Twine Game 12 18

The Difficult Decision-making of Historical Organizations <img src="http://claremdnelson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/WelcomeSign.jpg" witdth="700" height="500"> Welcome to our historic site! Our staff and volunteers are so excited to have you here to take on the role of executive director. There are always lots of decisions to make when administering a historic site. So, we know that you’ll be busy, but let us know if we can ever be of any help! [[Good Luck!-> Instructions]]

You're 6 months into running your new museum and everything seems to be going smoothly. Over lunch, you come across an article about an exhibit in a museum in Boston that features sensory components. This sparks a few ideas of how you could make accessibility more of a priority in your museum. Which do you choose to implement/explore? [[Incorporate artifacts into tours that people can touch -> Q1A1]] [[Brainstorm ways to be accessible with hopes of implementing as many ideas as possible? -> Q1A2]] [[Decide this is not a priority of your organization at the moment? -> Q1A3]]

<img src="http://claremdnelson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/HandicapSign.jpg" width="700" height"=500"> Photo credit: Yomex Owo After speaking with the collections manager you identify a few objects from the collection that could be used in a tactile interpretive exhibit where visually impaired visitors can physically touch them. This exhibit proves popular both with people who have impaired vision and other visitors. There is even increased interest from new school groups in scheduling programming. However, there is some concern from the director of collections that the objects may become damaged from too much use. An Example: This kind of interpretation was used at the Old State House in 1934 for educational programs with students from Perkins School for the blind. While most museums now use replica artifacts or pieces that can’t be damaged by the oils on human skin, the method is still employed elsewhere. [[Next-> Question2]] [[Back -> Question1]] Topic: Accessibility Sources: ([[Jester, Thomas C...., 1993-> Works Cited]])

<img src="http://benfederlin.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Interactive_Science_Exhibit_-_Science_City_-_Kolkata_2010-02-18_4608.jpg"> You mention the article to your assistant director, and the two of you walk around your site that afternoon to help brainstorm ways to make it more accessible. By the time you make it back to your office, you both have realized that there are many facets of accessibility and choosing what to focus on will be extremely difficult. Together, you create a basic list of possibilities that you will flesh out. You plan to work on implementation timelines over the coming months. An Example: Gore Place has tackled several aspects of accessibility at its site. Many of which are highlighted in an article on their website celebrating the 30th anniversary of the ADA in July of 2020. These include, but are not limited to handicap accessible parking and bathrooms, scents and labels in the house, and a model of the house which can be taken apart and includes braille labels. [[Next-> Question2]] [[Back -> Question1]] Topic: Accessibility Source: [["Blind Girls See...", 1934-> Works Cited]] Photo Liscense: Biswarup Ganguly, CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

<img src="http://claremdnelson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Inaccessibililty-scaled.jpg" width="700" height"=500"> Photo credit: Michael Browning You decide not to alter the current exhibits or change the layout of the museum’s building. Unfortunately some potential visitors are not able to access your building or engage with the exhibits and programs there. The Americans with Disabilities Act, passed in 1990, ensures that public spades must be accessible to handicapped people, however it does grandfather in historic buildings. Such buildings do not need to build ramps, install elevators or provide other accommodations that might alter the floorplan of their building. This leaves many visitors unable to appreciate what they might be able to learn from visiting the museum. [[Next-> Question2]] [[Back -> Question1]] Topic: Accessibility Source: [["Celebrating the ADA...", 2020 -> Works Cited]]

A research volunteer on your team discovered some letters that reveal some previously unknown information about the history of your site. The history described may be controversial to some members of the public and speaks to some historic injustices. The museum does not currently include any interpretation around this subject. How do you bring this revelation into your interpretation? [[Decide not to change any interpretation, but check local ordinances to see what you are required to do by law -> Q2A1]] [[Integrate history into an existing tour-> Q2A2]] [[Overhaul your entire institution to more radically integrate the new information as you feel this history is essential to the story of the site-> Q2A3]]

