot for the children's museum 37 00:02:12.590 --> 00:02:15.907 community, but since then, participation has been open to 38 00:02:15.907 --> 00:02:17.680 all museums around the country. 39 00:02:18.040 --> 00:02:21.506 We're thrilled with how much the program has grown and 40 00:02:21.506 --> 00:02:22.200 flourished. 41 00:02:22.360 --> 00:02:25.440 And there's always room for more museums to participate. 42 00:02:25.640 --> 00:02:28.931 So I'll hand it over now to Brendan to present the 43 00:02:28.931 --> 00:02:30.480 initiative's guidelines. 44 00:02:34.080 --> 00:02:34.560 All right. 45 00:02:34.560 --> 00:02:35.480 Thank you, Helen. 46 00:02:36.560 --> 00:02:41.626 So the goal of Museums for All is to be easy for all museums to 47 00:02:41.626 --> 00:02:44.080 adopt and potentially to adapt. 48 00:02:44.880 --> 00:02:49.103 We have a set of broad minimum guidelines that make it an easy- 49 00:02:49.103 --> 00:02:52.120 -to-use program, sort of ready out-of-the-box. 50 00:02:53.200 --> 00:02:56.750 Those guidelines include offering a general admission 51 00:02:56.750 --> 00:03:00.497 rate of no more than $3 per person for up to four people 52 00:03:00.497 --> 00:03:04.573 when one individual displays a SNAP EBT card, and that can be 53 00:03:04.573 --> 00:03:05.560 from any state. 54 00:03:06.280 --> 00:03:10.206 This is an easy way to identify a visitor who qualifies as 55 00:03:10.206 --> 00:03:13.800 having a financial need in a minimally intrusive way. 56 00:03:15.160 --> 00:03:18.973 Museums have the freedom to decide what their admission 57 00:03:18.973 --> 00:03:22.787 price will be free, $1.00 per person, $2.00 per person, 58 00:03:22.787 --> 00:03:23.400 etcetera. 59 00:03:24.920 --> 00:03:28.076 And they're only obligated to offer that price for a basic 60 00:03:28.076 --> 00:03:29.040 general admission. 61 00:03:29.640 --> 00:03:33.303 If there are add on attractions at your exhibits, you know, 62 00:03:33.303 --> 00:03:37.088 you're not obligated to include those in your Museums for All 63 00:03:37.088 --> 00:03:41.056 offering, although if you decide that you want to, again, that's 64 00:03:41.056 --> 00:03:43.560 where there's the potential to adapt it. 65 00:03:43.560 --> 00:03:44.960 You're welcome to if you'd like. 66 00:03:46.680 --> 00:03:50.216 The Museums for All rate would be offered during all normal 67 00:03:50.216 --> 00:03:51.160 operating hours. 68 00:03:52.640 --> 00:03:56.168 You know, I mentioned about being able to adapt the 69 00:03:56.168 --> 00:03:58.000 offerings for some museums. 70 00:03:58.000 --> 00:04:02.526 This includes accepting WIC or Medicaid or other forms of 71 00:04:02.526 --> 00:04:07.131 identification that they'll accept for the Museums for All 72 00:04:07.131 --> 00:04:07.600 price. 73 00:04:08.480 --> 00:04:11.800 It can include discounts on special exhibits or events. 74 00:04:12.560 --> 00:04:15.920 And some museums choose to offer a discounted membership. 75 00:04:18.280 --> 00:04:22.880 We've seen really massive success for this program so far. 76 00:04:23.560 --> 00:04:27.491 In the 10 years that it's been going, over 1,400 museums have 77 00:04:27.491 --> 00:04:28.760 begun participating. 78 00:04:29.840 --> 00:04:33.349 This includes museums in all 50 states, the District of 79 00:04:33.349 --> 00:04:35.480 Columbia, and the Virgin Islands. 80 00:04:36.200 --> 00:04:39.854 As Helen mentioned, we did pilot the program in children's 81 00:04:39.854 --> 00:04:43.200 museums, but now every type of museum is represented. 82 00:04:43.840 --> 00:04:47.993 We've got history museums, art museums, zoos, aquariums, 83 00:04:47.993 --> 00:04:51.200 multiple presidential libraries, and so on. 84 00:04:51.440 --> 00:04:54.560 And there's also another - Baseball Hall of Fame. 85 00:04:54.560 --> 00:04:57.680 The Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame participates in this as well. 86 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:05.017 Anyway, museums in cities, in rural areas, large museums, 87 00:05:05.017 --> 00:05:06.920 small ones, all types. 88 00:05:08.560 --> 00:05:11.716 This was a little more interesting back before all 50 89 00:05:11.716 --> 00:05:14.815 states had a participating museum, but it's a visual 90 00:05:14.815 --> 00:05:18.323 representation of states where museums are participating in 91 00:05:18.323 --> 00:05:19.960 Museums for All, everywhere. 92 00:05:21.080 --> 00:05:25.404 And in case you're wondering how your particular region is doing, 93 00:05:25.404 --> 00:05:28.680 New England looks like it's lagging a little bit. 94 00:05:29.280 --> 00:05:32.475 There are over 30 sites that are counted under the single 95 00:05:32.475 --> 00:05:35.876 banner of "Historic New England" though, for instance, so it it's 96 00:05:35.876 --> 00:05:37.320 not quite as large of a gap. 97 00:05:39.240 --> 00:05:41.040 Many states are doing very well. 98 00:05:41.840 --> 00:05:46.225 California, New York, Florida and Pennsylvania have the most 99 00:05:46.225 --> 00:05:50.610 participants, but Ohio, Texas and Virginia have been growing 100 00:05:50.610 --> 00:05:52.119 very rapidly as well. 101 00:05:55.000 --> 00:05:58.540 As I mentioned, the Museums for All program was piloted in 102 00:05:58.540 --> 00:05:59.680 children's museums. 103 00:06:00.080 --> 00:06:03.454 Just one reason that we see a pretty large number of 104 00:06:03.454 --> 00:06:06.766 children's museums that participate, but we've seen 105 00:06:06.766 --> 00:06:10.650 quite a lot of enthusiasm in history museums and art museums 106 00:06:10.650 --> 00:06:11.160 as well. 107 00:06:12.160 --> 00:06:15.811 Some of these museums are free admission anyway, but they 108 00:06:15.811 --> 00:06:19.777 choose to participate to really drive home their commitment to 109 00:06:19.777 --> 00:06:22.924 extending the invitation to every member of their 110 00:06:22.924 --> 00:06:23.679 communities. 111 00:06:25.760 --> 00:06:29.560 And it's also a good way to get recognized. 112 00:06:29.800 --> 00:06:33.319 If someone has gone to another participating museum and they 113 00:06:33.319 --> 00:06:37.011 see your free admission museum on MuseumsForAll.org, they might 114 00:06:37.011 --> 00:06:38.800 be likely to visit you as well. 115 00:06:40.080 --> 00:06:43.440 As you can see, there's been steady growth over time. 116 00:06:43.960 --> 00:06:46.840 With our latest round of reporting, we're at over 10 117 00:06:46.840 --> 00:06:50.264 million visitors that have used the Museums for All program to 118 00:06:50.264 --> 00:06:51.080 visit a museum. 119 00:06:52.400 --> 00:06:56.004 The visitor numbers took a little bit of a bump during the 120 00:06:56.004 --> 00:06:59.120 COVID shutdowns and the diminished capacities that 121 00:06:59.120 --> 00:07:02.663 museums were at, but people still use this program and as 122 00:07:02.663 --> 00:07:05.840 you can see, the numbers have rebounded quite well. 123 00:07:07.360 --> 00:07:11.383 A similar program to Museums for All, which some of you may 124 00:07:11.383 --> 00:07:15.004 participate in is Blue Star Museums, which gives free 125 00:07:15.004 --> 00:07:19.027 admission to military members and their families during the 126 00:07:19.027 --> 00:07:22.983 summer and there are around 2,000 museums that participate 127 00:07:22.983 --> 00:07:23.520 in that. 128 00:07:24.440 --> 00:07:29.012 Museums for All, which runs year-round and is aimed at helping 129 00:07:29.012 --> 00:07:33.440 families with financial need, is at about 70% of that total. 130 00:07:33.440 --> 00:07:35.440 So doing pretty well there. 131 00:07:38.120 --> 00:07:42.251 One phenomenon that we've begun tracking are Hubs or cities that 132 00:07:42.251 --> 00:07:46.320 have three or more museums that participate in Museums for All. 133 00:07:47.320 --> 00:07:51.253 As you can see, many big cities that you might expect like New 134 00:07:51.253 --> 00:07:55.249 York, Houston, and Chicago are on here, but they're also places 135 00:07:55.249 --> 00:07:58.746 like Greenville, South Carolina, Missoula, Montana, and 136 00:07:58.746 --> 00:08:00.120 Springfield, Illinois. 137 00:08:01.560 --> 00:08:04.915 In a Hub, museums can work together to really strengthen 138 00:08:04.915 --> 00:08:06.800 their Museums for All offerings. 