Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Accessibility of Digital Exhibits
I would never have suspected that digital exhibits could be within reach of small, low budget museums. Over the course of a school year, my digital history class at Western proved just that. We were able to produce five, high quality digital exhibits, without the need for a big budget. These exhibits were put together with the use of programming, arduino boards, smart boards, models, open access software and a lot of trial and error. The material used was not expensive and the technology was accessible. What I found most surprising is that you didn't need to be a computer programmer to create a digital exhibit. Anyone can do it, if they take the time to learn how. The most successful exhibits were the ones that were interactive, quick, and fun. I hope that I have the opportunity in my career to create another interactive digital exhibit.
Digital History and the Evolving Historian
The digital age knows no borders even in the world of academia. It has crossed disciplines bringing with it possibility and change to every field. Even the study of history is profoundly impacted by the digital age. Historians now have new tools, to collect, present, and interpret information.
Take for instance traditional versus modern research methods. The digital age has revolutionized the the field of library and information science and with it the our methods of collecting and accessing information. Accessibility to information has been completely transformed by the digital age. We now live in a world of Keyword searches, free online articles and books, even the contents of books are searchable. This means that a historian will now be able to access and sift through more information and may be able to create a more thorough examination.
The digital world has also provided a new way of presenting information. Online exhibits and web based reference tools offer online access to primary source documents.
Information can now even be interpreted in new ways, thanks to the digital age. Geomapping is the perfect example of how history is incorporating the use of technology in the writing of history. Geomapping is the process of mapping historical events in the hopes that links with show themselves, if they are revealed visually. Such connections will surely add more to the historic narrative. For example geomapping can be used to show the geographic spread of ideas or objects. This sort of information reveals trade routes although much more can be learned from studying these searchable maps and can reveal many more important historic clues.
Take for instance traditional versus modern research methods. The digital age has revolutionized the the field of library and information science and with it the our methods of collecting and accessing information. Accessibility to information has been completely transformed by the digital age. We now live in a world of Keyword searches, free online articles and books, even the contents of books are searchable. This means that a historian will now be able to access and sift through more information and may be able to create a more thorough examination.
The digital world has also provided a new way of presenting information. Online exhibits and web based reference tools offer online access to primary source documents.
Information can now even be interpreted in new ways, thanks to the digital age. Geomapping is the perfect example of how history is incorporating the use of technology in the writing of history. Geomapping is the process of mapping historical events in the hopes that links with show themselves, if they are revealed visually. Such connections will surely add more to the historic narrative. For example geomapping can be used to show the geographic spread of ideas or objects. This sort of information reveals trade routes although much more can be learned from studying these searchable maps and can reveal many more important historic clues.
Historians may be able to provide a better insight into history by making use of digital tools.
Weddings and Historic Sites
My fiancé and I are in the process of planning our wedding. We wanted a wedding that would reflect who we are as a couple and at a place that is memorable to us.
Then we decided on the Prince of Wales Hotel, located in historic downtown Niagara-on-the-Lake. This hotel was named in honour of the royal visit of future King George the V of England, in 1901. The Prince of Wales' rich history, and gilded Victorian architecture will provide the perfect atmosphere for a truly classic and elegant event. It seemed natural for us to choose a historic site for our wedding as we are both history students and the Niagara area also has fond memories for us.
In my research, I discovered that there are many historic sites that also serve as venues for weddings and special occasions. Here in London, Fanshawe Pioneer Village hosts many weddings each year. Ceremonies at the Pioneer Village, take place at the historic church on site and the receptions are held at the lodge. Museum London also caters to weddings.
I found reception halls to be somewhat cold and lacked that intrigue that a historic site can bring to an event. I'm looking forward to researching the history of the Prince of Wales Hotel and including it in the invitation package. Though we may include some historic elements in the wedding planning, it will still be modern. As the wedding coordinator of the Prince of Wales hotel explained, "Just because a wedding is taking place at a historic site, doesn't mean that it needs to be a themed wedding. It can still be classic and modern."
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Historic Scenery
Landscapes tell their own history and can reveal evidence about the past through the interpretation of human interaction with the land. Landscapes can change drastically with time. I have witnessed immense change to the surroundings of a historic site just in my lifetime, due to urban development. The Dionne Quintuplet museum was moved from its original site in Callander Ontario and placed in the City of North Bay. Though not in its original location, visitors could still imagine this as a country home because of the green space and forest surrounding it. Then about 5 years ago a road was built behind the museum and a Home Depot, 5 storey hotel and parking lot completely destroyed the setting. Now visitors are not able to picture how the historic site would have looked amid all the urban development. The Dionne’s would have had a large property with a farm and their neighbours would have been far down the road. With a hotel parking lot encroaching almost on their front door it is difficult to picture the country lifestyle of this family.