You have chosen not to include any interpretation about the difficult history into your site. While there is no controversy, the visitorship at your site remains static. However, you do check to make sure that you are not violating any local ordinances by not disclosing the information your volunteer learned. Fortunately the history you are choosing not to interpret does not pertain to Native American burials and you are not running afoul of NAGPRA. NAGPRA, or the Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act, is a law Congress passed in 1990 that requires any human remains or grave goods removed from Native American burials sites to be returned to their tribe of origin. Any institution found not to have taken these steps would lose any opportunity for federal grants or grants funded by a federal program, a source of revenue few nonprofits could go without. [[Next-> Question3]] [[Back -> Question2]] Topic: Difficult History Source: [[National Park Service...2019 and O'Loughlin, Shannon...2020-> Works Cited]]

<img src="http://claremdnelson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/TourGuide-scaled.jpg" width="700" height"=500"> Photo credit: Bernie Almanzar You decide to integrate the history that your volunteer recently learned into the current tour, but don’t make major changes beyond this new addition. While a few guests and volunteers feel uncomfortable discussing the new material the response is generally neutral. A few visitors ask to learn more at the end of the tour. An Example: Complicated topics can be difficult to integrate into an existing tour, especially without outside pressure or support. The Longfellow House, a National Parks Site in Cambridge recently got confirmation about the sexuality (and alleged sexual misconduct) of one of the home’s later inhabitants, who was instrumental in preserving the house and establishing an archive there. Despite some resistance to changing much of the house to reflect this information, some of this history has been added to the general tour. Some staff members and visitors have wanted to learn more about the house’s LGBTQ connection, but thus far that history is far from the focus. [[Next-> Question3]] [[Back -> Question2]] Topic: Difficult History Source: [[Lowe, Hilary Iris...2019 and Lowe, Hilary Iris and Mello, Nicole...2020-> Works Cited]]

While the handful of letters could have been brushed off as just that, or included in a specific aspect of your site (such as a tour), you decide to dig deeper with the help of volunteers. You find artifacts and documents in the archives that indicate that the difficult history the letters allude to are integral to the history of your site. As a result, you rethink and represent the history of your site. While some visitors find this difficult history uncomfortable, it draws new attention to your site. <img alt:Daderot at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, via Wikimedia Commons width="514" src=http://benfederlin.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Isaac_Royall_House_Medford_Massachusetts_-_Slave_quarters.jpg> An Example: The preservation of the Royall House and Slave Quarters began in 1906 with the foundation of the Royall House association. For decades, the site operated without mentioning the enslaved people who had lived and worked there. In the late 20th century, the house museum adopted a new mission that emphasized interpretation within a context including not only the lives of the wealthy loyalists, but the enslaved people as well. From that point on, the museum has actively worked to engage with its difficult history. This includes, but not limited to, an archaeological dig in 1999 around the slave quarters that unearthed artifacts relating to the lives of the enslaved people, a grant in 2013 to develop programs about northern colonial slavery for elementary school children, and the newly hired director (April 2020), Kyera Singleton, is working to make information about the museum more widely accessible and a part of a larger conversation about slavery. [[Next-> Question3]] [[Back -> Question2]] Topic: Difficult History Source: [["60 enslaved people...", 2020 and Linda, Matchan...2003-> Works Cited]] Photo Liscense: Daderot at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, via Wikimedia Commons

The area surrounding your museum has changed significantly in recent years, leaving your site one of the only buildings from its era in the neighborhood. While this has not impacted visitation or interpretation inside the museum, you understand the importance of space in interpretation practices. Another, smaller building nearby from a contemporary period is up for sale. Do you decide to acquire the building? [[Move the building to an adjoining plot of land because increased engagement with space can help create a sense of time and place-> Q3A1]] [[Save the building to use as a visitor center and event space-> Q3A2]] [[Decide that purchasing the building is not the right move for your organization at the moment -> Q3A3]]

