For your convenience, I’ve pulled together in one page the various standards and best practices for community engagement, public education, and historical interpretation at historic places and by historical organizations, including scholarship, curriculum development, visitor research, and staff training, as well as the broad range of public programs presented by historic sites, from tours and exhibits to publications and the Internet.  You’ll find “Best Practices” as a topic on the navigation bar on EngagingPlaces.net.

These resources can be used to:

1. Reinforce best practices among board members, staff, and volunteers.

2. Ensure a consistent high quality of experience for visitors.

3. Assist organizations in developing strategic plans, goals, and objectives.

4. Provide goals for developing and improving the educational programs and historical interpretation.

5. Assess the performance of interpretation and programming.

6. Establish performance standards for vendors, contractors, and consultants.

I’ll update the list as new or better resources become available, and I’ll also be creating selective bibliographies on various topics.  Any suggestions, additions, or corrections?  Let us know by email or in the comments below.