LIBERTY — Suzanne Barbati, former and founding director of the OH WOW! The Roger & Gloria Jones Children’s Center for Science & Technology, said the biggest challenge to the museum’s success was convincing the community the center could be built.

She talked about the founding of the museum and her role in it at the monthly lecture series of the William Holmes McGuffey Historical Society at Denny’s meeting room in Liberty. The center opened in 2011 and has undergone a renovation and expansion.

“Initially one of the biggest challenges was addressing the negative perception of the Children’s Museum and the board’s ability to manage their finances,” Barbati told the approximately 30 people in attendance. “There were people in the community who would not give us money because they didn’t believe we could do what we said we were going to do, which was renovate the McCrory Building — a 100-year-old building — and be successful in serving the community.”

Barbati explained that one of the founding principles that helped them to be successful was having a strong foundation, comparing it to learning a new skill.

“There were a couple of founding principles that helped us be successful. One was the foundation. You’ve got to get the basics down,” Barbati said. “And in a children’s museum, clean bathrooms, right? You got little kids crawling on the floor. You better have clean floors or people aren’t coming back. Exhibits that work all the time, and if they don’t work, you have somebody there fixing them and you let people know. And you want the place to be accessible so that was a big deal.”

Barbati emphasized the importance of a “rule of five,” something she said she used in nearly everything.

“There are some things in life you can always count on. Things are gonna go wrong. Things are not going to go the way you want them to,” Barbati said. “You’ve got to have a plan and you got to have a plan B, and a plan C, and sometimes a plan D, so we call that the ‘rule of five.’ You read the grant application five times. You have five drafts before you submit it. You have somebody else read it five times before you submit the grant.”

Barbati noted the importance of teaching kids how to experiment as one of OH WOW!’s beliefs.

“It’s all about experimentation,” Barbati said. “We believe that if you teach kids how to experiment, how much more successful will they be? And if they fail, no big deal, right? That is not the end of the game, that’s the game. We all failed. And learning how to come up with a plan B and a plan C is critically important.”

William Holmes McGuffey Historical Society board Chairman Richard Scarsella praised Barbati toward the end of her lecture, calling her “a role model for other young women who are underrepresented in the sciences and institutional leadership.”

Barbati officially retired in February, and she has been doing what she pleases, ranging from visiting her sister in California to refinishing furniture, a skill she learned at a young age from her father.

“I took some time off to rest. I painted the kitchen cabinets I refinished. Just doing really whatever I want,” she said.

Barbati added that Saturday’s lecture was the first formal event she has done since retiring.

The center’s new executive director is Marvin Logan Jr.