Maintenance that Matters

There are few things more deflating for a museum guest than approaching a highly anticipated interactive, only to be greeted by the dreaded "Out of Order" sign. When an exhibit fails to function, visitors might quietly wonder if they did something wrong or feel a pang of frustration over missing out on the full experience. A single malfunctioning piece can easily cast a shadow over an otherwise magical day of learning. 

As professionals focused on educating young guests, we have to remember that children possess a superhuman ability to test the physical limits of our spaces. Maintenance isn't just a backend chore; it is a crucial part of our success on the floor. We sat down with Andy Mickunas, Director of Exhibits at the Science Center of Iowa, to talk through some practical tips and tricks for keeping your museum's interactives running smoothly.

Ditching the Formula

Crafting a maintenance strategy is going to look completely different for every single institution. Andy notes that “what may work for a small town museum is not a system that you could just copy, paste and carry over to a much larger, nationally recognized institution.” It is far more important to develop a consistent rhythm that fits your specific team and culture than to stress over finding the perfect universal system.

At the Science Center of Iowa, keeping their massive 110,000-square-foot facility running smoothly requires a weekly schedule with specific maintenance needs for each gallery to keep everyone on track. While they personally use project management software to organize these tasks, Andy mentions that even simple tools like Excel or other free software options can be highly effective. Finding the workflow that matches your daily reality is the real secret to keeping your exhibits in top shape.

Expecting the Unexpected

A common myth in the industry is that maintenance only happens after an exhibit breaks. In reality, a healthy model involves constantly looking for ways to enhance the experience before things go wrong. Andy explains that “our preventative maintenance is continuous and while we are always iterating, kids will constantly find new ways to break things.” You have to balance a proactive testing strategy with the simple truth that children will always use their boundless energy to test their physical boundaries.

He shares a great story about a large LEGO model of the St. Louis Arch that sat perfectly untouched for a year, right up until a child suddenly climbed over the guard rails and pushed it down. Instead of viewing this as a failure, the team chose to look at it through a learning lens. If a child thinks outside the box and figures out a brand new way to bypass a barrier, it is ultimately a testament to their deep curiosity. This unexpected event sparked a series of iterative tweaks to the design, turning the repair process into an ongoing experiment. By viewing maintenance as a continuous cycle of adaptation, your team can learn to stay one step ahead of your most creatively destructive young guests.

Scrappy Solutions

Operating on a tight budget while welcoming thousands of energetic kids requires a famously scrappy approach. Rather than relying on expensive corporate contractors every time an interactive needs fixing, many museums lean into local connections. Savvy teams often turn to talented local craftsmen, machinists, and welders for affordable, high-quality repairs. This resourceful mindset extends beyond the physical exhibit floor, too. Museum professionals are always looking for ways to maximize their budgets, such as utilizing established programs that offer free project management software to non-profits to keep their maintenance schedules beautifully organized.

Andy’s team at the Science Center of Iowa embraces all of these resourceful strategies, but their biggest asset is undoubtedly their local community. They regularly organize dedicated volunteer days to tackle the vital deep-cleaning tasks required to meet their rigorous "show ready" standards—a benchmark ensuring the museum looks absolutely pristine from the moment the doors open. Noting how grateful he is for this support, Andy says, “We are so fortunate to have folks that are happy to give their time.” He even points out that many local businesses actively encourage this by offering paid leave for employees to volunteer. Having a smaller budget never means settling for a rundown museum; it simply means rolling up your sleeves and inviting your community to be part of the magic.

Cultivating a Growth Mindset

Andy likens exhibit upkeep to fundraising, noting that you are constantly losing and gaining donors, much like new problems constantly pop up on the museum floor. The key is to keep the needle moving in the right direction by fixing interactives faster than they break. Tackling this workload can feel daunting, but it really boils down to a willingness to dive in and try.

His best advice is to remember that “we learn by doing, and anyone can learn to do maintenance... You can learn to be a problem solver.” Succeeding in this role is less about having a massive set of specialized skills and more about adopting a growth mindset. By isolating problems and testing out new solutions, you are actively modeling the very same scientific ideals we strive to teach our guests every single day. Ultimately, it is exactly this attitude of curiosity and resilience behind the scenes that has helped make the Science Center of Iowa such a wildly successful environment for early learning.

Have any tips to managing exhibit upkeep in a demanding environment? Let us know on LinkedIn!