Alaska State Museums > Bulletin Newsletter

Exhibit Label Basics, Part 3: Content

Bulletin 9 Summer 1999
By Kenneth DeRoux, Curator of Museum Services, Alaska State Museum

This is the third part of a 3-part series on making exhibit labels. Part 1 (Bulletin 5) discussed basic guidelines for label design, including kinds of labels, length, size, and placement. Part 2 (Bulletin 7/8) described techniques for making and mounting labels. Here I will discuss some basic considerations for label content.

Purpose

Labels provide a means for visitors to connect with objects in a museum. They may provide only the most basic identifying information for an object, or they may provide additional levels of interpretation, tying together numerous objects, facts and ideas into a thematic exhibition. (For a discussion of different types of labels, see Bulletin #5). In all cases, labels should be easily visible, readable and enhance the viewing experience. Effective labels go hand-in-hand with clearly conceived ideas about how exhibits are organized and presented. Ideally, they should be an integral part of your exhibit design, rather than added to an exhibit after the fact.

Keep it Simple

Most museum visitors spend relatively little time on any one exhibit. They tend to keep moving, stopping at what interests them. They will often spend more actual time reading labels than looking at objects, since an object can be "seen" in a few seconds. Even so, the label should serve to reinforce the experience of the object.

A strong label will often begin with a concrete reference to the object(s) being discussed, such as "This wall clock stopped at the precise time of the Good Friday Earthquake of 1964." The basic units of information should answer the questions what?, where?, when?, who? how? and why? Ask yourself "What questions will the visitor ask about this material?" and try to answer them. Keep the label directly related to what the viewer is seeing. Don't forget the why? question. Why is this object in the museum? If there is some story connected to it, your visitors will love to hear it.

Reading labels should not be like reading an exhibit catalog. Remember that you are writing for people who are reading standing up and possibly bending forward. Resist the temptation to provide too much additional or extraneous information. Large blocks of text will turn away many viewers. The rule-of -thumb for comfortable label length is between 75 and 150 words. If the label must be longer, make sure it is broken into paragraphs or blocks of text no more than 100 words in length. Sub-headings above each paragraph will give viewers easier access to the material. (This paragraph is 95 words.)

Tips

Here are some frequently mentioned guidelines for writing effective labels:

Use simple sentences. Keep them short but vary the length. Don't use sentences more than 25 words long.
Avoid excessive use of commas.
Explain unfamiliar words and concepts - you don't want to make your visitor feel uneducated.
Write so that an eighth-grader can understand the vocabulary, but provide information that will keep an adult interested. Some word processing programs, such as Microsoft Word®, can check for readability as well as spelling, grammar and passive voice.
Use active verbs. Avoid the passive voice, which is excessive use of the verb "to be", (is, are, was, were). In passive voice, the object acts upon the subject, such as "Gold dust was used by miners to pay debts," instead of " Miners paid debts with gold dust."
Don't provide more than 6 or 7 key items of information per label.
Relate dates or unfamiliar concepts or practices to dates, etc. that the viewer is familiar with.
Read the label out loud to insure that the words have an easy flow to them.
Always proofread, then proofread again.

Advanced Tips

Use graphics, photographs, maps or other visuals where possible to involve the viewer more directly in making connections.
Direct the viewer's attention to specific aspects of the object.
Occasionally, and where appropriate, ask the viewer open-ended questions about what he/she is seeing.
Offer up puzzles that might be presented by the material.
Don't edit out all emotion or controversy from your labels. But when presenting controversial material, try to be unbiased.
Strive to be aware of bias (cultural, political, etc.) within your own writing and correct for it if necessary.
Develop a style manual for labels for your museum. This helps establish consistency in formatting as well as for grammar, punctuation, and usage.

Finally, don't sacrifice clarity for economy. Editing labels down to reduced lengths can sometimes produce unintended inferences. It is better to use a few extra words so that the information is clear. For further information on writing and producing labels, see the following.

References

Cohen, Diana F., Words to Live By, Museum News, May/June 1990.

Loomis, Ross J., Some Suggestions for Increasing Visitor Use of Museum Labels, Winedale Museum Seminar, Austin, Texas, 1980.

Neal, Arminta, Exhibits for the Small Museum, American Association for State and Local History, Nashville, 1976.

*Serrell, Beverly, Exhibit Labels, An Interpretive Approach, Altamira Press, Walnut Creek, CA, 1996.

Wilson, Don W. and Dennis Medina, Exhibit Labels: a Consideration of Content, Technical Leaflet No. 60, American Association for State and Local History, Nashville, 1972.

Witteborg, Lothar P., Good Show! A Practical Guide for Temporary Exhibitions, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 1981, pp. 83-89.

*Especially recommended.

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