After suggesting purchasing the nearby building and moving it to an adjoining plot, the board approves your plan and, after some negotiation with the city office of historical preservation, the building is removed from its original foundation and moved to your site. Once the installation is complete the building is opened as interpretive space for visitors. This new space gives your education coordinator more room to welcome school and community groups. Although not all of the history of the original building is interpreted in its new location, more area in your original building can house exhibits and more artifacts can be brought out of storage. <img width="514" src=http://benfederlin.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Paul_Revere_House_8610209640.jpg> An Example: In 1928, the Paul Revere Association officially began to fundraise in order to acquire two adjacent houses with the aim of enhancing the site’s atmosphere. The fruits of these specific efforts remain unknown. However, the Paul Revere House Association did acquire the Pierce/Hichborn house in 1970 and two neighboring row houses at Lathrop place several years later. Visitors can take guided tours of the former, and the latter functions as the Education and Visitor Center. [[Next-> CovidQ]] [[Back -> Question3]] Topic: Space Source: [["PAUL REVERE HOUSE IMPROVEMENT URGED...", 1928 and The Paul Revere House. "Pierce/Hichborn House."...Accessed December 2020 and The Paul Revere House. "Lathrop Place."...Accessed December 2020-> Works Cited]] Photo Liscensing: City of Boston Archives from West Roxbury, United States, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A couple of months ago some of your events began to exceed the capacity of your space. As a result, your site decided to set limits and require RSVPs for attendance for all events regardless of cost. While you, your staff, and volunteers are very excited about your increase in popularity (yay community engagement and outreach!), everyone hoped that limiting attendance would be a temporary solution. When this building came up for sale, you consulted your board. It was agreed that the building would work well as a visitor center and event space and you would attempt to acquire it. <img width="514" src=http://benfederlin.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Retire_Beckett_House.jpg> An Example: In 1924, the House of the Seven Gables historic site (built in 1668) in Salem Massachusetts acquired the Retire Beckett House (built c. 1655). The House of the Seven Gables Settlement Association saw an opportunity for preservation that could benefit the historic campus by adding to the period atmosphere and increasing space as the site gained popularity. Today, the Retire Beckett House functions as the museum store. [[Next-> CovidQ]] [[Back -> Question3]] Topic: Space Source: [["BECKET HOUSE SAVED...", 1924 and The House of the Seven Gables...Accessed December 2020-> Works Cited]] Photo Liscense: Upstateherd, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

After some brief discussion with your colleagues, you all agree that your site does not have an interest in the building. Someone mentions your site does not really have room for such a building. Another feels the site is doing well and does not require the extra space. A third brings up that, while of the same period, it is not really related to your site in any way. Therefore you decide, despite your inclination toward preservation in general, that you will not acquire the house as an addition to your site. An Example: Despite academic and recreational interest in a “Paul Revere House” in Watertown Massachusetts, the building was razed due to “building progress” in 1897. The fate of historic buildings often depends on the time, owners, and perceived importance. In some cases, foundations like those for Mount Vernon and the Royall House and Slave Quarters are created specifically to save a site. In other instances, private owners will buy them for commercial purposes such as The Old Corner Bookstore which is currently leased to Chipotle. However, when historic buildings go unclaimed or other objectives are deemed more important, the destruction of a house is also a possibility. [[Next-> CovidQ]] [[Back -> Question3]] Topic: Space Source: [["Paul Revere House Razed."...1897 and Krieger, Alex...2019-> Works Cited]]

You have been closed for several months because of a pandemic. Your institution is struggling. What do you decide to do? [[Follow suggested safety guidelines and only open the parts of your institution that people can social distance in-> QCA1]] [[Hold events, but adapt them so patrons feel safe-> QCA2]] [[ Put time into increasing your social media presence/transition things to being online-> QCA3]]

<img src="http://claremdnelson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/EmptyMuseumGallery.jpg" width="700" height"=500"> Photo credit: Falco Negenman Your museum is not required to be in total lock down anymore, and you are looking forward to inviting the public back into your space. You decide the best way to do this is to follow the most up-to-date safety guidelines provided by medical professionals, government, and American Alliance of Museums (AAM) - many of which overlap. One of your biggest obstacles is that not all of your spaces are conducive to following all of the safety guidelines such as social distancing. So, you open up the spaces where social distancing is possible. An Example: The reopening of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston included only the few exhibit spaces where visitors could social distance. They also worked to restructure their admissions to necessitate preordering of tickets with timed entries. As a result of only having a few exhibits open and not knowing how long the pandemic will last, the museum is reconfiguring the closed exhibits to be conducive to social distancing in hopes of opening them up. [[Next-> Conclusion]] [[Back-> CovidQ]] Topic: Pandemic Source: [[American Alliance of Museums...Accessed December 2020 and Shea, Andrea...2020-> Works Cited]]

