"By and large, various historical interiors are recreated for educational purposes and are connected with museum operations. The book is written with museum houses in mind"--Page xi

Respected museum professionals discuss contemporary issues and successful programs, and offer practical guidelines and information, up-to-date references, and lively illustrations in this wide-ranging volume. Interpreting Historic House Museums captures the big picture and important details. Its scope and accessbility will make it useful and relevant for both students and practicing professionals.

Because the subject for historic building interiors is so diverse, this annotated bibliography is not comprehensive, but selective in nature, and thus, may not list all of the references published on a specific topic. Includes those publications that are generally available in print or readily accessible in libraries. Covers: general and historical studies; conservation and maintenance; paint; plaster; metals; textiles; wallcoverings; floors and floor coverings; and wood. Also, includes systems and fixtures; rehabilitation case studies; inspection, evaluation and planning; and safety, fire protection, building codes and accessibility.

Drawing from innovative organizations across the United States, Reimagining Historic House Museums is an indispensable source of field-tested tools and techniques drawn from such wide-ranging sources as non-profit management, business strategy, and software development. It also profiles historic sites that are using new models to engage with their communities to become more relevant, are adopting creative forms of interpretation and programming, and earning income to become more financially sustainable. The book is a combination of a museum conference, a hands-on workshop, and toolbox. It contains five main parts: Fundamentals and Essentials Audiences Different Approaches to Familiar Topics Methods Imagining New Kinds of House Museums This authoritative guide from the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) will help house museum boards, directors, and staff seeking a path forward in rapidly changing times. Graduate programs in public history, museum studies, curatorial studies, and historic preservation will discover models and approaches that will provoke lively discussions about the issues facing the field.

Historic house museums can be found in nearly every city in the United States and Canada. These are the homes of the earliest settlers, statesmen, frontiersmen, great writers, artists, architects, and industrial magnates. These are the places, carefully saved and preserved, that represent a cultural heritage. Despite their popularity, it is not uncommon to find museums that are in poor repair, their collections neglected and their staffs grossly overworked. Many are run by well-meaning and hard-working volunteers who have little or no professional training. Often they survive on shoestring budgets and are able to present only limited programs. Serving both as a hands-on guide and reference, this book examines these problems, offering practical advice and solutions which can be easily implemented. Its useful "lessons" include governance, where to find help, care of collections, conservation, security, and interpretation--all designed to increase the professionalism of the historic house museum.

Interior Finishes & Fittings for Historic Building Conservation complements Materials & Skills for Historic Building Conservation, combining the history and application of each material with current knowledge of maintenance and conservation techniques. Of direct practical application in the field, it takes the reader through the process of conserving historic interior finishes, covering everything from decorative plasterwork, joinery and paint colour; to chimneypieces, lighting and fire safety management. The series is particularly aimed at construction professionals – architects, decorative arts historians and specifiers, surveyors, engineers – as well as postgraduate building conservation students and undergraduate architects and surveyors as specialist or optional course reading. The series is also of value to other professional groups such as commissioning client bodies, managers and advisors, and interested individuals involved in house refurbishment or setting up a building preservation trust. While there is a focus on UK practice, most of the content is of relevance overseas (just as UK conservation courses attract many overseas students, for example from India, China, Australia and the USA). The chapters are written by leading conservators, historians, architects, and related professionals, who together reflect the interdisciplinary nature of conservation work. This volume on the historic interior is the fourth of a series on Historic Building Conservation that combine conservation philosophy in the built environment with knowledge of traditional materials and structural and constructional conservation techniques and technology: Understanding Historic Building Conservation Structures & Construction in Historic Building Conservation Materials & Skills for Historic Building Conservation Interior Finishes & Fittings for Historic Building Conservation While substantial publications exist on each of the subject areas - some by the authors of the Historic Building Conservation series - few individuals and practices have ready access to all of these or the time to read them in detail. The aim of the series is to introduce each aspect of conservation and to provide concise, basic and up-to-date knowledge within four volumes, sufficient for the professional to appreciate the subject better and to know where to seek further help.