The experience gained from the qualitative user survey in Holbæk made the museum target a group of young people who were severely underrepresented among the users, i.e. young people who were not ethnic Danes. In collaboration with a number of relevant partners, the museum carried out the project ‘Holbæk Museum, more than nice’, which took its starting point in rap workshops, breakdancing and a summer camp, concluding in an exhibition about, with and by the young people, who were subsequently hired to present the exhibition to the users. In Odsherred, staff have also been working on making the museum more relevant to young people. The project ‘Landed – should I stay or should I go?’ was a collaborative effort between the museum, theatre and library. Just as in Holbæk, ‘Landed’ was created with and by young people who told their own stories. The project contained focus group interviews, a photo contest, video recordings, youth ambassadors in the individual local communities, and intensive use of social media. The end product was far better knowledge about the young people’s lives, dreams and challenges, and an exhibition with a related performance that addressed issues in the young people’s everyday lives. The projects in Holbæk and Odsherred showed that when museums really endeavour to meet young people on their terms, staking time and resources on this, it is actually possible to get their attention and stir their interest in exploring what they can use museums for. However, in both places, the problem was how to follow up on the projects, maintain the collaboration and continue the work. In a busy everyday life, it proved impossible to maintain contacts, so the projects remained one-offs. However, the projects have not been in vain. They have given the museums far better knowledge about this target group’s wishes and needs. With the merger, the museums now have the opportunity to work more purposefully with user groups, including young people, in future.
ARE THE TOILETS CLEAN? Taking a more commercial direction, the Open-Air Museum Hjerl Hede has collaborated with Danish Top Attractions to complete a quantitative user survey solely about satisfaction at a very operative level. Users are not particularly surprised by the questions, and they can quickly complete the evaluation electronically as they leave. This means that the analysis has a far higher response ratio than the User Survey. On the other hand, it is not based on a statistically justifiable selection of respondents. The survey and the method were developed by the company Shoptimizer, whose purpose is clear from the company name. Users are asked whether the food was good, the toilets were clean, and whether they were happy during the visit. All in all questions
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