139 00:08:07.640 --> 00:08:10.975 They can also recruit other museums to join or at least 140 00:08:10.975 --> 00:08:13.120 demonstrate the benefit of joining. 141 00:08:14.240 --> 00:08:18.664 We've seen that in places like Richmond and San Antonio, Pueblo 142 00:08:18.664 --> 00:08:19.840 and Grand Rapids. 143 00:08:20.280 --> 00:08:26.591 We'll talk a little bit more about Hubs later but for right 144 00:08:26.591 --> 00:08:28.800 now we have 118 Hubs. 145 00:08:29.840 --> 00:08:33.690 Although as Ken mentioned, we might put be missing Cooperstown 146 00:08:33.690 --> 00:08:34.240 on there. 147 00:08:34.440 --> 00:08:37.632 They do have three museums that participate, but I was being 148 00:08:37.632 --> 00:08:41.160 very technical and saying that two were sort of operated under 149 00:08:41.160 --> 00:08:43.400 one umbrella, so maybe it didn't count. 150 00:08:43.400 --> 00:08:44.840 And he said I think it should. 151 00:08:45.360 --> 00:08:53.404 But either way, at least 118 Hubs, 42 states, plus Washington 152 00:08:53.404 --> 00:08:53.800 DC, 153 00:08:54.920 --> 00:08:56.440 all have at least one Hub. 154 00:08:57.160 --> 00:09:00.386 And you know, this used to just be one slide, but we had to 155 00:09:00.386 --> 00:09:03.560 split the cities up over two so they'd be legible to read. 156 00:09:05.520 --> 00:09:09.720 So registering for Museums for All is very easy. 157 00:09:10.240 --> 00:09:15.476 We have a dedicated website which is www.Museums4All.org 158 00:09:15.476 --> 00:09:20.528 with the number four, and there's a button to register 159 00:09:20.528 --> 00:09:21.080 there. 160 00:09:21.640 --> 00:09:24.617 The actual process should probably take you less than 5 161 00:09:24.617 --> 00:09:26.160 minutes, and it's free to do. 162 00:09:27.200 --> 00:09:31.252 We provide support materials like access to branded 163 00:09:31.252 --> 00:09:36.163 collateral, a dedicated group site, virtual hangouts, webinars 164 00:09:36.163 --> 00:09:37.800 like these, and more. 165 00:09:38.640 --> 00:09:42.351 We'll also send you a window cling to use at your site, and 166 00:09:42.351 --> 00:09:46.125 there's a searchable map on the website as well, and all the 167 00:09:46.125 --> 00:09:48.600 participating museums are listed there. 168 00:09:50.520 --> 00:09:55.101 Some of the other resources that we provide include previous 169 00:09:55.101 --> 00:09:59.307 webinars that have been archived, infographics that you 170 00:09:59.307 --> 00:10:03.963 can use on social media, press release templates, examples of 171 00:10:03.963 --> 00:10:08.320 every state EBT card, and staff training recommendations. 172 00:10:09.200 --> 00:10:14.761 We also have a profile dashboard of all the participating museums 173 00:10:14.761 --> 00:10:19.986 and you can use that to sort of compare and contrast and, and 174 00:10:19.986 --> 00:10:24.957 separate them out by various filters to see what you might 175 00:10:24.957 --> 00:10:28.159 expect from similar types of museums. 176 00:10:28.160 --> 00:10:34.693 As you decide to participate in Museums for All and we 177 00:10:34.693 --> 00:10:39.920 periodically create and add more resources. 178 00:10:40.320 --> 00:10:43.360 So don't be shy and telling us what you'd like to have. 179 00:10:44.920 --> 00:10:48.582 And we've, we've created some resources specifically for those 180 00:10:48.582 --> 00:10:52.011 Hubs that I mentioned as well, some different sample press 181 00:10:52.011 --> 00:10:55.789 releases, template agendas, and slide decks for holding meetings 182 00:10:55.789 --> 00:10:56.720 as a collective. 183 00:10:57.760 --> 00:11:01.792 So now that you've gotten some of the background on Museums for 184 00:11:01.792 --> 00:11:05.572 All and gotten an idea of who's participating, what kind of 185 00:11:05.572 --> 00:11:08.974 support is offered, Helen will let you know about why 186 00:11:08.974 --> 00:11:12.880 participating in this program can be valuable to your museum. 187 00:11:15.400 --> 00:11:16.320 Thank you, Brendan. 188 00:11:16.680 --> 00:11:19.671 I'm going to talk to you a bit more about the value of 189 00:11:19.671 --> 00:11:21.520 participating in Museums for All. 190 00:11:24.440 --> 00:11:27.506 So now that we've told you all about the guidelines and who is 191 00:11:27.506 --> 00:11:30.669 participating in the initiative, you're probably wondering, "Why 192 00:11:30.669 --> 00:11:31.400 should I join?" 193 00:11:31.400 --> 00:11:33.640 Maybe you already have access programs. 194 00:11:34.040 --> 00:11:38.014 Most importantly, participation affirms that museums are meant 195 00:11:38.014 --> 00:11:41.357 for all members of their community and that they are 196 00:11:41.357 --> 00:11:45.080 committed to equitably expanding their community outreach. 197 00:11:45.680 --> 00:11:49.401 This effort typically fits easily within museums, missions, 198 00:11:49.401 --> 00:11:51.200 visions, and inclusion plans. 199 00:11:51.880 --> 00:11:55.245 Also, the Museums for All is yet another way to increase 200 00:11:55.245 --> 00:11:58.670 community access to your research, your collections, your 201 00:11:58.670 --> 00:12:01.800 programs, and exhibitions as it reduces all barriers. 202 00:12:02.640 --> 00:12:06.812 We make it as easy as possible by providing free customizable 203 00:12:06.812 --> 00:12:10.716 collateral such as press releases, templates, and branded 204 00:12:10.716 --> 00:12:13.880 opportunities to make it even more successful. 205 00:12:14.720 --> 00:12:18.342 Another benefit is the power of participation among multiple 206 00:12:18.342 --> 00:12:20.480 museums in a single city or region. 207 00:12:21.280 --> 00:12:24.784 Forming these Hubs, as Brendan talked about, is allowing 208 00:12:24.784 --> 00:12:28.657 museums to market the program jointly and offer a menu of rich 209 00:12:28.657 --> 00:12:31.239 opportunities for families in their area. 210 00:12:31.960 --> 00:12:34.906 Museums in Hubs are working together to build new 211 00:12:34.906 --> 00:12:38.265 partnerships with social service organizations and other 212 00:12:38.265 --> 00:12:41.978 community-based organizations and to have a louder and unified 213 00:12:41.978 --> 00:12:45.808 voice when approaching municipal leadership or local funders for 214 00:12:45.808 --> 00:12:46.280 support. 215 00:12:49.360 --> 00:12:52.899 Here's a couple comments from visitors to participating 216 00:12:52.899 --> 00:12:55.680 museums that show the value of the program. 217 00:12:56.200 --> 00:12:59.320 The variety of individuals on food assistance is wide. 218 00:12:59.600 --> 00:13:03.190 While these quotes illustrate two examples, the nature of food 219 00:13:03.190 --> 00:13:06.040 insecurity varies from one community to the next. 220 00:13:06.520 --> 00:13:09.933 Museums in this program serve people who may have experienced 221 00:13:09.933 --> 00:13:11.200 a change in their life. 222 00:13:12.320 --> 00:13:16.358 Remember the pandemic? Either going on to food assistance in 223 00:13:16.358 --> 00:13:20.000 hard times or getting off of it due to better fortune. 224 00:13:20.960 --> 00:13:24.018 But be sure that all those served through Museums for All 225 00:13:24.018 --> 00:13:27.129 will remember that the museum was there for them when they 226 00:13:27.129 --> 00:13:27.920 needed it most. 227 00:13:32.080 --> 00:13:34.000 But a better way than reading quotes, 228 00:13:34.440 --> 00:13:37.520 we have with us a real live museum participant. 229 00:13:37.520 --> 00:13:43.651 So now I will turn it over to Ken Meifert from the National 230 00:13:43.651 --> 00:13:49.986 Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum to talk about his experience 231 00:13:49.986 --> 00:13:50.600 there. 232 00:13:50.600 --> 00:13:51.080 I'm unmuted. 233 00:13:51.080 --> 00:13:51.920 Thanks so much, Helen. 234 00:13:51.920 --> 00:13:52.680 Appreciate that. 235 00:13:53.800 --> 00:13:55.080 Let's go to the next slide. 236 00:13:57.440 --> 00:14:00.484 So for those of you who are not familiar with the National 237 00:14:00.484 --> 00:14:03.476 Baseball Hall of Fame, we are located in Cooperstown, New 238 00:14:03.476 --> 00:14:06.160 York, which is rural community in upstate New York. 239 00:14:06.160 --> 00:14:11.360 Our population in the village of Cooperstown is about 1,800 year- 240 00:14:11.360 --> 00:14:16.400 round residents and the museum welcomes about 250,000 visitors 241 00:14:16.400 --> 00:14:17.840 a year post-COVID. 