<img src="http://claremdnelson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/4th-of-july-3-1-scaled.jpg" width="700" height"=500"> Photo Credit: Brita Ager-Hart, Museum Volunteer Keeping your patrons’ and community’s safety in mind, you want to help give a sense of normalcy in the midst of a stressful year. In typical years, you hold annual holiday events for the community. You could attempt an online version, but what people are really missing, and these events center around, is the in-person social interaction. With your staff back at work with safety restrictions in place, you work together to create a drive-through 4th of July event. That day, while some are clearly there for the free ice cream, many people are smiling and chatting. An Example: The Hoard Historical Museum held an event just like this one in July in 2020. That day, masked and gloved staff and volunteers handed out ice cream and goodies to those who drove by. It was successful enough that they planned similarly formatted events for future holidays as well. [[Next-> Conclusion]] [[Back-> CovidQ]] Topic: Pandemic Source: [["Drive-by Fourth of July...", 2020-> Works Cited]]

<img src="http://claremdnelson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/MuseumsFromHome.jpg" width="700" height"=500"> Photo credit: Annie Spratt Your organization decides against holding any sort of in-person or modified in-person events and instead opts to focus on digital programming. While much of your membership is older and may not have used these platforms in the past, the board is hoping that by expanding your digital offerings you may reach an even broader audience that can help make up for a loss in admissions sales and event rentals. Different members of your staff and volunteer team step up to start posting more frequently across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Curators organize digital talks to highlight pieces from your collection, and guides work with the director of programming to create interactive web games to allow the public to keep interacting with your space and learning remotely. Much of the programming is targeted toward helping supplement homeschooling and remote lessons, which generates a lot of excitement with parents. An Example: Across the country museums and historic sites are adapting to their buildings being closed by moving online as they attempt to maintain a connection with their members and the public. As many museums rely on ticket sales to support their operations, finding alternative means of engagement is important not only for fulfilling their mission, but also to keep their institutions viable. Museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Natural History Museum in New York City have done this in part through digital programming aimed at supplementing a distance learning experience. With children home from school, these “virtual field trips” can help bring learning experiences to living rooms around the country while keeping the public engaged with cultural spaces. [[Next-> Conclusion]] [[Back-> CovidQ]] Topic: Pandemic Source: [[Graeber, Laurel...2020-> Works Cited]]

We hope you found this game to be engaging and learned a bit about the decision-making done by administrators of historical organization along the way. We are hoping to do expand this game in the future with more specific questions and examples, so stay tuned! [[End-> Works Cited]]

