Members’ Night is an annual event at which The Field Museum gives members a peek behind-the-scenes with access to collections and laboratories throughout the Museum. Museum staff have collaborated to author and run museumwide scavenger hunts in 2010 (photo) and 2011-2012 (paper). Directed at families, scavenger hunts give visitors a learning-based mission when exploring the behind-the-scenes. Technology was found to be a barrier to participation in the 2010 photo hunt, with many families lacking the ability to take photos or unwilling/unable to share photos. Feedback and technical difficulties from 2010 forced a shift to paper-based hunts of 2011-2012. Feedback from all years was positive, but the paper hunts of 2011-2012 had higher participation rates and more positive feedback than the photo hunt. Over three iterations, more than 1,000 families have participated in the hunts. Lowering barriers to participation has resulted in a rewarding experience for families at this annual event.
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