Highland Historic Environment Record: future directions and why

we need you

Sylvina Tilbury, Highland Council HER Officer

What is an HER?

• Historic Environment Record (often still referred to as a Sites and Monuments Record)

• An HER is a constantly evolving set of information which both informs, and is informed by, the work of the local authority and its partners

What is an HER?

• An Historic Environment Record stores and provides access to systematically organised information about the historic environment in a given area. It is maintained and updated for public benefit in accordance with national and international standards and guidance.’ Chitty, G, 2002, Historic Environment Records: Benchmarks for Good Practice

What is this “historic environment”?

• “The historic environment includes all aspects of our surroundings that have been built, formed or influenced by human activities from earliest to most recent times.” (Chitty, G, 2002, Historic Environment Records: Benchmarks for Good Practice)

Why do local authorities need an HER?

• Local authorities have the major responsibility for managing the historic environment in their area.

• In Highland, we are responsible for more than 40,000 known sites and historic buildings that have no direct legal protection

• Local authorities maintain an HER so they have access to the information they need to carry out this role effectively

What does the HC Historic Environment Team do?

• We are consulted on all applications for planning permission and listed building consent, utilities developments and Scotland Rural Development Programme

• Detailed advice given in more than 800 separate cases last financial year

Highland HER information in the Strathpeffer area

• Advise on the management and recording of archaeological sites and historic buildings (listed and unlisted)

• Specify and monitor planning-led archaeological fieldwork

• Provide advice and support to community-led fieldwork and research projects

Where does the HER for?An HER makes information accessible to all in order to:

• Advance knowledge and understanding of the historic environment;

• Inform its care and conservation;• Inform public policies and decision-making on land-use

planning and management;• Contribute to environmental improvement and economic

regeneration;• Contribute to education and social inclusion;• Encourage participation in the exploration, appreciation

and enjoyment of the historic environment.

What is in the Highland HER?Database of all known archaeological sites, historic buildings, finds and other historic landscape features:

• What is it?• How old is it?• Last known condition/state of

survival• Relevant published and

unpublished sources

What is in the Highland HER?

• Original record cards, derived from the Ordnance Survey records and added to over 25 years (scanned and held electronically)

• Where is it/how big is it?

• Links to information held by other bodies

What is in the Highland HER?Information about surveys and excavations, especially planning-related

• What was done?• When was it done?• Why was it done?• Where was it done?• By whom?• What was found?

What is in the Highland HER?

Supporting information• Copies of old maps, plans, manuscripts,

published articles• Fieldwork reports (so-called grey

literature)• Photographic collections (conventional,

slides, digital and aerial)

The Internet Age

The Highland HER has been available online since August 2008

• All paper file contents (except correspondence)

• Full database records and mapped features for sites and fieldwork

• Photographs• Reports, and more

Why do we publish the HER online?

• Environmental Information Regulations (Scotland) 2004

• Public authorities are obliged to make their information widely available, preferably electronically

• Proactive online publication is recognised as the most effective way to do this.

But more importantly

• Improve access for our existing users• Engage new audiences• Promote user involvement• Tap into and record the hidden knowledge

of individuals and communities

• Improve the quality of our records

Public contributions since HER went online:

• 1470 records updated with new information and/or photographs

• 2708 separate items submitted• 254 totally new records

Distribution of public contributions since online launch

Public contributions to the online Highland Historic Environment Record

28%28%

34%

5%

5%

Additional information

Correction

Local story

New photos for existing records

New records

How can people contribute?

• Email• Post• Phone

• Social networking!

• We strongly encourage discussion and debate, even within the records themselves!

Testimonial…

“The Highland Historic Environment Record is an excellent resource. Surveys, reports and site records are quickly assimilated into the HER and fully accessible to all. This approach encourages engagement… [and] the open and inclusive approach to record keeping encourages submissions and dialogue.”

Matt Ritchie, Forestry Commission Scotland Archaeologist

In any given year the Highland HER receives

• Around 150 new fieldwork reports with hundreds of new sites

• Updated listings and schedulings• Thousands of photographs• Hundreds of corrections, additions, new sites

from members of the public• Community projects generating huge amounts of

valuable information• RCAHMS surveys generating information about

hundreds of sites

Work smarter?

• Eyes and ears on the ground – encourage people to report their knowledge and findings

• Collective proof reading/fact checking – thousands of pairs of eyes to spot mistakes

• Find more efficient ways of getting information from the field and into the HER

The end result…

Or this?

Over to you!

http://her.highland.gov.uk

Questions

• How well do you think the Highland HER does its job, both the contents and online delivery?

• Where are improvements needed?• If Highland Council had unlimited

resources (we don’t!) what would be on your wish list?

• What can we do to encourage you to contribute?