Site Directors Meeting at Montpelier, March 2009.
Last week the Site Directors of the National Trust Historic Sites gathered for three days at James Madison’s Montpelier for their semi-annual meeting. The meetings typically cover a wide range of subjects and there is always lots to be learned when you gather this many leaders in the field (indeed, this is probably the largest regular gathering of professionals in the historic site business), so I’ll just give some of the highlights.
Given the current downward spiral of the economy, most of the agenda focused on discussing strategies for reducing expenses or increasing revenues. Most of the Sites are building more local support (cultivation events, open houses, free admission for residents); increasing site rentals (weddings, parties, meetings, etc.); reducing utility costs; reducing printing and/or media costs; and reducing prices on old merchandise to move it out. Because everyone seems to be forced to cut budgets, Jim Vaughan, Vice President of Historic Sites, offered a dozen points to consider (such as trim back to your core mission).
Many Sites are more aggressively seeking donated services and/or products and there was a good discussion on the use of pro bono services, which may be offered more frequently during this period by many different professionals, including graphic designers, engineers, architects, and even contractors. Because businesses will naturally give higher priority to paying clients or major projects, the Site Directors made the following recommendations before accepting pro bono services:
- Accept them only for discrete, quick projects (e.g., reviewing architectural plans), not long-term (e.g., managing building restoration)
- Always use a contract to clearly define expectations, just as you would in paid situations.
- Assign a staff member to supervise the project. It should not be managed exclusively by the pro bono professional.
- Have a back-up plan in place in case the project cannot be completed pro bono.
- If free isn’t possible, negotiate reduced fees or rates. Indeed some Sites are rebidding projects to obtain more competitive rates.
There was also some discussion about the use of coupons for free or reduced admission to encourage visits and build local support. This strategy seems to be most successful when distributed on site or at in-depth programs (such as a week-long camp). Distributing coupons off site (such as a school) or during superficial, short programs (such as a tour) do not seem to be effective.
About half of NTHS use historic spaces for programs and activities, so the topic of balancing access and preservation of collections at historic sites was very lively. Most Sites experience conflicts between event requirements and the care and security of historic buildings and/or collections. Some sites allow visitors to play historic pianos and phonographs, use doors with historic hardware, open an ice box in the kitchen, demonstrate mechanical toys, sit in historic furniture, eat dinner in the dining room, and sleep overnight in a bed. Among the debates were:
- what experiences are gained by using historical objects? Touch, smell, sound? Is sitting in an historic space the primary experience or sitting in an historic chair?
- is the primary purpose of an historic site is preservation or education?
- if access is permitted only under certain conditions, who is allowed? Who deserves access? Scholars? Major donors? Students?
- if access is allowed, have we decided to sacrifice an object in perpetuity?
- when providing access, is a reproduction sufficient or will only the authentic object suffice?
- is the income sufficient to pay for any damage?
- should the monetary value of an object affect its use? Should an appraisal be conducted before using an object?
- should there be a hierarchy of spaces (some not used, others used)?
- who makes the decision? Director, curator, board, staff committee?
Sorry, no conclusions were reached but NTHP is planning to develop standards and best practices during the next few years. Stay tuned. And as usual, we welcome your comments and observations.
The next meeting of the Site Directors will be in Nashville in October 2009 preceding the National Preservation Conference.
