Preservapedia

What is Preservapedia?

Preservapedia is a free-content encyclopedia and knowledge base sponsored by National Center for Preservation Technology and Training . Unlike other online encyclopedias, Preservapedia focuses specifically on technical material related to cultural resource management and its allied fields.

Who is the target audience?

Preservapedia contains content from all disciplines related to cultural heritage. It is primarily intended to serve as a technical resource for cultural heritage management professionals (i.e. anyone engaging in work related to cultural heritage). End users include preservationists, architects, engineers, planners, conservators, lawyers, landscape architects, tradespeople, etc.

What types of information can I find there?

Preservapedia contains a wide range of content, from information about cultural heritage organizations to general articles about preservation topics. A few special types of content found on Preservapedia make the site a unique resource:

• Case Studies: Preservapedia contains case studies of preservation/conservation projects. This content is unique is a unique feature of the site, since many wikis do not allow users to submit what they consider "primary research".

• Case Law: Preservapedia contains a repository of historic preservation case law.

• Specifications: Preservapedia contains technical/construction specifications that detail specific preservation treatments. While most commercially-available specifications focus on new construction, this content area gives users access to a one-of-a-kind library of preservation-specific specs. The wiki platform allows users to modify or share their own specifications.

• Glossaries: While not a fully-developed area of the site, Preservapedia can be used to create industry-specific glossaries (like the ICOMOS-ISCS Stone Deterioration Glossary). The wiki platform provides an ideal framework for experts in their field to develop consensus over specialized terminology (e.g. what’s the difference between sugaring and granular disintegration in stone?).

Who runs Preservapedia?

Preservapedia is hosted and maintained by the National Center for Preservation Technology & Training, an office of the U.S. National Park Service.

Who owns the information?

Content is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License unless otherwise noted.

How can one contribute to Preservapedia?

Anyone can create content on Preservapedia. All you need is to create a user account. Once you log in, it's just like editing Wikipedia or any other MediaWiki site.

What types of information are needed?

Users are always free to contribute any content, however, contributions are especially encouraged in the form of case studies and technical specifications. A list of “Articles Wanted” can also be found on the homepage.

How is the information vetted or reviewed?

Preservapedia relies on its users to vet and review content. This is a key component of the wiki model—everything is open and all are welcome. The history of edits for any article is available through the “View History” tab at the top of every page. So, you can always see who has written what (we encourage our users to provide their real name in addition to their username).

The information is sound. We have found that, because of the specialized nature of the site’s content, contributors tend to have genuine expertise in their field and approach the site with the intent of making a legitimate contribution to the project. Editors are passionate about the subject matter and come to the site looking for a place to share what they know. This principle has worked for us since the project was founded in 2009.

That said, we need your help to make things better. We recognize that there’s always room for improvement. But we need your help to do it. If you see something wrong, fix it (that’s how wikis work!). If you can’t fix it, tag it with Template:Section-review or, if all else fails, send us an email at info@preservapedia.org

"Note: We do get vandalism (mostly by spam bots). It’s usually pretty obvious that these contributions are not legitimate and spam is regularly patrolled and removed from the site by NCPTT staff.

What format is needed?

Preservapedia uses MediwWiki software, the same software used by Wikipedia and the AIC wiki. A familiarity with wiki formatting is useful if you plan to edit articles. A wiki formatting tutorial is available on the site. You can also consult tutorials for Wikipedia.

Is there anything special I need to know to contribute to Preservapedia?

While no special knowledge is required to use Preservapedia, contributors are encouraged to add and edit content within their own expertise.

=== Who should I contact? ===

Contact Edward FitzGerald at info@preservapedia.org