New York City has the best examples of seemingly misplaced historic buildings. Trinity Church was once the tallest structure in New York and now this gothic church is completely dwarfed by modern skyscrapers. The juxtaposition is quite poetic. When I first saw this site it triggered my imagination as to how this area would have looked in 1846 when the church was first built.
I believe it is important to have context in order to better understand historic sites and positioning and landscape is an important part of this context. As public historians we must attempt to maintain historic scenery in some way if possible. If this is not possible some information should be provided to visitors about the change that has occurred to the landscape over time. Glassburg in his article "interpreting landscapes" outlines ways that historic sites can maintain their historic surroundings. Historic sites can simply purchase the land surrounding their site. One such example is George Washington's home at Mount Vernon. This task "required curtailing modern development not only on what had been Washington's property, but also on the lands across the Potomac River visible from the site". pg 30 If this kind of money is not in the budget there are other ways to accomplish this through the use of planning tools. One can designate the site a local historic district or place a conservation easement on the area. In rural areas it may be possible to zone the area for agricultural use thus eliminating commercial or residential use.
The park movement of the 1800's speaks to the desire to maintain these natural settings and even more interestingly, the desire to shape even these settings to fit human needs and ideals. Central park designed by Fredrick Olmstead for example, is a beautiful green space but it is not natural in any sense. The park is highly maintained and evidence of human intervention is everywhere with the presence of paths, fountains, cultivated plants, trees and flowers and of course the only animals aside from squires and birds are contains in the zoo. The National Parks though somewhat more natural can still be criticised for catering to human clients. Yellowstone National park for instance is filled with wildlife except for wolves. These sites are examples of the "constructed wilderness" concept, raised in Rebecca Conrad's article “Spading Common Ground".
Conrad argues that the main obsticle to landscape preservation is resource experts imposed differentiation between "natural" and "built". It is easy to recognize the significance of a historic building although it is more difficult to see the importance of historic scenery or historic spaces such as battle sites or simply the historic significance of uncultivated land. We are alienating ourselves from the past if we do not recognize the importance of the historic landscape.
Based on Readings:
-Conard, Rebecca. “Spading Common Ground.” Public History and the Environment. Ed. Martin V.
Melosi and Philip V. Scarpino. Florida: Krieger, 2004, 3-22.
-Glassberg, David. “Interpreting Landscapes.” Public History and the Environment. Ed. Martin V. Melosi
and Philip V. Scarpino. Florida: Krieger, 2004, 23-36.
New York City has the best examples of seemingly misplaced historic buildings. Trinity Church was once the tallest structure in New York and now this gothic church is completely dwarfed by modern skyscrapers. The juxtaposition is quite poetic. When I first saw this site it triggered my imagination as to how this area would have looked in 1846 when the church was first built.
I believe it is important to have context in order to better understand historic sites and positioning and landscape is an important part of this context. As public historians we must attempt to maintain historic scenery in some way if possible. If this is not possible some information should be provided to visitors about the change that has occurred to the landscape over time. Glassburg in his article "interpreting landscapes" outlines ways that historic sites can maintain their historic surroundings. Historic sites can simply purchase the land surrounding their site. One such example is George Washington's home at Mount Vernon. This task "required curtailing modern development not only on what had been Washington's property, but also on the lands across the Potomac River visible from the site". pg 30 If this kind of money is not in the budget there are other ways to accomplish this through the use of planning tools. One can designate the site a local historic district or place a conservation easement on the area. In rural areas it may be possible to zone the area for agricultural use thus eliminating commercial or residential use.
The park movement of the 1800's speaks to the desire to maintain these natural settings and even more interestingly, the desire to shape even these settings to fit human needs and ideals. Central park designed by Fredrick Olmstead for example, is a beautiful green space but it is not natural in any sense. The park is highly maintained and evidence of human intervention is everywhere with the presence of paths, fountains, cultivated plants, trees and flowers and of course the only animals aside from squires and birds are contains in the zoo. The National Parks though somewhat more natural can still be criticised for catering to human clients. Yellowstone National park for instance is filled with wildlife except for wolves. These sites are examples of the "constructed wilderness" concept, raised in Rebecca Conrad's article “Spading Common Ground".
Conrad argues that the main obsticle to landscape preservation is resource experts imposed differentiation between "natural" and "built". It is easy to recognize the significance of a historic building although it is more difficult to see the importance of historic scenery or historic spaces such as battle sites or simply the historic significance of uncultivated land. We are alienating ourselves from the past if we do not recognize the importance of the historic landscape.
Based on Readings:
-Conard, Rebecca. “Spading Common Ground.” Public History and the Environment. Ed. Martin V.
Melosi and Philip V. Scarpino. Florida: Krieger, 2004, 3-22.
-Glassberg, David. “Interpreting Landscapes.” Public History and the Environment. Ed. Martin V. Melosi
and Philip V. Scarpino. Florida: Krieger, 2004, 23-36.
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