Creepy Museum Stalker = Awesome! (but not really.)

So we talked with Nigel and now Blair and I are going to be heading up a type of focus group. Mainly we’re going to be going to the main Museum at Collins Barracks where we’re going to walk through it and see how ‘user-friendly’ it is, particularly in regards to signage and navigation.

We headed over there Wednesday and it was kind of cool because Blair walked through the whole museum trying to find all the different exhibits only asking people for directions and ignoring all signage. I, on the other hand, walked through the museum trying to navigate with only signage and a floor plan and wasn’t allowed to ask anyone for directions. This allowed us to assess how easy it would be for a map-illiterate person to walk through the museum versus the ease for someone who may not speak English and thus must go strictly off the map.

It was actually frustrating at times because I found there were some exhibits I couldn't easily find, and all the maps seemed to have incomplete data and contradict each other. At one point I was standing at a point where two walls meet and on each of the walls was a floor plan map and then I also had a floor plan in my hand- and all three of the maps said something different!

We later found out many of the map troubles- such as the floor plan and wall maps being different, and certain exhibits not being on the map at all- were due to lack of funds. I found out the floor plan I was using was over two years old! Which meant it didn’t have many of the recent exhibits the museum had opened.

So now it’s our job to try and figure out how the museum can make navigation easier when they don’t have the funds to do the easiest thing- which is print new maps! Next week we’re going to walk back through the museum and come up with a list of what we’re calling “cheap fixes.” Basically it will be simple things the museum can do to make navigation easier for its visitors. In some cases it’s as easy as printing out a laminated sign and posting it to the wall to give direction to an exhibit or whatnot.

Oh man, yesterday when we were walking through the museum I had a museum guard stalking me! Sooo creepy! I was on the third floor walking through the exhibits when I had this younger security guard come up to me and we had the oddest conversation as follows:

Him: Where are you from? (No hi or how are you- simply this blunt question!)
Me: America.
Him: What are you studying?
Me: History.
Him: What type of history?
Me: I don’t really have a focus yet, but mainly American history.
Him: Have you studied the Indians? (What is he talking about?!)
Me: Yes.

An awkward goodbye occurred and he went on his way. I continued walking through the third floor but ran into the same security guard in a different exhibit. So I’m walking past him to the doors to head to the next exhibit when he stops me…

Him: How long are you here for?
Me: Until the end of July. (At this point I’m trying to figure out why I keep answering truthfully!)
Him: That’s a long time. Are you studying here?
Me: Yes, at DCU.
Him: Oh. (Brief pause) I’m an artist (Okay, random!)

At this point I nod and smile and continue on my way. So I get into the hallway and breath a sigh of relief as I walk towards the next exhibit because at least now I know he’s behind me… or so I thought. I continue into the next exhibit and all of a sudden he’s standing in front of me! I honestly have no idea how he got there! I swear he should have still been in the room behind me… creepy! Once again he approaches me…

Him: I have a book launch here in July do you want to come? (What?)
Me: Um, when is it? (Why did I not just say ‘no’ and walk away?!)
Him: Sometime next month.
Me: Um, I don’t really know what I’ll be doing next month. It’s here?
Him: Yes, it’s at the museum. I’ll be here just come back.

I nod and smile, miss out on the rest of the exhibit and whatever else is on that floor, and then proceed to run down the stairs to the Café to meet Blair for lunch. And that is the story of my creepy museum stalker. I’m praying I don’t see him again while I’m working there these next few weeks- especially since I don’t want him to think I’m there to see him!!

We ended our week with the signage project I talked about above. The beginning of the week though we helped one of the museum workers (I can’t remember her name) catalogue… SPIDERS! Ick. Katie would have hated it! We had to open up their cases and lift up these huge, ugly spiders so we could put their information into the computer for later cataloguing. The woman asked if we would help her because she really hates spiders. I said they didn’t bother me as long as they were dead but once we got up there I realized those things were too creepy to deal with even if they had been dead for a hundred years!! Luckily Blair was less squeamish than me and she picked up any spiders that needed to be. The more we worked on them though the easier it was to deal with them. Still, all I could think about was how much my sister probably would’ve freaked out at them- Seriously, Katie, gross!

The beginning of the week was also a bit rough because I woke up Monday with a bad chest cold. Blair had strep throat last week so I’m really hoping I didn’t catch it from her! I went to the pharmacy though and got an over-the-counter decongestant to hopefully break up this cough before it gets too bad. Although I’d love to go out tonight I’m going to give myself one more night of rest and then I should be good for the weekend. I’m already feeling better from Monday so hopefully the meds I’ve been taking have been working!

written by  kmr788 on June 25, 2009 from Dublin, Ireland
from the travel blog: Dublin, Ireland
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