Alan Brine Thesis Jan 09.pdf (1.23 MB)
Download fileInformation needs of historic houses
thesis
posted on 2009-03-13, 11:15 authored by Alan BrineIn the United Kingdom (UK) historic houses form part of the tourism and leisure
market. Heritage encompasses a wide variety of establishments including historic
houses, historic gardens, heritage centres, town centres, countryside and museums. The
UK has a vast cultural resource in this respect and the research intends to concentrate
on establishments that are known as the "built heritage" and that are often described as
"historic" or "country houses". Millions of visitors annually visit properties to
experience an insight into earlier periods of British history and culture. Many operate
similarly to small businesses and often have a more diverse range of needs.
A model was developed for the study to show the information needs of historic houses
and the information seeking behaviour of those managing historic houses.
Data have been collected both via questionnaires and interviews. The questionnaires
involved the investigation of those managing (owners, administrators, custodians)
heritage establishments. The interview questions were put directly to individuals
responsible for properties from a geographically dispersed area, with different
categories of ownership (English Heritage, National Trust, private, local authority) and
with different levels of visitor traffic. The survey focused on diversity of activities,
information provision, use of information, developments (including technology) and
collaboration.
Historic houses have been part of a growing sector, allied to the growth in the leisure
industry, which has led to increasing demands on their time and finances. In a world
that increasingly provides more information than can be handled effectively by any one
individual, properties need to be able to make effective use of this to protect the
heritage for future generations. Building on the empirical work recommendations are
made on policy making, education, audits, co-operation and technology to improve the
provision and management of information within the sector to support these
establishments.
The research represents the first study to investigate the existing situation of historic
houses and their information needs in the UK, to try and provide an overview of the
sector and information provision and how that might be improved.
History
School
- Science
Department
- Information Science