242 00:14:19.240 --> 00:14:20.920 We opened in 1939. 243 00:14:20.920 --> 00:14:24.040 So this is celebrating our 85th anniversary this year. 244 00:14:24.960 --> 00:14:28.211 And the museum continues to thrive as the cultural and 245 00:14:28.211 --> 00:14:31.698 spiritual home of our national pastime and really evolving 246 00:14:31.698 --> 00:14:35.245 beyond our national pastime to really a global game at this 247 00:14:35.245 --> 00:14:35.600 point. 248 00:14:35.600 --> 00:14:38.440 So we're starting to see more international visitors as well. 249 00:14:39.080 --> 00:14:39.760 Next slide. 250 00:14:41.960 --> 00:14:45.520 So as museums, we're all focused on our mission. 251 00:14:46.200 --> 00:14:48.879 Our full mission statement is there on the slide, but we 252 00:14:48.879 --> 00:14:50.760 really sum this up in six simple words. 253 00:14:51.120 --> 00:14:54.424 We preserve history, we honor excellence, and we connect 254 00:14:54.424 --> 00:14:55.120 generations. 255 00:14:56.680 --> 00:14:57.440 Next slide. 256 00:14:59.560 --> 00:15:01.960 This is one of my favorite quotes about the museum. 257 00:15:03.200 --> 00:15:06.200 And this is a quote from a guy named Dr. Gerald Early. 258 00:15:06.760 --> 00:15:09.360 He's a history professor at Washington University. 259 00:15:09.840 --> 00:15:15.743 And this quote was actually used in Ken Burns 260 00:15:15.743 --> 00:15:21.646 baseball series back in the 90s. Dr. Early was featured in eight 261 00:15:21.646 --> 00:15:26.720 or nine of Ken Burns films, including "Jazz" and others. 262 00:15:28.240 --> 00:15:31.415 "There are three things that America will be known for 2,000 263 00:15:31.415 --> 00:15:34.225 years from now when they study this civilization: the 264 00:15:34.225 --> 00:15:36.360 Constitution, jazz music, and baseball. 265 00:15:36.720 --> 00:15:39.945 They're the three most beautifully designed things this 266 00:15:39.945 --> 00:15:41.360 culture's ever produced." 267 00:15:41.360 --> 00:15:45.473 So just an amazing summation of why we still refer to baseball 268 00:15:45.473 --> 00:15:47.040 as our national pastime. 269 00:15:47.760 --> 00:15:48.440 Next slide. 270 00:15:50.360 --> 00:15:54.061 So what started in 1939 as a one room museum has grown into a 271 00:15:54.061 --> 00:15:57.404 world class museum with more than 60,000 square feet of 272 00:15:57.404 --> 00:15:58.240 exhibit space. 273 00:15:59.080 --> 00:16:02.829 As I mentioned, about 250,000 people visit each year from 274 00:16:02.829 --> 00:16:05.480 around the country and around the world. 275 00:16:06.040 --> 00:16:09.285 And Cooperstown has become a national brand that represents 276 00:16:09.285 --> 00:16:09.880 excellence. 277 00:16:09.880 --> 00:16:14.463 I can't think of another example where the museum's name, right, 278 00:16:14.463 --> 00:16:18.835 you can say, "He's going into the Hall of Fame" or "He's going to 279 00:16:18.835 --> 00:16:22.784 Cooperstown so that the words are almost, you know, 280 00:16:22.784 --> 00:16:23.560 synonymous. 281 00:16:24.920 --> 00:16:25.640 Next slide. 282 00:16:28.080 --> 00:16:31.504 So why did we decide to participate in Museums for All? 283 00:16:31.504 --> 00:16:32.360 Accessibility. 284 00:16:33.040 --> 00:16:36.783 And I think first and foremost, Cooperstown, for any of you who 285 00:16:36.783 --> 00:16:40.000 have been here, is not an inexpensive place to get to. 286 00:16:40.000 --> 00:16:42.900 We're about four and a half hours from New York City or four 287 00:16:42.900 --> 00:16:44.280 and a half hours from Boston. 288 00:16:46.080 --> 00:16:49.240 This is an expensive vacation destination. 289 00:16:49.680 --> 00:16:54.297 Our normal admission is $30 for adults and $21 for juniors, 290 00:16:54.297 --> 00:16:56.760 which for us is age seven to 12. 291 00:16:56.760 --> 00:16:59.160 Over age 12, you're, you're paying the adult rate. 292 00:17:00.760 --> 00:17:04.716 So when we found out about the Museums for All program, we 293 00:17:04.716 --> 00:17:09.008 jumped on this because we really felt like the chances of a 294 00:17:09.008 --> 00:17:13.099 family, you know, two adults and say two kids, eight and 10, 295 00:17:13.099 --> 00:17:17.324 you're talking about somewhere north of $100 bucks for them to 296 00:17:17.324 --> 00:17:18.799 get in the front door. 297 00:17:19.200 --> 00:17:22.588 And we really feel strongly about making this institution 298 00:17:22.588 --> 00:17:26.152 accessible to everyone and not just the folks who, you know, 299 00:17:26.152 --> 00:17:29.424 have the extra cash or disposable income to drop to get 300 00:17:29.424 --> 00:17:29.599 in. 301 00:17:29.600 --> 00:17:34.287 So when we found out about the program, we reached out to two 302 00:17:34.287 --> 00:17:38.747 other museums in town, the Farmers Museum and the Fenimore 303 00:17:38.747 --> 00:17:43.510 Art Museum, and all three of us signed up at the same time and 304 00:17:43.510 --> 00:17:44.040 joined. 305 00:17:44.040 --> 00:17:48.688 We joined in June 2022, and we offer 100% free admission 306 00:17:48.688 --> 00:17:51.760 through the Museums for All program. 307 00:17:52.200 --> 00:17:52.840 Next slide. 308 00:17:55.120 --> 00:17:59.650 So I talked a little bit about adapting the program in June 309 00:17:59.650 --> 00:18:04.029 2022, we offer free admission with a valid SNAP or SUN 310 00:18:04.029 --> 00:18:07.880 Bucks EBT card, which the Museums for All program, 311 00:18:08.440 --> 00:18:16.413 I think added that to their suggested cards to allow free 312 00:18:16.413 --> 00:18:22.600 admission and we've welcomed 5,671 visitors, 313 00:18:22.600 --> 00:18:26.595 this is as of September 30th of this year, since joining the 314 00:18:26.595 --> 00:18:27.120 program. 315 00:18:27.200 --> 00:18:30.984 And from a discount standpoint or revenue 316 00:18:30.984 --> 00:18:34.894 standpoint, we really believe that these are 5,671 people who 317 00:18:34.894 --> 00:18:38.741 would not have walked through our front door had it not been 318 00:18:38.741 --> 00:18:40.760 for the Museums for All program. 319 00:18:41.200 --> 00:18:45.206 So for us, it's a boost in attendance and we don't believe 320 00:18:45.206 --> 00:18:48.602 that there's any loss in revenue by 321 00:18:48.602 --> 00:18:50.640 participating in this program. 322 00:18:50.640 --> 00:18:53.966 We only believe that it's making the museum more accessible to 323 00:18:53.966 --> 00:18:54.600 more people. 324 00:18:56.160 --> 00:19:00.436 We'll also say that as we saw these numbers start to grow and 325 00:19:00.436 --> 00:19:04.437 we do not have a sponsor to cover the cost of the Museums 326 00:19:04.437 --> 00:19:08.782 for All program, but we designed another program to offer free 327 00:19:08.782 --> 00:19:11.680 field trips to schools within our region. 328 00:19:11.680 --> 00:19:15.948 And I'm talking about cities like Syracuse and cities 329 00:19:15.948 --> 00:19:19.823 like Utica who have very diverse populations and very high 330 00:19:19.823 --> 00:19:21.400 childhood poverty rates. 331 00:19:22.040 --> 00:19:26.749 And we were able to secure a sponsor for that program where 332 00:19:26.749 --> 00:19:31.230 the sponsor is paying for transportation, literally buses, 333 00:19:31.230 --> 00:19:34.800 buying these kids lunch while they're in town. 334 00:19:35.480 --> 00:19:39.495 They're participating in our educational programs and, so far 335 00:19:39.495 --> 00:19:43.181 this fall semester, we've welcomed more than 1,500 336 00:19:43.181 --> 00:19:46.933 students and teachers to the museum who would have never 337 00:19:46.933 --> 00:19:49.040 otherwise been able to get here. 338 00:19:49.040 --> 00:19:53.286 So not only, you know, directly through the Museums for All 339 00:19:53.286 --> 00:19:57.886 program, but inspiring our team to come up with new ways to 340 00:19:57.886 --> 00:20:01.990 make the museum more accessible to audiences who 341 00:20:01.990 --> 00:20:03.760 couldn't otherwise visit. 342 00:20:04.600 --> 00:20:07.660 The program is prominently promoted on our Plan Your Visit 343 00:20:07.660 --> 00:20:07.920 page. 344 00:20:09.240 --> 00:20:12.893 And really, all folks need to do is show up with their SNAP card 345 00:20:12.893 --> 00:20:16.546 and their ID, and they're in the museum in a snap, and hopefully 346 00:20:16.546 --> 00:20:18.120 they're having a great time. 347 00:20:19.880 --> 00:20:20.880 Next page. 348 00:20:22.280 --> 00:20:22.560 Whoop. 