Page 310 - Manual for Activities directed at the Underwater Cultural Heritage

 © Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service.
Rudder of the Sydney Cove shipwreck on display in the QueenVictoria Museum and Art Gallery,Tasmania, Australia.
Education leads to appreciation, which leads to protection. People appreciate and value what they know about and understand; actually visiting a site provides an even stronger sense of connection. Additionally, fostering appreciation for one heritage site generally has the result of encouraging appreciation for other sites.
Ultimately, sites are discovered and protected, or looted and destroyed, at the local level and in the context of surrounding communities’ attitudes toward their past. Archaeologists have a unique opportunity, and, it may be argued, a responsibility, to provide local people and others with the information and ability to become an integral part of investigating and protecting their own cultural heritage, on land or under water.
General considerations on how
to inform the public
Project designs and budgets should take into account public outreach goals and the materials and products needed to reach those goals.
Team qualifications
A team member who is responsible for public outreach and education, along with archaeological responsibilities, is a necessary component of the project and should be considered as part of Rule 10 (f): composition of team and qualifications.
Many university archaeology programmes now offer courses in public archaeology and internships where students can practice strategies for public outreach and education. Alternatively, archaeologists often find themselves performing public archaeology due to necessity, gaining familiarity with public outreach through on-the-job training. The field of public archaeology is a growing part of the science, with ever more professionals focusing on outreach, education, and public interpretation of sites as primary research and career directions. A team member with prior experience, ideas for viable public programs, and the capacity to manage a project’s outreach plan will
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Dissemination