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This substantially enlarged and expanded second edition provides advice for historic site stewards with concerns about the financial sustainability of their historic house museum and its relevance to its audience. Harris adds seven new case studies and updates ten others to showcase a range of alternative uses to safeguard these landmark buildings.
A generational shift is occurring at historic house museums as board members and volunteers retire while few young people step forward to take their place. These landmarks are also plagued by serious deferred maintenance, and many have no endowment funds. What will happen to these sites in the next ten years, and what can be done to assure their continued preservation for generations to come? In New Solutions for House Museums Harris examines possible options and provides a decision-making methodology as well as a dozen case studies of house museums that have made a successful transition to a new owner or user.
Programs, tours and exhibits are the meat-and-potatoes of what most museums do to meet their missions to educate the public. Interpretation helps make small museums compelling so that the public understands that they are more than a repository of dusty objects. This book considers researching and designing exhibits and best practices for sharing the stories with your audiences. It explores how to orient your organization to be effective interpreters of what you collect, including how to tell engaging stories and how to address difficult issues you may have ignored in the past, like slavery, prejudice and privilege. For the non-historian, it also offers a step-by-step primer on good historical research.
This substantially enlarged and expanded second edition of New Solutions for House Museums: Ensuring the Long-Term Preservation of America’s Historic Houses provides advice for historic site stewards that have concerns about the financial sustainability of their historic house museum and its relevance to its local audience. Seven new case studies have been added for the second edition. The new case studies reinforce the book’s central argument that not every historic house museum, whether founded 100 years ago or last month, can be sustained long-term. Three of the new case studies are from diverse historic sites, showcasing how African American, women, and other minority-focused histori...
Provides practical guidance to make informed decisions when researching, planning, managing, interpreting, and undertaking project work for any cultural landscape resource.
At its most basic, historic preservation is about keeping old places alive, in active use, and relevant to the needs of communities today. As cities across America experience a remarkable renaissance, and more and more young, diverse families choose to live, work, and play in historic neighborhoods, the promise and potential of using our older and historic buildings to revitalize our cities is stronger than ever. This urban resurgence is a national phenomenon, boosting cities from Cleveland to Buffalo and Portland to Pittsburgh. Experts offer a range of theories on what is driving the return to the city—from the impact of the recent housing crisis to a desire to be socially engaged, live n...
This authoritative guide enhances overall understanding of basic preservation principles. Shows specific examples of appropriate treatments and the consequences of inappropriate treatments. Also, includes list of technical guidance publications.
Heritage Planning: Principles and Process provides a comprehensive overview of heritage planning as an area of professional practice. The book first addresses the context and principles of heritage planning, including land-use law, planning practice, and international heritage doctrine, all set within the framework of larger societal issues such as sustainability and ethics. The book then takes readers through the pragmatic processes of heritage practice including collecting data, identifying community opinion, determining heritage significance, the best practices and methods of creating a conservation plan, and managing change. Heritage Planning recognizes changing approaches to heritage conservation, particularly the shift from the conservation of physical fabric to the present emphasis on retaining values, associations and stories that historic places hold for their communities. The transition has affected the practice of heritage planning and is important for those in the field. It is essential reading for both professionals that manage change within the built environment and students of heritage conservation and historic preservation.
"As a small museum staff person, you are responsible for a lot, including areas outside of your expertise or training. You need a quick reference that makes the process of becoming a sustainable, valued institution less overwhelming. The Small Museum Toolkit is a collection of six books that serves as a launching point for small museum staff to pursue best practices and meet museum standards. These brief volumes address governance, financial management, human resources, audience relations, interpretation, and stewardship for small museums and historic sites." --Amazon.