In this section, you’ll find a wide range of resources and information about historical interpretation of and public education programs for historic sites.
Standards and Best Practices in Historical Interpretation and Public Education
This lists the professional standards and best practices that are most closely related to interpretation and education at historic sites.
Interpretive Planning for Historic Sites
Developing and implementing interpretive and educational programs at historic sites consists of three parts: content, audience, and method. To be successful, all three parts should be considered and determining methods should be the last step, as shown in this diagram:
Interpretive Planning Process
1. Developing Content and Interpreting History
This is typically the domain of historians, art historians, cultural geographers, and archaeologists, and who study and interpret documents, architecture, objects, and landscape to better understand the site, its history, and its context. Questions often focus on “what happened?” and “what is significant?”
2. Understanding Visitors and Identifying Target Audiences
This is typically the domain of marketing and visitor research specialists, who study the people to understand their behavior and develop profiles. Both fields often use similar techniques, including surveys, profiling, and observation, but their goals are different. Marketing focuses on identifying and understanding those segments of the public that are willing to engage with the site, which can include visitors, consumers, renters, members, and donors, in order to increase sales, membership, or support. Visitor research focuses on studying and understanding how visitors behave and interact at historic sites in order to improve the visitor’s experience and learning. Questions often focus on “who are our visitors?”, “what will engage them?”, and “what are they learning?”
3. Interpretive and Educational Methodologies
This is typically the domain of educators, graphic designers, exhibit designers, and information architects who determine which methodologies will most effectively deliver the content to the site’s target audiences. Although historic sites often limit their educational programming to tours, school programs, events, publications, and exhibits, it is playing an increasing role in other areas, such as retail sales, web sites, and wayfinding. Questions often focus on “how can we engage the visitor or reader?” and “what is the best way to explain this idea to a specific audience?”
