APT + PTN Conference 2012 Creating a Digital Database of Historic Resources on Wilmington Island, Georgia

Transcription

1 APT + PTN Conference 2012 Tools in Preservation: Linking Together the Past, Present + Future Session CS19 Creating a Digital Database of Historic Resources on Wilmington Island, Georgia Student Speaker: Barbara Fisher 1. Introduction Purpose and Precedence of Database and Survey Form for Chatham County s Historic Resources a. State of Georgia documentation tools i. Georgia state survey form ii. Georgia Natural Archaeological and Historic Resources Geographic Information Systems database (GNAHRGIS) iii. History, inefficiencies and usability 2. Creation of Chatham County Survey Form and Chatham County Historic Resources Database a. Case Study i. Wilmington Island, Georgia 1. Location 2. History and background b. Comparison to state documentation tools c. New and different abilities of county form and database i. Survey questions ii. Images iii. Mapping features d. Brief walkthrough or demonstration of county database 3. Historic Survey a. Initial survey b. New survey areas i. Wilmington Island Pleasure and Improvement Company 1. History and background ii. Wilmington Park Subdivision 1. History and background c. Survey results of historic resources i. Contributing resources vs. Non-contributing resources 4. Conclusion Preservation Plan for Wilmington Island, Georgia a. A terminal and living thesis project

2 Project Database Research David M. Hart 8/9/2012 Serial Item Notes 1 Why use a database for research? Has dual purpose as previous activity can be modified and ongoing material can be added as time goes on. 2 Characteristics of a db 3 Each line item is a "record" 4 Each record contains "fields" that can be visible or not, arranged on a layout or form 5 Set up of fields. Text, date, numbers, containers, calculations, summaries. 6 Arrangement of fields on layouts Added material then searchable by future researchers 7 Populating the fields Separate repositories such as photos can be accessed but do not bloat the file. 8 Spreadsheet vs. Database. Similar in that a Spreadsheet line item is just like a Database "record" But Spreadsheets cumbersome for large quantities of data. 9 Spreadsheet limited in finding, sorting information Mistakes in sorting creates havoc with data 10 Data fields can be displayed at will on "layouts". Simple or complex layouts easily constructed. 11 Databases are capable of containing thousands of records that can be quickly sorted by date/activity/location and information easily "found" 12 Database can be modified on the fly 13 Finding information Queries for a word or group of words can search all fields. 14 Automation - scripts Perform sorts, finds, complex actions repetitively, automatically. 15 Filemaker vs. Access vs. Oracle etc. Filemaker is probably more user friendly. File can be accesessed by Macs, PCs at same time. 16 Demonstration of use

3 Project Database Research David M. Hart 8/9/2012 Serial Item Notes 17 Orchard House, Concord, MA. Wallpaper conservation and wallpaper replication Database itself contains research items for Orchard House, School of Philosophy and Site itself from 1672 to present. Used to find dates of house modifications, decoration, redecoration. 18 Nantucket FCC. Conservation of interior painted surfaces. Database itself contains research items for church records, letters, historical society records and photos from 1834 to Used to determine construction dates, modifications, decoration, redecoration. 19 Wrap. Database such as Filemaker for research 1. Easy to set up custom database 2. Can contain thousands of records 3. Easy to manipulate 4. Research facilitator 5. Simple or complex arrays possible.

4 APT Charleston 2012 CS19 Tools in Preservation Preservation at Drayton Hall: Past, Present and Future Patricia Smith, MSHP I. Introduction a. DH People & Dates b. National Trust for Historic Preservation c. Preservation Philosophy d. Thesis: Our modern archives are as important as our historical ones for understanding and preserving Drayton Hall. II. Historical Records a. 18 th Century Drayton Library Catalog b. What the Drayton papers tell us about early work on the house c. Bridging the information gap between historic accounts and modern preservation projects III. Preservation Archive a. Methodology b. Stats i. 24 linear condensed to 9 linear ii. 250 modern records in 2010 iii. Project time = 5 weeks iv. Initial success resulted in two subsequent archives created (Collections & Archaeology) c. Case Studies i. Structural Assessment ii. Mortar analysis, pointing campaigns iii. Contractors/suppliers iv. Correspondence re: decision making within preservation philosophy IV. Conclusion a. Tackling the mountains of paper generated by earlier preservation projects can help us better understand the history of preservation at our site, and informs the decisions we make for the future.

5 2012 APTI Annual Conference CS19 Tools in Preservation: Linking Together the Past, Present and Future Outline Introduction Preservapedia: Leveraging the Knowledge of Preservation Practitioners Edward G. FitzGerald Introduction of author Overview of presentation o identify types of knowledge generated by practitioners in the field and allude to ways in which wikis can be used to capture this information Principles of a wiki o visitors edit and create pages o associates content through hyperlinks o not static, but dynamic Wikipedia and the power of wikis Applications for preservation o feedback loop (e.g. determine effectiveness of past interventions) o crowd sourcing best practices (e.g. treatment of 20th century bldg. materials) o developing a universal lexicon (e.g. ICOMOS ISCS Illustrated Stone Glossary) o other examples (AIC wiki, professional orgs., scientific community, etc.) Preservapedia What Preservapedia is and is not o is a place for dissemination of technical information related to preservation (and allied fields) o not Wikipedia (general content) o not an indiscriminate collection o not a soap box or means of promotion (but can inform about a particular product or business) Types of content accepted o articles (most basic form, can be applied to many types of content) o case studies (includes construction, project financing, case law) o events, directory type info., etc. Audience Implementation and Case Studies Building a user base Examples of information collected for Preservapedia o Tech Notes and other government pubs. 1

6 o Contributions from well known experts Preservapedia initiatives o Students/teaching curricula o Historic Landscapes case studies Conclusion Strengths and weaknesses of the wiki model o Strengths disseminating current information completely free to use or contribute encourages peer review can encompass an incredibly broad range of topics can note references and sources in a very complete manner. o Weaknesses incomplete articles exist subject to abuse/plagiarism editorial review can be slow to keep up with new content difficult to get started/get people to buy into the idea Ways in which you can contribute Application of skills to other wikis Future prospects for Preservapedia 2