349 00:20:23.080 --> 00:20:24.160 I'm out of slides. 350 00:20:26.520 --> 00:20:26.960 All right. 351 00:20:27.120 --> 00:20:27.360 Yeah. 352 00:20:27.360 --> 00:20:28.080 Thank you, Ken. 353 00:20:28.400 --> 00:20:28.840 You bet. 354 00:20:30.400 --> 00:20:36.075 And as I alluded to earlier, and as you all know, it's kind 355 00:20:36.075 --> 00:20:41.839 of a bummer to talk about, but I am, museums have been 356 00:20:41.839 --> 00:20:45.120 affected pretty greatly by COVID-19. 357 00:20:46.080 --> 00:20:49.569 You know, even now some museums are operating at either a 358 00:20:49.569 --> 00:20:52.877 reduced capacity or maybe a changed operational system 359 00:20:52.877 --> 00:20:53.720 because of it. 360 00:20:54.400 --> 00:20:58.861 But in something of a surprise, we still saw about 361 00:20:58.861 --> 00:21:03.395 eight museums a month continue to register for Museums for All 362 00:21:03.395 --> 00:21:07.209 during the height of the pandemic, even if they were 363 00:21:07.209 --> 00:21:09.080 closed at the at the time. 364 00:21:10.240 --> 00:21:13.600 We increased the number of participating museums during 365 00:21:13.600 --> 00:21:14.560 that main period 366 00:21:14.560 --> 00:21:19.200 by over 400 and it proves the continuing necessity of the 367 00:21:19.200 --> 00:21:20.640 program's mission. 368 00:21:21.960 --> 00:21:25.894 You know, unfortunately, that it was the case that some of the 369 00:21:25.894 --> 00:21:29.890 museums that were participating in Museums for All had to close 370 00:21:29.890 --> 00:21:30.640 permanently. 371 00:21:31.520 --> 00:21:35.234 But you know, with one exception, every other museum 372 00:21:35.234 --> 00:21:39.158 kept their commitment to offering Museums for All rates 373 00:21:39.158 --> 00:21:40.280 to its visitors. 374 00:21:40.960 --> 00:21:43.796 And the one museum that stopped eventually started offering 375 00:21:43.796 --> 00:21:45.120 Museums for All rates again. 376 00:21:46.400 --> 00:21:52.945 So that was a pretty powerful testimony to me that in the time 377 00:21:52.945 --> 00:21:59.490 that the admission revenue was really at a premium, 378 00:21:59.490 --> 00:22:02.399 nobody dropped this program. 379 00:22:02.400 --> 00:22:06.196 And in fact, a couple compensated for their reduced 380 00:22:06.196 --> 00:22:10.576 capacities by offering their Museums for All rates to every 381 00:22:10.576 --> 00:22:11.160 visitor. 382 00:22:12.840 --> 00:22:16.758 There were operational changes that were made during the 383 00:22:16.758 --> 00:22:19.440 pandemic to ensure reduced capacities. 384 00:22:19.440 --> 00:22:24.432 Most museums required guests to buy their tickets online or at 385 00:22:24.432 --> 00:22:29.108 least to pre-register and a bunch of them have kept this 386 00:22:29.108 --> 00:22:32.120 system or something like it in place. 387 00:22:32.960 --> 00:22:36.367 It's a bit of a challenge to Museums for All visitors who 388 00:22:36.367 --> 00:22:40.068 merely had to show their SNAP EBT cards at the admissions desk 389 00:22:40.068 --> 00:22:40.480 before. 390 00:22:41.200 --> 00:22:44.995 So when you're building out this new admissions 391 00:22:44.995 --> 00:22:48.855 system or if you're adding Museums for All to it, it's very 392 00:22:48.855 --> 00:22:52.715 important to keep in mind how your museum is still going to 393 00:22:52.715 --> 00:22:55.159 accommodate Museums for All visitors. 394 00:22:55.160 --> 00:22:59.255 So are you going to have an option at that ticket price on 395 00:22:59.255 --> 00:22:59.880 the menu? 396 00:23:00.400 --> 00:23:04.698 Will folks have to present their SNAP EBT card in person when 397 00:23:04.698 --> 00:23:05.600 they show up? 398 00:23:06.360 --> 00:23:09.945 Will you just direct Museums for All visitors to buy their 399 00:23:09.945 --> 00:23:11.040 tickets in person? 400 00:23:11.800 --> 00:23:15.642 You know there's not a right answer to it, but whatever your 401 00:23:15.642 --> 00:23:19.421 museum chooses, it should be explicit and easy to follow on 402 00:23:19.421 --> 00:23:22.760 your website so folks know how to get their tickets. 403 00:23:23.640 --> 00:23:27.099 And when you're allotting the tickets by time, make 404 00:23:27.099 --> 00:23:30.280 sure that there are enough for Museums for All visitors. 405 00:23:30.760 --> 00:23:35.400 On average, about 3.5% of a museum's attendance is coming 406 00:23:35.400 --> 00:23:37.800 from Museums for All visitors. 407 00:23:38.880 --> 00:23:41.280 That does vary by type of museum. 408 00:23:41.680 --> 00:23:45.776 It can be higher for children's museums, a little bit lower for 409 00:23:45.776 --> 00:23:47.440 art museums, for instance. 410 00:23:48.800 --> 00:23:52.480 One other thing that museums did during the pandemic, while they 411 00:23:52.480 --> 00:23:56.105 were closed or unable to welcome as many guests as they'd like, 412 00:23:56.105 --> 00:23:58.880 was to really increase their community outreach. 413 00:23:59.320 --> 00:24:03.233 And whether that was offering virtual museum tours and 414 00:24:03.233 --> 00:24:07.573 activities or distributing STEM kits to schools, the museums 415 00:24:07.573 --> 00:24:11.629 embraced their roles as community pillars, and they made 416 00:24:11.629 --> 00:24:14.760 active overtures towards their communities. 417 00:24:15.320 --> 00:24:19.182 And at its core, that's really what Museums for All is all 418 00:24:19.182 --> 00:24:23.307 about, you know, extending that active invitation to everyone, 419 00:24:23.307 --> 00:24:27.366 making sure they know that the museum is for them and that it 420 00:24:27.366 --> 00:24:28.480 wants them there. 421 00:24:30.320 --> 00:24:35.894 So museums recognize that access and inclusivity are important 422 00:24:35.894 --> 00:24:41.379 bedrock organizational values, and Museums for All is one way 423 00:24:41.379 --> 00:24:43.680 to help with DEAI efforts. 424 00:24:44.760 --> 00:24:49.689 So an organization's commitment to inclusivity usually extends 425 00:24:49.689 --> 00:24:51.880 beyond just Museums for All. 426 00:24:52.400 --> 00:24:55.893 And in fact, Museums for All works best when it's part of a 427 00:24:55.893 --> 00:24:57.000 suite of offerings. 428 00:24:57.960 --> 00:25:01.916 Many museums offer reduced admission for seniors, for 429 00:25:01.916 --> 00:25:04.920 children, perhaps educators or military. 430 00:25:06.040 --> 00:25:09.641 Many will offer some sort of monthly free day or even have 431 00:25:09.641 --> 00:25:13.120 free memberships that can be checked out of the library. 432 00:25:13.960 --> 00:25:17.978 All of those are wonderful, and Museums for All supplements them 433 00:25:17.978 --> 00:25:20.760 rather than taking the place of any of them. 434 00:25:22.080 --> 00:25:26.331 And while the only requirement to participate in Museums for 435 00:25:26.331 --> 00:25:30.304 All is to accept SNAP EBT cards, as I mentioned, several 436 00:25:30.304 --> 00:25:33.719 participants also accept WIC, possibly Medicaid. 437 00:25:35.160 --> 00:25:38.453 The Madison Children's Museum, for instance, has 21 different 438 00:25:38.453 --> 00:25:41.587 identifications that it will accept for their $1 admission 439 00:25:41.587 --> 00:25:41.800 fee. 440 00:25:43.400 --> 00:25:46.520 About 10% of the participating 441 00:25:46.520 --> 00:25:50.887 museums also offer some sort of reduced membership program as 442 00:25:50.887 --> 00:25:51.240 well. 443 00:25:52.320 --> 00:25:55.709 They're taking the next step of getting people in the door on 444 00:25:55.709 --> 00:25:58.825 daily admissions and then turning them into members with 445 00:25:58.825 --> 00:26:00.520 more solid museum-going habits. 446 00:26:02.080 --> 00:26:05.594 Some of them are also using the opportunity to catch visitors 447 00:26:05.594 --> 00:26:09.109 that Museums for All might be letting fall through the cracks 448 00:26:09.109 --> 00:26:11.319 a little bit, such as foster families. 449 00:26:12.680 --> 00:26:16.371 And these museums are stepping up and supplementing Museums for 450 00:26:16.371 --> 00:26:19.947 All and other ways to try and catch as many of those families 451 00:26:19.947 --> 00:26:20.640 as possible. 