ABSTRACT
Despite its child-centred origins, at this time the museum comprised 'only glass-cased exhibits, paper and pencil floor games, handling materials shared with visiting classes, rented school classroom exhibits, afterschool clubs, and a summer day camp'. Driven by a shared desire to provide resources and services of relevance to children, the Museum challenged entrenched museum design conventions and, through a process of trial and error, developed the team-based approach to exhibition. In the early days of Spock's directorship and working as a collective rather than a hierarchy, ideas were seized upon and developed, exhibits were prototyped, often quickly and cheaply, and some understanding of what worked was gained. Ideas for new exhibits were encouraged from all corners of the institution; the culture of the institution was that the staff were learning together, swapping roles, developing their passions and feeling that they wanted to make a positive impact.
