Proposal
for
Historical Assets Information & Management System
("HAIMS")
(for
adoption and development by a large, resourced historical society or
historical society association)
Brief
Description: HAIMS is a historical assets information and
management system which is based upon grass-roots authentication (as it
should be) married with modern technology (computers, databases and the
Internet) so as to present to the public a rich source of easily
identifiable historical assets. Rolling
up from the community level (where managed by local historical
societies), it evolves into a state, federal and international
historical asset.
Historical Assets: "Historical assets" include assets
normally associated as historical under the existing local, state, and
federal legal systems, i.e. landmarks of historical significance.
They also consist of historically-significant monuments, statues,
signs, photographs, paintings, posters and other images; stories,
newspaper articles, books, diaries, letters, scrapbooks, publications
and other writings; machines, equipment, tools, implements, and other
physical objects of historical significance; and interviews, transcripts
and statements of persons involved in historically-significant events.
These assets are many times found in local historical society
museums, museums of history, and other specialized museums and archives,
but as of this date, are virtually unavailable to anyone other than the
physical visitors to the physical location of the assets.
System Input: The "gatekeeper" is central to ensuring that
true, quality assets are introduced into HAIMS.
This gatekeeper is simply a disciplined application system,
similar to the trademark registration system used by the United States
Patent and Trademark Office, but administered at the local level.
In order for an asset to be placed into HAIMS, an application
must be filed out and filed with the local historical society or other
association charged with investigating such applications.
Upon acceptance of the application, the assets are permanently
introduced into HAIMS.
Application: The application represents the first threshold in
ensuring that true, quality historical assets enter into the system.
The application is a standardized form, which requires at least
the following input:
(1)
applicant's name and contact information,
(2)
physical description, including date of origin, of the
historical asset,
(3)
historical significance and uniqueness of the historical
asset,
(4)
names and contact information of persons, as references to
the historical significance of the asset, if available, and
(5)
attachment of a facsimile or image of the actual
historical asset, if feasible.
Processing: The asset application is investigated by the local
historical society or other relevant association to confirm that the
asset is truly of historical significance, by bringing its own
experience and judgment to bear, contacting the applicant and references
for further information, contacting local or other experts with
experience and judgment in such assets, and convening an empowered group
of persons to decide on the merits of the application.
Cases of doubt should be resolved in the favor of granting the
application, as the process is inherently subjective, and knowing in
advance what persons in the future will believe is historically
significant is reasonably speculative.
Repository: Once accepted, the application data must be properly
placed into HAIMS, such that the assets will be visible to persons
through common computerized searching routines on the Internet. They
will also be computer imaged, so that they may be visualized from
anywhere in the world on the Internet. Critical
cataloguing matters, which should be separately searchable, include:
(1)
date of origin of the asset,
(2)
general description of the asset, e.g. "coin",
"letter" or "surfboard"
(3)
detailed description of the asset,
(4)
description of locality for which asset is historically
significant,
(5)
description of owners or other persons for which the asset
is significant,
(6)
location of the asset,
(7)
medium of the asset, e.g. computer graphic or physical
object,
(8)
historical significance of the asset, and
(9)
availability and terms of procuring a copy of the asset,
if available.
Effect: HAIMS, properly implemented, should result in an accurate
and quality-oriented historical asset repository and database, so that
historical assets may be quickly identified and located for historical
study, education, or other interest.
The system is a "grass-roots" driven system, which
should bring in a vast array of historically significant assets.
Being easily accessible, those persons with interest in any
particular asset will have great informational access, and potential
acquisition of copies, from anywhere in the world.
Copyright
~ Bruce L. Beal ~ 2006 ~ All Rights Reserved
