By peering into the political and educational climate of the 1960s, readers discover factors that propelled the hands-on education movement into prominence. The book shares the missteps and breakthroughs of Marilynne Eichinger and 11 other naive but dedicated museum directors, board volunteers, and National Science Foundation managers as they strove to change how science was taught. Their oft-humorous stories are revealed with honesty and clarity. Responding to the latest research in learning and child development, museums created engaging, self-teaching displays that impacted the landscape and growth of centers worldwide while serving 98 million people in the U.S. Through the centers evolved by adding virtual offerings; they remain a bastion of support of interactive learning. The second edition of Lives of Museum Junkies adds a behind-the-scenes look at the confusion, fears, and budget constraints caused by COVID-19.
As a founder/director of the Impression 5 Science Museum in Michigan and a former president of the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), Eichinger spent her career educating the public through museum programs and displays. She started Impression 5 in her basement, eventually moving it to a central city Lansing location, where it grew and prospered over the past fifty-plus years. Taking over the helm of OMSI, one of the original twelve United States Science centers, presented different growth challenges that led to constructing a 250,000-square-foot building and Omnimax theater and displaying a World War II submarine that revitalized Portland's East Side esplanade. Expanded education programs included outreach activities to five states and traveling displays worldwide. This is the story of hard-working, generous, driven people starting from scratch and building something unique, valuable, and hands-on. From marketing and sharing one's brand to expanding an idea on a national and international scale, the stories of Eichinger's work at Impression 5 and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry encompass all aspects of community building, starting a business, and shifting people's perceptions of just what can be accomplished when creativity meets commitment. The book is meant to inspire and educate those interested in what goes on behind the scenes in museums. She doesn't hold anything back in discussing good, bad, funny, and inspiring incidents of starting a non-profit organization from scratch.