Bibliography Accessibility: 1) “Blind Girls See by Touching Relics of Early Americana: Old South Meeting House and Old State House Visited by Perkins Institute Pupils.” Daily Boston Globe, October 24, 1934. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Boston Globe. 2) Gore Place. “Celebrating the ADA’s 30th Anniversary,” Gore Place. Published July 26, 2020. [[Click Here.->Gore Place Link]] 3) Jester, Thomas C. and Park, Sharon C. “Making Historic Properties Accessible.” Technical Preservation Services. Last updated September 1993. [[Click Here.->ADA Link]] [[Back to Question 1-> Question1]] Difficult History: 1) 60 enslaved people once toiled for a rich landowner in Medford. Kyera Singleton wants you to know who they were.” Boston Globe, August 8, 2020. [[Click Here.->60 Enslaved People Link]] 2) Lowe, Hilary Iris. “The Queerest House in Cambridge.” The Public Historian 41, no. 2 (2019): 44-69. University of California Press Journals. 3) Lowe, Hilary Iris and Mello, Nicole. “Out of the Archives - The Queerest House in Cambridge.” Filmed July 10, 2020 for The History Project Documenting LGBTQ Boston, Boston, MA. Video, 1:01:30. [[Click Here.->Queerest House Link]] 4) Matchan, Linda. “One house, two histories in Medford.” The Boston Globe, September 11, 2003. [[Click Here.->One House Two Histories Link]] 5) National Park Service. “Getting Started.” Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. Last Modified November 5, 2019. [[Click Here.->NAGPRA Link]] 6) O’Loughlin, Shannon. “Repatriating Human Rights.” Native News Online. Accessed December 16, 2020. [[Click Here.->Repatriating Human Rights Link]] [[Back to Question 2-> Question2]] Space: 1) “BECKET HOUSE SAVED: Built in Salem Before 1655, It Has Been Added to Quadrangle of the House of Seven Gables.” Daily Boston Globe, June 29, 1924. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Boston Globe. 2) Krieger, Alex. “Viewpoint: The many lives of Boston's Old Corner Bookstore.” Boston Business Journal, August 22, 2019. [[Click Here.->Old Corner Bookstore Link]] 3) “Paul Revere House Razed.” Milwaukee Journal, December 7, 1897. Gale Primary Sources. 4) "PAUL REVERE HOUSE IMPROVEMENT URGED: Move Started to Purchase Adjoining Buildings.” Daily Boston Globe, June 18, 1928. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Boston Globe. 5) The House of the Seven Gables. “The Retire Beckett House.” The House of the Seven Gables. Accessed December 16, 2020. [[Click Here.->Retire Beckett House Link]] 6) The Paul Revere House. “Lathrop Place.” The Paul Revere House. Accessed December 16, 2020. [[Click Here.->Lathrop Place Link]] 7) The Paul Revere House. “Pierce/Hichborn House.” The Paul Revere House. Accessed December, 16, 2020. [[Click Here.->Pierce/Hichborn House Link]] [[Back to Question 3-> Question 3]] Pandemic: 1) American Alliance of Museums. “COVID-19 Resources & Information for the Museum Field.” American Alliance of Museums. Accessed December 16, 2020. [[Click Here.->AAM Link]] 2) “Drive-by Fourth of July ‘social’ at Fort museum Saturday.” Daily Jefferson County Union, July 1, 2020. [[Click Here.->Fourth of July Link]]. 3) Graeber, Laurel. “Digital Field Trips: Museum Adventures Abound for Kids; Summer Guide for Families.” The New York Times, June 25, 2020. [[Click Here.->Digital Field Trips Link]] 4) Shea, Andrea. “After 6 Months Shuttered, The MFA Reopens On Sept. 26.” wbur The ARTery, September 9, 2020. [[Click Here.->MFA Link]] [[Back to Question 4-> CovidQ]]

The game you are about to begin grapples with a few of the many difficult decisions encountered by various historical institutions. Everyday historians, curators and administrators at museums and historic sites make choices about how to best fulfill their mission, preserve history and educate the public. You’ll be prompted to respond to a different situation that might arise at a historic site and decide how best you and your team should respond. Select the best choice to move forward. Don’t worry if you change your mind! You can always navigate back and try a different option. Since history can be the best teacher, you’ll also see examples of other institutions confronting similar challenges after you make your choice to learn more. [[Let's get started! -> Question1]]

(open-url: "https://goreplace.org/about/news/celebrating-the-adas-30th-anniversary")

(open-url: "https://www.nps.gov/tps/how-to-preserve/briefs/32-accessibility.htm")

(open-url: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebKQV8bta3k")

(open-url: "https://royallhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/60-enslaved-people-once-toiled-for-a-rich-landowner-in-Medford.-Kyera-Singleton-wants-you-to-know-who-they-were-The-Boston-Globe.pdf")

(open-url: "https://royallhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Article1.pdf")

(open-url: "https://7gables.org/history/the-retire-beckett-house/")

(open-url: "https://www.aam-us.org/programs/about-museums/covid-19-resources-information-for-the-museum-field/")

(open-url: "https://www.paulreverehouse.org/pierce-hichborn-house/")

(open-url: "https://www.paulreverehouse.org/lathrop-place/")

(open-url: "https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2019/08/22/viewpoint-the-many-lives-of-bostons-old-corner.html")

(open-url: "https://www.wbur.org/artery/2020/09/09/museum-fine-arts-boston-reopens")

(open-url: "https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.dailyunion.com/news/drive-by-fourth-of-july-social-at-fort-museum-saturday/article_20c322c6-8e22-5d55-a77a-9d23082b95b5.html&sa=D&ust=1608051343522000&usg=AFQjCNE-92aeCWVf57tGmjgHCVsiQaPv0g")

(open-url: "https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/18/arts/design/kids-museums-summer-virus.html")

(open-url: "https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nagpra/getting-started.htm")

(open-url: "https://nativenewsonline.net/sponsored-content/repatriating-human-rights")

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