We are excited to share an update on our brand-new resource directory and our growing tool library. This varied collection of publications, toolkits, software recommendations, and subject guides includes:
- Classic National Park Service publications adapted for the web:
- Guides and toolkits by local and national preservation advocacy organizations:
- Place Matters Toolkit from CityLore in New York City
- Community Preservation Guide based on publications from the National Trust for Historic Preservation
- Essential links and resources from related fields such as urban design, place-making, community archiving, and more:
Now, we need your help. We are asking you to join our open peer review of the resources and tools we’ve gathered so far and to let us know what we’re missing.
Here is what we’re asking:
- Explore the directory: Take a look. Pick one or two links and look them over. You can filter by topic or browse by publication year or tag.
- Reflect on a resource: Did you like the resources you read? Are they useful? Do you have any suggestions about how we can improve these resources? Do you know any related resources we should add to the directory?
- Share your feedback: Send us your comments and feedback by email or by using a new tool called Hypothesis.
You can read about how people are using Hypothesis for scholarly peer review and for critiquing media coverage of climate science but we think this is the first time anyone is using the tool for preservation education. We’ve set up our site so you’ll sometimes see the Hypothesis sidebar pop-up at the edge of your screen, e.g. Understanding Old Buildings. You can review or comment on any part of our website or on any of our recommended resources with the Hypothesis Chrome extension. Either way, please try it out and tag your public annotations with our #localpast hashtag so we can find and incorporate your feedback. You can also keep your annotations private by joining our Local Preservation School Hypothesis group.
If you’re still not sure how to use Hypothesis, try watching a video tutorial on YouTube or read the quick start guide for students.
We’ll be collecting all the feedback we receive on our new resource and tool directories and incorporating that feedback into the Local Preservation School within the next few weeks. We’re also working to incorporate the comments and suggestions we recieved through the workshops this fall. Thank you again to everyone who has already contributed to this project and we look forward to hearing your thoughts!