452 00:26:22.880 --> 00:26:26.961 One part of joining Museums for All, and Ken kind of mentioned 453 00:26:26.961 --> 00:26:31.236 this, is broadening your visitor base, but another part is taking 454 00:26:31.236 --> 00:26:35.188 the time to work on assumptions and biases that exist within 455 00:26:35.188 --> 00:26:36.160 your own staff. 456 00:26:37.000 --> 00:26:41.035 So one participating museum that was located in a college town 457 00:26:41.035 --> 00:26:45.071 was surprised to see how many grad students were using Museums 458 00:26:45.071 --> 00:26:46.160 for All to visit. 459 00:26:46.960 --> 00:26:50.080 They hadn't expected that many to be on food assistance. 460 00:26:51.280 --> 00:26:54.728 And there's some wonderful resources around Diversity, 461 00:26:54.728 --> 00:26:58.240 Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion on the AAM website. 462 00:26:58.840 --> 00:27:03.702 And the Cultural Competence Learning Institute, or CCLI, is 463 00:27:03.702 --> 00:27:08.888 another fantastic resource for museums looking to improve their 464 00:27:08.888 --> 00:27:11.320 own approaches to inclusivity. 465 00:27:12.600 --> 00:27:17.103 One complaint that does come up is why people on SNAP assistance 466 00:27:17.103 --> 00:27:19.320 deserve this admission discount. 467 00:27:19.800 --> 00:27:23.885 Or rather, why can't someone not on food assistance get the same 468 00:27:23.885 --> 00:27:24.200 rate? 469 00:27:25.200 --> 00:27:28.189 You know, for our purposes a cut off had to exist 470 00:27:28.189 --> 00:27:28.680 somewhere. 471 00:27:29.160 --> 00:27:33.224 And we felt that a government issued card would work well and 472 00:27:33.224 --> 00:27:36.829 the least intrusively to demonstrate the need for some 473 00:27:36.829 --> 00:27:39.320 help in removing a financial barrier. 474 00:27:40.720 --> 00:27:44.901 But one of the reasons why we think Museums for 475 00:27:44.901 --> 00:27:48.679 All works best as part of a suite of options is so that 476 00:27:48.679 --> 00:27:52.996 those who don't have SNAP EBTs, some kind of appropriate price 477 00:27:52.996 --> 00:27:54.480 can be found for them. 478 00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:01.840 Helen, we'll turn things back over to you. 479 00:28:07.630 --> 00:28:08.990 Thanks again, Brendan. 480 00:28:09.150 --> 00:28:14.151 OK, so leveraging participation, sometimes museums or their 481 00:28:14.151 --> 00:28:18.070 boards can be wary of joining Museums for All. 482 00:28:18.470 --> 00:28:22.630 They see that it calls for very deep admission discounts in some 483 00:28:22.630 --> 00:28:26.150 cases and worry that it will be a hit to their budget. 484 00:28:26.750 --> 00:28:30.030 We took a look to see if this is really the case. 485 00:28:33.080 --> 00:28:36.613 In 2018, we engaged Aurora Consulting to do an evaluation 486 00:28:36.613 --> 00:28:40.146 of Museums for All and the experiences that participating 487 00:28:40.146 --> 00:28:42.400 museums were having with the museum. 488 00:28:43.640 --> 00:28:46.914 The complete results of the evaluation are available on the 489 00:28:46.914 --> 00:28:49.480 website, but here are some pertinent findings. 490 00:28:51.440 --> 00:28:55.080 Most museums reported no change, but over a third of the 491 00:28:55.080 --> 00:28:58.657 respondents said they saw increases in ticket sales and 492 00:28:58.657 --> 00:28:59.360 attendance. 493 00:29:00.040 --> 00:29:03.808 25% of museums saw increases in development revenue and 494 00:29:03.808 --> 00:29:05.760 membership and program sales. 495 00:29:06.680 --> 00:29:09.918 Only one of the museums that responded to the survey reported 496 00:29:09.918 --> 00:29:13.000 a decline in their revenue since implementing the program. 497 00:29:13.880 --> 00:29:16.759 Museums for All is a great opportunity to add new 498 00:29:16.759 --> 00:29:20.271 development streams, either soliciting funding that directly 499 00:29:20.271 --> 00:29:23.784 pays for the program or finding grants and sponsorships that 500 00:29:23.784 --> 00:29:24.360 will help. 501 00:29:25.120 --> 00:29:28.638 It's a program that helps an often-underserved segment of the 502 00:29:28.638 --> 00:29:31.816 community, and there are foundations or banks, or other 503 00:29:31.816 --> 00:29:34.200 local funders that want to be part of it. 504 00:29:35.320 --> 00:29:38.852 We're in the midst of wrapping up another evaluation because 505 00:29:38.852 --> 00:29:40.880 2018 is longer ago than you think. 506 00:29:41.640 --> 00:29:45.480 So we'll see how things may have changed. 507 00:29:45.680 --> 00:29:48.600 The results of the evaluation will be available soon. 508 00:29:52.520 --> 00:29:56.946 One of the other things that we do with participants in Museums 509 00:29:56.946 --> 00:30:01.441 for All is that we connect them with other museums in their city 510 00:30:01.441 --> 00:30:05.245 or area that are also participating in Museums for All 511 00:30:05.245 --> 00:30:06.560 to form these Hubs. 512 00:30:06.560 --> 00:30:09.878 And we don't call them Hub Cities anymore, even though it 513 00:30:09.878 --> 00:30:13.598 says it on the slide, because we recognize that we other regions 514 00:30:13.598 --> 00:30:16.745 or rural areas might have a group of museums that work 515 00:30:16.745 --> 00:30:20.407 together. We found that museums can better promote this program 516 00:30:20.407 --> 00:30:23.039 within their communities by working together. 517 00:30:23.520 --> 00:30:27.504 In December 2018, we invited representatives from seven of 518 00:30:27.504 --> 00:30:31.690 these Hubs, San Diego, Chicago, Akron, Missoula, Chattanooga, 519 00:30:31.690 --> 00:30:35.945 Worcester, and Grand Rapids, to attend a convening so we could 520 00:30:35.945 --> 00:30:40.199 determine how museums can work together to get the most out of 521 00:30:40.199 --> 00:30:41.280 Museums for All. 522 00:30:43.360 --> 00:30:46.515 We found that several opportunities for cooperation 523 00:30:46.515 --> 00:30:48.760 exist, and not just between museums. 524 00:30:50.120 --> 00:30:53.746 They can use Museums for All as an entry point to establish or 525 00:30:53.746 --> 00:30:56.796 deepen connections with local food banks, or transit 526 00:30:56.796 --> 00:31:00.422 authorities, in ways that help remove other barriers potential 527 00:31:00.422 --> 00:31:02.839 visitors face in making it to the museum. 528 00:31:03.640 --> 00:31:07.167 These actions build trust among community organizations and the 529 00:31:07.167 --> 00:31:08.160 people they serve. 530 00:31:08.800 --> 00:31:12.048 It shows that museums are serious about their commitment 531 00:31:12.048 --> 00:31:15.695 to having everyone visit, that the invitation being extended is 532 00:31:15.695 --> 00:31:18.943 real and genuine, and that museums are willing to put in 533 00:31:18.943 --> 00:31:21.280 the work on their end to make it happen. 534 00:31:22.680 --> 00:31:26.909 The complete report from the Hub City Convening is available on 535 00:31:26.909 --> 00:31:28.760 the Museums for All website. 536 00:31:29.760 --> 00:31:34.071 Then in 2022, we convened another group of Hubs, including 537 00:31:34.071 --> 00:31:38.017 Richmond, Cincinnati, Providence, Tulsa, San Antonio, 538 00:31:38.017 --> 00:31:39.040 and San Diego. 539 00:31:39.480 --> 00:31:42.520 We wanted to know what better ways we could support them. 540 00:31:43.160 --> 00:31:46.762 Based on these sessions, we created some new resources 541 00:31:46.762 --> 00:31:50.495 specifically for Hubs, including a special press release 542 00:31:50.495 --> 00:31:53.508 template, a flyer for distributing around the 543 00:31:53.508 --> 00:31:57.504 community, a one-pager to give to local SNAP offices, simple 544 00:31:57.504 --> 00:32:01.303 meeting agendas for recruiting other museums or potential 545 00:32:01.303 --> 00:32:04.840 partners, and a slide deck for use in those meetings. 546 00:32:05.360 --> 00:32:11.684 These are all available for all museums in Hub Cities and 547 00:32:11.684 --> 00:32:13.320 regions to use. 548 00:32:17.360 --> 00:32:23.462 So if all this sounds intriguing to you, it's very easy and free 549 00:32:23.462 --> 00:32:28.720 to register for Museums for All at www.Museums4All.org. 550 00:32:33.400 --> 00:32:36.066 We certainly hope the information shared today has 551 00:32:36.066 --> 00:32:38.942 interested you in becoming part of the Museums for All 552 00:32:38.942 --> 00:32:40.040 participation family. 