Issue 38, August 2001
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National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior NCPTTThe Newsletter of the National Center forNotes Preservation Technology and Training • Issue 38 Partnerships: The Time for Action is Now “Currently, the United States is losing its prehistoric and historic cultural resources at an alarming rate . .” This was a principal finding of the Office of Technology Assessment in a 1986 re- port. The echo of the 1986 OTA’s find- ing is still heard in 2001. Too few fiscal and preservation professional re- sources are available to the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training and other preservation programs to stop the erosion of our nation’s cultural resources. With each passing year, America’s cultural re- sources are increasingly at risk by van- dalism, looting, unplanned tourism, water and air pollution, public apathy, cultural illiteracy and population Lee H. Nelson Hall. NCPTT recently moved into its permanent home in the former Women’s Gymna- growth. sium on the campus of Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana. After an extensive rehabilitation, the Women’s Gym was renamed for Lee H. Nelson, a pioneer in the field of historic preservation technology and a career NPS employee. Constructed in 1923 to provide gymnasium space for students of the Louisiana State Normal School, Nelson Hall is the oldest surviving building on ...NCPTT is making efforts to the NSU campus. NCPTT will celebrate with a formal dedication in November. expand its partnership base... helping to preserve America’s heritage grams to form cross-sector partnership through technology. alliances – alliances that the Council Strategic Partnerships. In a move to has begun to help NCPTT to create. reverse this trend, NCPTT is making The Council for Excellence in efforts to expand its partnership base. Government. The Council for Excel- A recently signed cooperative agree- In seven years of operation, NCPTT lence in Government was formed in ment between NCPTT and the Coun- has had numerous grantee partners 1983 in Washington, DC as a nonprofit cil provides for collaboration that will and several other partners represent- organization. The Council has been bring potential strategic partners from ing non-profit, corporate, federal, the principal force behind the expand- both the private and public sectors to state, tribal, private, university, profes- ing e-Government movement and has NCPTT. The cooperative roles of sional and international organizations. served as a “convener, catalyst, and NCPTT and the Council are outlined Northwestern State University and the communicator” to promote strong in the agreement: convening work- National Trust have proven to be two leadership and management in the shops, seminars and conferences with of NCPTT’s valued and long-term Federal government. It focuses on potential partners to identify possible strategic partners. More such strategic innovation and results – results that areas of collaboration; identifying partnerships must be established be- benefit the American public. The potential partners from within the tween NCPTT and other organiza- Council has brought together potential scientific and historic preservation tions for NCPTT to attain its goal of private sector partners to Federal pro- communities; and developing specific (continued on page 2) Partnerships: The Time for Action is Now NCPTT Website to Undergo (continued from page 1) preservation and heritage education Redesign projects that incorporate effective read it. Incorporating such tools not leadership and management principles The NCPTT website plays a key role only ensures that a user has obtained in their design and implementation. in efforts to disseminate information on technology-based research and desired information, but also increases the likelihood of longer user sessions Importantly, the NCPTT-Council ideas concerning preservation to both and return visits. cooperative agreement includes the preservation professionals and the added goal of improving existing interested public. The current website Focusing on enhancing navigability NCPTT programs. Several of the was developed and launched in 1997. and enjoyment with newly available Council’s e-Fellows participants will It was state-of-the-art for the time and tools, as well as abiding by government evaluate NCPTT’s current website and designed to meet the needs of the regulations and standards, the make recommendations for graphic Center. It incorporated many innova- design and content improvement. A tive ideas and offered useful resources team assembled by the council from and information. private and public sectors will work As the fields of technology and As the fields of technology and re- with NCPTT to develop a distance research constantly evolve and learning program appropriate to deliv- search constantly evolve and new ering online courses for NCPTT’s media tools become available for web new media tools become avail- Louisiana Heritage Education Initia- development, users demand more able for web development, us- tive and the Federal Preservation Insti- ........................................................................................................................ information at a variety of different ers demand more information tute. NCPTT will be invited by the levels. NCPTT has hired a webmaster at a variety of different levels. Council to participate in their Tribal to update and develop its website to Technology Initiative and their Sustain- meet these ever-increasing demands. able Development Extension projects. New technologies have been devel- oped to provide users with informa- webmaster will work to make the site Forging Productive Partnerships. tive content and an enjoyable web accessible to a multiplicity of indi- For NCPTT the time to forge produc- experience. New tools allow users to vidual users with varying needs. The tive partnerships is now. We at experience information, not simply new site will have a fresh look and new NCPTT are excited about our evolving collaboration with the Council. We One of the new website designs under consideration. believe that our NCPTT-Council part- nership will significantly expand our partnership base, help NCPTT to keep the public trust, and meet the formi- dable challenge of our mission: to use technology to serve the future of America’s heritage for the benefit of preservation practitioners and for the American public. Our New Contact Information! National Center for PreservationTechnology and Training ............................................................................................................................... 645 College Avenue Natchitoches, Louisiana, 71457 318/356-7444 telephone 318/356-9119 facsimile 2 NCPTT Notes •National Center for Preservation Technology and Training • Issue 38 sub-sites dealing with education and information resources. The webmaster and design team at NCPTT are work- ing on several variations and demos of the new site. Shown in this article is one example that is being considered. Of primary importance in the redesign is aesthetic pleasure combined with logical, utilitarian construction and user-end navigation. The design team NPS Junior Rangers has been researching these areas for NCPTT is helping to educate the next depth tour of the facilities with activi- some time and has gathered necessary generation of stewards of our cultural ties corresponding to each component. information to build the strongest site resources. As well as piloting its new possible. Clearinghouse work will Heritage Education Initiative, NCPTT The Junior Rangers learned the intri- begin with taking the information cur- hosted National Park Service Junior cate nature of documenting a building rently available, placing it in a larger Rangers for a morning in late June, as the Historic American Buildings database, and compiling as much addi- facilitating a comprehensive, hands-on Survey team led the Rangers in doing tional information as possible within tour of the Center. The ten Junior field sketches of Nelson Hall. The same database structure. Rangers have been spending their Rangers’ view of preservation was then summer developing skills and learning expanded from single buildings to The redesigned website will also con- about their heritage through working include overall urban design. Faced tain new features focused on areas of at Cane River Creole National Histori- with a hypothetical situation of a rap- special interest: Community will cal Park and visiting sites weekly to idly increasing population, the Rangers showcase local history and architec- learn about other natural and cultural acted as Natchitoches city planners ture. Partners will focus on joint ven- resources in the surrounding areas. and discussed methods to preserve tures and partnerships. Resources historic areas and adaptive reuse strat- will deal with various forms of func- For many of the highschool students, egies linked to environmental issues. tional media for users. These features being a Junior Ranger has been their and many others under development ........................................................................................................................ first job, as well as an opportunity for A tour of the lab facilities included a will make the NCPTT site a great web other new experiences. Working at the discussion of the Environmental resource for preservation information Oakland and Magnolia Plantations for Chamber, which simulates environ- and resources. eight weeks with a standard