Permian Basin Petroleum Museum — Attraction in Midland

I am no stranger to this museum and being a college student most of my time had been spent in the library where I was always able to find what I needed in their archives for research projects. First off let me say that I am not the type of person that posts negative reviews but I feel like I have been more than patient with my recent experience! It began with me calling and trying to get a hold of the Archivist Susan Mahoney for the past few months. I would call and get transferred to her department and no one would answer so I would leave a message and get no call back. I’d call again and if I was lucky she would answer and I’d tell her what I was looking for and she’d end up telling me she needed to look for it and call me back.I’d wait a few days and with no response I’d end up having to call back and repeat the process all over. Like I said, if I was lucky she would answer.Once I was on the phone with her I’d have to deal with her unprofessional attitude and try to ignore the rudeness in her tone of voice and explain myself again and she’d tell me that they didn’t have what I needed, but after telling her it’s on your website and that you DO have what I am looking for she’d then sound confused and say she’d call me back again. If I asked her for any copies of photographs she’d tell me that they no longer offer that service.I’m still confused to as why that isn’t being done anymore because it was done for me in the past several times and it’s on their website that they do allow access to copies of their photographs. If this is the case I think their website needs to be updated if they aren’t doing certain things for customers anymore doing so would definitely eliminate some serious confusion! I’m still not sure if she had a bad phone connection or just kept hanging up on me?? I’ll just say it was my cell phone that hung up 3 times consecutively that day. I’ve never had such a difficult time trying to get an appointment to use their library! I finally gave up and the impression I was left with was that Susan Mahoney didn’t seem to really care about me as a researcher/customer and was extremely bothered by me wanting to do research in the library that’s meant for the public for people like me. At the end of it with all the time that had passed (wasted) she told me that she couldn’t help me because the archives hasn’t yet been moved back to the museum and she didn’t know when it would be so for me to just try back in another few months! All I can say is that I was pretty disappointed, frustrated, confused, and irritated by the way I was treated and given the run around I really needed to get research done and the experience of it all was just ridiculous. The only reason why I was persistent was because I had used this library in the past with NO issues and they had the resources that I really needed (listed on their website). I was lucky to find another library that was courteous AND helpful and I was able to complete my research projects for the semester, but the experience just left an unsettling feeling of such disappointment. At the end of the day I am still a fan of the museum not so much their library.The new updates are impressive but I guess the updates didn’t occur in all areas. They seem to have forgotten that a museum isn’t just about pretty pictures and displays it’s supposed to be about education and...

I was in Midland to visit a friend and we both worked in the petro-chemical industry, I'm retired, she is still plugging away, so this was up our alley. Nice museum, lot of displays, very well presented with one small thing that annoyed the two of us. Piping designers tend to be very anal about things, we tend to create and like order, to that the "gallery guide" handed out did not have map of interior and exterior displays. It had a description of each section but I was hoping for a floor/site plan with each area designated, just to have an idea where things were. Again, personalities at work and the gallery guide was not how I was expecting or how "I'd have done it". I was slightly disappointed in the Chaparral Gallery area, for the huge impact that Jim Hall had on racing in the 1960's it seemed to be short on details. I realize that the focus of a petroleum museum is not racing and this section would not be enough for a dedicated museum but he was a hometown boy and Chaparral Race cars were a very big thing back in the day. more could have been done, in my opinion. Otherwise it is well worth the visit. If you have any interest in the industry, and as the hotel manager told me "...the only reason to come to Midland is if you're in the oil business..." this is a stop to make. It was not overly crowded, they were setting up for an event that night for kids which I thought was a good...

This is an experience like no others. What was initially thought as a quick stop turned into hours of visit. A replica of one of the first oil rigs in Permian Basin, Santa Rita #2 sits next to the museum parking. My visit began with an introduction of how fossil fuels are formed, followed by how the region thrilled after the discovery of oil reservoirs, along with a section that transports visitors back in time. Some of the most intriguing exhibits are different earth layers collected from drilling activities, a variety of drilling heads, and how petroleum companies make the most of a reservoir. It is a shame that Permian Basin was out-competed by the rise of the demonic OPEC in the 1960s, of whom everyone's pocket is at the mercy. Let's also not forget how the avaricious giants are profited from such establishment. There are also fascinating paintings portraying the industry and recreated race cars that you don't think they...