553 00:32:40.040 --> 00:32:41.520 We'd love to have you join. 554 00:32:42.120 --> 00:32:45.660 If you have any questions after the webinar, please do not 555 00:32:45.660 --> 00:32:47.040 hesitate to contact us. 556 00:32:47.040 --> 00:32:50.294 Listed here are our email addresses for both Brendan, and 557 00:32:50.294 --> 00:32:53.885 Ken, and myself, and we are more than happy to answer questions 558 00:32:53.885 --> 00:32:55.400 you have about the program. 559 00:32:55.840 --> 00:33:01.960 You can also contact the general mailbox at info@Museums4All.org. 560 00:33:03.360 --> 00:33:05.840 That's with the number four. 561 00:33:06.520 --> 00:33:10.963 And we encourage you all to connect with all of the latest 562 00:33:10.963 --> 00:33:15.783 Museums for All news via Twitter @MuseumsForAll, F-O-R, just to 563 00:33:15.783 --> 00:33:17.440 be a little confusing. 564 00:33:18.400 --> 00:33:25.214 So now I'm going to turn it over to my colleague Elizabeth 565 00:33:25.214 --> 00:33:30.160 because it's time for questions and answers. 566 00:33:30.600 --> 00:33:32.040 Thanks for joining us today. 567 00:33:32.040 --> 00:33:33.440 And we'll be posting, again. 568 00:33:33.440 --> 00:33:37.559 We'll be posting the video recording along with slides and 569 00:33:37.559 --> 00:33:41.400 a transcript on the IMLS website at imls.gov/webinars. 570 00:33:42.040 --> 00:33:44.240 It should be available within a couple of days. 571 00:33:44.960 --> 00:33:46.480 All right, Elizabeth, take it away. 572 00:33:47.160 --> 00:33:48.240 Thank you, Helen. 573 00:33:48.240 --> 00:33:54.030 Hi, I'm Elizabeth De Leon-Jones and I work with Helen at IMLS. I 574 00:33:54.030 --> 00:33:59.554 am taking your questions today and I see we have one question 575 00:33:59.554 --> 00:34:05.167 in already. "Hi," it says, "Can you explain any more about how 576 00:34:05.167 --> 00:34:09.800 free museums can make the most of this initiative?" 577 00:34:12.120 --> 00:34:14.400 Yeah, I can talk a little bit about that. 578 00:34:16.000 --> 00:34:21.661 So, you know, it, it always kind of seems to me that free museums 579 00:34:21.661 --> 00:34:26.293 should all really be participating in Museums for All 580 00:34:26.293 --> 00:34:30.240 because it's kind of the easiest thing to do. 581 00:34:31.840 --> 00:34:36.781 There are some that you're obviously not giving a 582 00:34:36.781 --> 00:34:41.965 discount on the admission, but there are some who try 583 00:34:41.965 --> 00:34:44.800 to find other types of ways. 584 00:34:44.800 --> 00:34:49.920 They might give us a discount in the museum shop, for instance, 585 00:34:49.920 --> 00:34:54.720 if there's a paid membership that they offer, they can do a 586 00:34:54.720 --> 00:34:56.960 discounted membership there. 587 00:34:59.000 --> 00:35:03.864 And it is also helpful, especially if you've got 588 00:35:03.864 --> 00:35:08.728 other museums in your city or area, to be able to partner with 589 00:35:08.728 --> 00:35:11.160 them on Museums for All. 590 00:35:11.680 --> 00:35:16.848 I mentioned a little bit about how if someone goes 591 00:35:16.848 --> 00:35:21.434 to another museum that participates in Museums for All 592 00:35:21.434 --> 00:35:26.352 and they see, "Oh, this free museum is also in town and is 593 00:35:26.352 --> 00:35:27.520 part of this. 594 00:35:27.520 --> 00:35:30.795 I know that I had a great experience at this other museum 595 00:35:30.795 --> 00:35:32.960 that was involved in Museums for All. 596 00:35:32.960 --> 00:35:34.680 Let's go check this one out." 597 00:35:36.360 --> 00:35:40.080 So it's some nice marketing on your behalf as well. 598 00:35:41.720 --> 00:35:47.767 We do host hangouts, informal hangouts, usually on a monthly 599 00:35:47.767 --> 00:35:54.112 basis, and we've discussed the role of free museums a couple of 600 00:35:54.112 --> 00:35:55.600 times on those. 601 00:35:56.360 --> 00:36:01.157 So we have the recordings from those hangout sessions as well 602 00:36:01.157 --> 00:36:05.800 that I'd be happy to share with you to get some more ideas. 603 00:36:06.320 --> 00:36:09.640 But that's kind of the gist of it. 604 00:36:09.640 --> 00:36:16.040 The one tricky part for a free museum participating, comes when 605 00:36:16.040 --> 00:36:20.440 it's time to share attendance reporting. 606 00:36:21.760 --> 00:36:26.476 You know, we don't want to have you going out of your way to ask 607 00:36:26.476 --> 00:36:31.120 your visitors if they're coming in with a SNAP EBT card or not. 608 00:36:32.560 --> 00:36:37.030 So for the free museums, we generally just get your total 609 00:36:37.030 --> 00:36:40.806 attendance and we get attendance reports on a 610 00:36:40.806 --> 00:36:42.040 quarterly basis. 611 00:36:42.040 --> 00:36:45.000 So for those three months, we just get your total attendance. 612 00:36:46.840 --> 00:36:50.850 If you happen to have discovered in some way that someone is 613 00:36:50.850 --> 00:36:54.993 coming specifically because of Museums for All, you're welcome 614 00:36:54.993 --> 00:36:56.440 to report it that way. 615 00:36:56.880 --> 00:37:00.962 But you know, otherwise we can just track your total attendance 616 00:37:00.962 --> 00:37:01.600 over time. 617 00:37:02.400 --> 00:37:07.558 It's a lot more important to us that the visitors are feeling 618 00:37:07.558 --> 00:37:12.717 welcome and included and are able to come rather than getting 619 00:37:12.717 --> 00:37:17.960 the most accurate count of who's coming and why to the museum. 620 00:37:19.400 --> 00:37:24.208 So you know, that is kind of a little "nut" with free museums 621 00:37:24.208 --> 00:37:28.939 that we haven't really cracked over the lifespan of this 622 00:37:28.939 --> 00:37:29.560 program. 623 00:37:29.560 --> 00:37:33.847 But you know, it's also of secondary importance in the 624 00:37:33.847 --> 00:37:35.640 grand scheme of things. 625 00:37:35.840 --> 00:37:39.720 Go ahead, Helen. 626 00:37:40.160 --> 00:37:44.071 I was just going to add one other little thing, which is 627 00:37:44.071 --> 00:37:48.600 that families may not know about your museum or know you're free. 628 00:37:48.600 --> 00:37:52.770 And a great part of the program is that it interacts with social 629 00:37:52.770 --> 00:37:56.812 service organizations and other community organizations who do 630 00:37:56.812 --> 00:37:58.160 serve those families. 631 00:37:58.160 --> 00:38:01.393 And often that's where they hear about the program and that's 632 00:38:01.393 --> 00:38:04.209 where they hear there are amazing museum resources in 633 00:38:04.209 --> 00:38:06.399 their communities that will welcome them. 634 00:38:06.520 --> 00:38:09.560 So they're coming at you from a different way. 635 00:38:09.560 --> 00:38:12.000 And that's another reason to be part of the effort. 636 00:38:16.640 --> 00:38:22.640 Thank you, Brendan and Helen. We have another question here. 637 00:38:22.640 --> 00:38:25.935 It says, "At PacSci [Pacific Science Center], we currently 638 00:38:25.935 --> 00:38:28.840 have Access memberships instead of Access tickets. 639 00:38:29.200 --> 00:38:32.720 Do you see benefits in getting museums to have both?" 640 00:38:35.960 --> 00:38:40.532 Actually my supervisor is Keni Sturgeon, who used to work at 641 00:38:40.532 --> 00:38:45.254 the Pacific Science Center, and she likes to tell the story of 642 00:38:45.254 --> 00:38:49.827 how, at the time, they were weighing whether to get involved 643 00:38:49.827 --> 00:38:53.800 in Museums for All or to offer an Access membership. 644 00:38:53.800 --> 00:38:56.400 And you guys chose the Access membership. 