Active/Reactive Postures:

"The sociological problem we face in guiding developments in this
area is society's propensity to wait to be negatively impacted
before taking notice and to attempt, after the fact of the
negatively impacting reality, to correct the situation, rather
than taking a pro-active stance." (Joseph, 1987)


How can we use the computer to better serve preservation? 

Preservation professionals need to gain a better understanding of
the specific information management needs of the preservation
process, and of the opportunities that contemporary technologies
represent as solutions to those preservation needs.  As a
consequence, the preservation community will be able to
effectively define and articulate the basic concerns that must be
addressed.  In expressing these concerns, it is essential to
anticipate the range of future issues that will confront the CRM
process.  A new "Bill of (Cultural) Rights and (Preservation)
Grievances", modeled on the Venice Charter, would give the whole
of the preservation community a basis for acting with a single
voice.  With a well defined foundation, CRM professionals can
begin to understand more coherently the present and future
dangers that threaten to diminish the integrity of historic
resources, and thereby devise viable strategies for mitigation
and resource protection.  By this act of anticipation, the
preservation community can assume an active rather than reactive
posture in forcefully preserving this nation's cultural heritage.

<ffile18>   Archaic CRM Methods
<ffile26>   Computer Literacy
<bfile18>   Meeting Management Needs (Current)
<efile20>   Technology and Preservationists