645 00:38:56.640 --> 00:38:59.280 But they kind of go hand in hand. 646 00:39:00.760 --> 00:39:09.497 Museums for All, at its core, is set up to be there for a daily 647 00:39:09.497 --> 00:39:13.320 admission to make that easy. 648 00:39:14.320 --> 00:39:18.720 But a lot of museums, especially once they get started 649 00:39:18.720 --> 00:39:23.520 participating in it, they decide that they want to add on a 650 00:39:23.520 --> 00:39:26.400 membership component to it as well. 651 00:39:27.880 --> 00:39:33.860 And that's beneficial in a lot of ways, primarily in that it 652 00:39:33.860 --> 00:39:39.840 gets the visitor feeling a little bit more involved 653 00:39:40.840 --> 00:39:46.555 in the museum. One other really nice benefit of that is they'll 654 00:39:46.555 --> 00:39:48.520 get a membership card. 655 00:39:48.960 --> 00:39:52.583 And so whatever kind of lingering stigma there might be 656 00:39:52.583 --> 00:39:56.530 with showing a SNAP EBT card, you can eliminate that by, you 657 00:39:56.530 --> 00:39:59.960 know, they get to show their museum membership card. 658 00:40:02.160 --> 00:40:03.960 So yeah, they really go hand in hand. 659 00:40:04.040 --> 00:40:07.360 I think the benefit of Museums for All is it 660 00:40:07.600 --> 00:40:13.694 allows the visitors to dip their toe in the water first, you 661 00:40:13.694 --> 00:40:19.888 know, they don't have to jump all in on a membership. And the 662 00:40:19.888 --> 00:40:26.281 discounted memberships, we don't have specific guidance on what 663 00:40:26.281 --> 00:40:28.080 those should cost. 664 00:40:29.760 --> 00:40:35.490 But sort of organically, the museums have largely landed in a 665 00:40:35.490 --> 00:40:40.944 $20-30 range for an annual membership for a family of four 666 00:40:40.944 --> 00:40:46.583 with their reduced price and that's a really good deal for a 667 00:40:46.583 --> 00:40:47.600 membership. 668 00:40:49.440 --> 00:40:54.059 It may be a little bit more, like $30 might be more than a 669 00:40:54.059 --> 00:40:56.800 family wants to spend on that day. 670 00:40:56.800 --> 00:41:01.726 Maybe they just want to go visit the museum and if it's $2 per 671 00:41:01.726 --> 00:41:05.480 person, they just have to spend $8 to go visit. 672 00:41:07.480 --> 00:41:14.218 So that's some of the benefits of the strict baseline Museums 673 00:41:14.218 --> 00:41:18.240 for All program versus a membership. 674 00:41:18.240 --> 00:41:24.440 But they really go hand-in-hand honestly. There are a few 675 00:41:24.440 --> 00:41:31.496 museums that have registered and they use a discounted membership 676 00:41:31.496 --> 00:41:38.125 rate rather than a discounted daily admission as their way of 677 00:41:38.125 --> 00:41:41.760 participating in Museums for All. 678 00:41:42.440 --> 00:41:45.280 So that can work in certain cases. 679 00:41:46.320 --> 00:41:52.140 But usually the ones that have a membership offering are doing 680 00:41:52.140 --> 00:41:56.760 that in concert with the daily admission as well. 681 00:42:00.960 --> 00:42:01.560 Thank you. 682 00:42:02.600 --> 00:42:04.440 We have another question here: 683 00:42:05.280 --> 00:42:09.830 "Other than reporting quarterly attendance figures, are there 684 00:42:09.830 --> 00:42:12.400 any other reporting expectations?" 685 00:42:14.440 --> 00:42:17.000 So those are the only expectations. 686 00:42:17.200 --> 00:42:22.280 We do have optional spaces on the reporting form. 687 00:42:23.240 --> 00:42:28.625 If you have gotten a sponsor, sort of like Ken mentioned, if 688 00:42:28.625 --> 00:42:33.304 you have created any new partnerships with any other 689 00:42:33.304 --> 00:42:39.042 organizations in your community through Museums for All, we like 690 00:42:39.042 --> 00:42:40.719 to know about that. 691 00:42:41.640 --> 00:42:47.320 And one of the best ones, is the testimonials or comments. 692 00:42:48.040 --> 00:42:52.925 So any kind of feedback that you have for us that's not an 693 00:42:52.925 --> 00:42:55.920 attendance number can go in that box. 694 00:42:55.920 --> 00:42:59.816 That's usually where I get the really good stories of 695 00:42:59.816 --> 00:43:01.160 people that come in. 696 00:43:01.760 --> 00:43:07.071 One of my favorites was of a father who came and brought his 697 00:43:07.071 --> 00:43:12.557 family to the museum and then realized that it was going to be 698 00:43:12.557 --> 00:43:14.560 a little too expensive. 699 00:43:15.120 --> 00:43:17.600 And they asked, "Do you have a SNAP EBT card?" 700 00:43:17.600 --> 00:43:21.380 And he did, and he was able to bring the family into the museum 701 00:43:21.380 --> 00:43:22.160 and enjoy it. 702 00:43:22.160 --> 00:43:27.809 And it just really highlighted to me that the desire for people 703 00:43:27.809 --> 00:43:33.635 to visit the museums is there to the point where they'll take the 704 00:43:33.635 --> 00:43:39.019 risk of going to the museum without necessarily knowing that 705 00:43:39.019 --> 00:43:43.080 they can afford to go in once they get there. 706 00:43:43.760 --> 00:43:47.973 And if they're able to go that far, then I think it's a really 707 00:43:47.973 --> 00:43:52.120 great thing for the museum to say, "OK, you've come this far, 708 00:43:52.120 --> 00:43:55.740 we're going to go the rest of the way to meet you and make 709 00:43:55.740 --> 00:43:59.483 sure that we can get you into our museum because you want to 710 00:43:59.483 --> 00:44:01.999 be here and we want you to be here too." 711 00:44:02.000 --> 00:44:05.240 So we're making that happen via Museums for All. 712 00:44:09.800 --> 00:44:10.440 Thank you. 713 00:44:11.880 --> 00:44:14.360 There's a couple of similar questions: 714 00:44:15.560 --> 00:44:19.979 "How can my museum make the best use of the program if we are not 715 00:44:19.979 --> 00:44:21.520 located in a Hub City?" 716 00:44:22.400 --> 00:44:26.250 And then another question: "How do you recommend getting a Hub 717 00:44:26.250 --> 00:44:26.800 started?" 718 00:44:33.080 --> 00:44:38.579 Ken, maybe this might be good for you to talk about since you 719 00:44:38.579 --> 00:44:44.255 were discussing with the Farmers Museum and the art museum 720 00:44:44.255 --> 00:44:45.319 in town too. 721 00:44:46.240 --> 00:44:49.976 Yeah for us, we found out about the program and decided to 722 00:44:49.976 --> 00:44:54.030 enroll and really it was about picking up the phone and calling 723 00:44:54.030 --> 00:44:57.893 our colleagues at the other museums and saying, "Hey, we, we 724 00:44:57.893 --> 00:44:59.920 came across this great program. 725 00:45:01.440 --> 00:45:04.503 Would you like to participate with us? And we can do a joint 726 00:45:04.503 --> 00:45:05.640 announcement together." 727 00:45:06.880 --> 00:45:12.480 And they took a few days to think about it and jumped right 728 00:45:12.480 --> 00:45:13.320 on board. 729 00:45:13.320 --> 00:45:17.280 So we started a Hub with one or two phone calls. 730 00:45:18.720 --> 00:45:23.494 But again, I think for us and before we actually signed up, I 731 00:45:23.494 --> 00:45:28.037 talked to a number of museums in upstate New York who were 732 00:45:28.037 --> 00:45:30.040 participating ahead of us. 733 00:45:30.720 --> 00:45:33.717 And everybody felt like these were new visitors that were 734 00:45:33.717 --> 00:45:35.320 walking through the front door. 735 00:45:35.320 --> 00:45:38.988 And as Helen mentioned, no impact on budget, there's no 736 00:45:38.988 --> 00:45:39.840 lost revenue. 737 00:45:39.840 --> 00:45:42.378 It's just more guests who otherwise wouldn't be coming 738 00:45:42.378 --> 00:45:43.440 through the front door. 739 00:45:43.960 --> 00:45:47.525 And I think when you approach it with that kind of attitude and 740 00:45:47.525 --> 00:45:50.980 you can share that with other museums in your community, this 741 00:45:50.980 --> 00:45:53.320 program becomes a real no-brainer, right? 742 00:45:53.320 --> 00:45:57.414 And it becomes something that our staff and the rest of the 743 00:45:57.414 --> 00:46:01.440 leadership team here is really proud of our participation. 744 00:46:01.920 --> 00:46:03.880 And I think that's an important thing too. 745 00:46:03.880 --> 00:46:07.657 It's a sense of pride that we're all doing this good work and to 746 00:46:07.657 --> 00:46:11.435 make it accessible to people who otherwise couldn't walk through 747 00:46:11.435 --> 00:46:14.400 the front door that makes you feel good every day. 748 00:46:14.400 --> 00:46:18.285 So, I think there's a lot of benefits, you know, additional 749 00:46:18.285 --> 00:46:22.560 visitors and that sense of pride in making the museum accessible. 750 00:46:23.600 --> 00:46:26.904 I think it's an easy conversation to have with other 751 00:46:26.904 --> 00:46:30.520 museums in your community, especially if you're on board. 752 00:46:30.520 --> 00:46:32.960 We convinced them before we were even on board. 753 00:46:32.960 --> 00:46:36.880 So, just sign up. 754 00:46:40.760 --> 00:46:44.833 Yeah, sometimes it does take a champion on staff to get the 755 00:46:44.833 --> 00:46:48.160 that decision pushed through for the higher-ups. 756 00:46:48.160 --> 00:46:53.471 But at the end of the day, it's a very mission-driven program as 757 00:46:53.471 --> 00:46:53.880 well. 758 00:46:53.880 --> 00:46:59.513 It's about expanding your outreach as a museum and just 759 00:46:59.513 --> 00:47:03.840 helping your community all that much more. 760 00:47:06.240 --> 00:47:10.818 And I will say that the Museum for All site is great and being 761 00:47:10.818 --> 00:47:15.323 able to search by community and type of museum, as both Helen 762 00:47:15.323 --> 00:47:19.901 and Brendan mentioned. IMLS is pushing this out through social 763 00:47:19.901 --> 00:47:23.680 service organizations and people are aware of this. 764 00:47:23.680 --> 00:47:27.636 And they're looking for stuff to do in their community or in 765 00:47:27.636 --> 00:47:28.480 their region. 766 00:47:28.840 --> 00:47:33.462 So they may find you on the Museums for All website, and 767 00:47:33.462 --> 00:47:37.680 come visit you whether you're a free museum or not. 768 00:47:37.680 --> 00:47:38.760 They may not have known that. 769 00:47:38.760 --> 00:47:41.120 So, great site. 770 00:47:49.320 --> 00:47:54.430 "What information is required in order to register a museum to 771 00:47:54.430 --> 00:47:55.360 participate?" 772 00:47:57.800 --> 00:48:02.040 So the registration form is there on the website as well. 773 00:48:02.040 --> 00:48:07.680 But it's really just some basic contact information. 774 00:48:09.120 --> 00:48:15.755 We ask how this will fit into your overall outreach plan and 775 00:48:15.755 --> 00:48:22.282 then choosing what level of admission you'd like to 776 00:48:22.282 --> 00:48:29.353 charge and letting us know which date you'd like to go live with 777 00:48:29.353 --> 00:48:29.680 it. 778 00:48:29.680 --> 00:48:31.720 And that's when we'll put you on the website. 779 00:48:33.600 --> 00:48:39.817 So there's really not very much information that we require from 780 00:48:39.817 --> 00:48:40.200 you. 781 00:48:40.680 --> 00:48:45.345 I guess it's also important to say that there's not any 782 00:48:45.345 --> 00:48:49.000 kind of expectations really on our end either. 783 00:48:50.680 --> 00:48:56.085 If you are not having anybody come through the door, even if 784 00:48:56.085 --> 00:49:01.313 you're trying, you're making outreach and no one's coming, 785 00:49:01.313 --> 00:49:02.200 that's OK. 786 00:49:02.240 --> 00:49:04.400 You know, it's there. 787 00:49:04.400 --> 00:49:08.921 And if you're making the invitation, the other person 788 00:49:08.921 --> 00:49:10.680 does have to say yes. 789 00:49:10.680 --> 00:49:12.800 So it's a two-way thing. 790 00:49:14.600 --> 00:49:18.900 Even if you just have the Museums for All logo on your 791 00:49:18.900 --> 00:49:23.200 website, but that's the extent of the outreach you do, 792 00:49:23.200 --> 00:49:26.280 it's just there in case someone wanders in with the SNAP card. 793 00:49:26.920 --> 00:49:28.640 Yep, that's OK, that's fine. 794 00:49:29.560 --> 00:49:34.956 It's one of those "you get out of it what you put into it" kind 795 00:49:34.956 --> 00:49:35.800 of things. 796 00:49:35.800 --> 00:49:41.024 But you know, the important thing is that it's there. Also, 797 00:49:41.024 --> 00:49:45.640 there's not a time commitment to any of this either. 798 00:49:45.640 --> 00:49:50.293 So if you register, you're participating and then for 799 00:49:50.293 --> 00:49:55.895 whatever reason, you're saying, "OK, I think we don't want to 800 00:49:55.895 --> 00:49:57.360 do this anymore." 801 00:49:58.240 --> 00:49:59.520 You can just let me know. 802 00:50:00.040 --> 00:50:04.225 We'll probably ask you a couple questions like an 803 00:50:04.225 --> 00:50:08.545 exit interview thing to find out what wasn't working and how we 804 00:50:08.545 --> 00:50:11.920 can address that for other museums in the future. 805 00:50:11.920 --> 00:50:16.733 But just let me know and we'll take you off the website and no 806 00:50:16.733 --> 00:50:18.720 hard feelings or anything. 807 00:50:18.800 --> 00:50:26.796 But also the vast majority of museums, once they get started, 808 00:50:26.796 --> 00:50:32.600 they're like Ken basically, "This is great, 809 00:50:32.600 --> 00:50:33.320 we like it." 810 00:50:34.520 --> 00:50:38.598 If this program were to stop tomorrow, I think the vast 811 00:50:38.598 --> 00:50:42.895 majority would still keep it in place and probably like it 812 00:50:42.895 --> 00:50:47.337 better because they wouldn't have to give me their quarterly 813 00:50:47.337 --> 00:50:47.920 reports. 814 00:50:47.920 --> 00:50:53.112 But it is a very good mission driven, easy to use 815 00:50:53.112 --> 00:50:58.400 program, and pretty easy to explain to visitors as well. 816 00:50:58.800 --> 00:51:03.840 And you know the feedback that we get from museums is that 817 00:51:03.840 --> 00:51:08.400 the visitors are so happy to have this to enable them to 818 00:51:08.400 --> 00:51:08.800 come. 819 00:51:08.800 --> 00:51:23.100 I think we have time for this last question. 820 00:51:23.420 --> 00:51:27.984 We have a few minutes. And it says, "It was mentioned that 821 00:51:27.984 --> 00:51:32.240 visitors can be charged full add-on prices for special 822 00:51:32.240 --> 00:51:34.020 exhibitions or events. 823 00:51:34.820 --> 00:51:39.866 Is there a recommended approach for determining prices for these 824 00:51:39.866 --> 00:51:42.160 add-on exhibitions or events?" 825 00:51:46.080 --> 00:51:48.480 I don't have a recommended approach to it. 826 00:51:49.080 --> 00:51:53.783 It's a thing where this program has to make 827 00:51:53.783 --> 00:51:58.486 sense for visitors, but it also has to make sense for the 828 00:51:58.486 --> 00:52:01.000 museums that are participating. 829 00:52:01.000 --> 00:52:07.994 So I guess I would just say that because it's an add-on, it's 830 00:52:07.994 --> 00:52:13.748 going above the basic requirements that we have of 831 00:52:13.748 --> 00:52:14.200 you. 832 00:52:15.440 --> 00:52:19.000 It's not subject to the requirements. 833 00:52:19.000 --> 00:52:26.833 So if you had a special exhibit that charged more, you wouldn't 834 00:52:26.833 --> 00:52:31.240 necessarily have to cap that at $3. 835 00:52:31.240 --> 00:52:33.200 You could give it some kind of discount. 836 00:52:33.200 --> 00:52:38.261 But it's not necessarily subject to the Museums for All basic 837 00:52:38.261 --> 00:52:39.160 guidelines. 838 00:52:39.240 --> 00:52:46.110 You can say, "We're charging you $10 for this one that normally 839 00:52:46.110 --> 00:52:51.800 costs $20," as part of your Museums for All package. 840 00:52:53.440 --> 00:52:57.000 They're not here, but I'm going to volunteer them anyways - 841 00:52:57.000 --> 00:53:03.177 the Cincinnati Museum Center is one that went from just having 842 00:53:03.177 --> 00:53:08.080 their basic admission covered by Museums for All. 843 00:53:08.080 --> 00:53:14.002 And then they did add special exhibits under that umbrella as 844 00:53:14.002 --> 00:53:14.480 well. 845 00:53:14.480 --> 00:53:20.520 So I think checking in with them to see how they did things, 846 00:53:21.720 --> 00:53:25.083 I would recommend that as well if you're interested in learning 847 00:53:25.083 --> 00:53:26.240 a bit more about that. 848 00:53:40.600 --> 00:53:41.960 I'm sorry, I realized I was muted. 849 00:53:43.520 --> 00:53:47.280 I do not see any additional questions in the in the Q&A. 850 00:53:49.960 --> 00:53:52.680 Well, then we will say thank you very much. 851 00:53:52.680 --> 00:53:56.699 And we truly, truly hope that you will consider signing up for 852 00:53:56.699 --> 00:53:57.720 Museums for All. 853 00:53:58.040 --> 00:54:01.004 And of course, contact us if you have any other questions that 854 00:54:01.004 --> 00:54:02.040 you think about later. 855 00:54:03.160 --> 00:54:06.783 And shameless plug, remember that IMLS funding opportunity 856 00:54:06.783 --> 00:54:09.240 deadline is coming up on November 15th. 857 00:54:09.240 --> 00:54:13.047 So if you have good project ideas, write up a proposal and 858 00:54:13.047 --> 00:54:14.080 send it our way. 859 00:54:16.240 --> 00:54:17.280 Yeah, thanks everyone. 860 00:54:17.320 --> 00:54:20.560 And thank you, Ken, for helping us out on this. 861 00:54:22.560 --> 00:54:23.600 Thanks for inviting me. 862 00:54:24.200 --> 00:54:24.960 Yeah, thank you, Ken.