As you are all probably aware we take a very wiki approach to our data that has proved very fruitful.

We have many records that have been improved/enhanced by members of the public using the public comment function on Know Your Place. This can be in terms of location information (most commonly) or occasionally the descriptions or references.

 

At the end of the day we decided that to know and publish something of historical interest about a place is enough to justify and trigger something like a DBA request through the planning process thereby enhancing the record in the long run.

 

Ever the optimist,

 

Peter Insole

Principal Historic Environment Officer

City Design Group (Urban Design and Conservation)

Place

Bristol City Council

Brunel House

St.Georges Road

Bristol, BS1 5UY

www.bristol.gov.uk/citydesigngroup

www.bristol.gov.uk/knowyourplace

Tel: 0117 9223033

Fax: 0117 9224637

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I do on occasions try to indicate that a particular source or interpretation is unreliable

e.g. for Walsall medieval town:

‘Early accounts of the town include Willmore(20) and Homeshaw (21) though both contain errors and have been largely replaced by Pugh (3). Willmore's claim that there was a defence around Church Hill is mere speculation at the moment and his convoluted attempt to back this up by claiming Ablewell Street as a Norman French word meaning old wall is far fetched. (22)  The truth is more prosaic - a well called Able Well at the junction of Ablewell Street and Rushall Street is mentioned in the late 14th century. (23)’

 

If I just left these references out I know they would be constantly quoted back at me as most people seem to regard these Victorian sources as sacrosanct.

 

Mike

 

 

 

I think this a really good debate as to quite what our role is or should be – the ‘evidence base’ (presumably to be considered relatively reliable) or the ‘index’ (to all, good, bad or indifferent).  Like Nick I do add source references as and when I hear about them, though when creating a source record I add a note if I’ve not actually seen that book, article, map, etc.  Does this add some level of (in)validation?  Well there are lots of books and journals that we do have in our library which are HER sources and which I haven’t read that thoroughly, and anyway it would be impossible to be expert on everything (Mike’s point about someone with more specialist knowledge providing corrections is a very good one).  There have been a few past examples of developer-funded reports which have been considered so bad by the planning archaeologist that they haven’t been handed over to be added to the HER – but should I have entered them anyway?  I do screen out particularly crummy HER records from going online – Val’s desire about wanting it to make sense definitely strikes a chord – but when running an HER search on a particular area I try to correct any glaring mistakes, or at least make all entries intelligible.

 

To broaden this out philosophically, where do HER staff feel they fit into the pyramid model of data, information, knowledge and ..wisdom? eg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:DIKW-diagram.png

 

 

Best wishes

Sarah Orr
Historic Environment Record Officer
Culture and Environmental Protection  West Berkshire Council  Market Street  Newbury  RG14 5LD

(01635) 519805 | Ext 2805 | [log in to unmask]

http://info.westberks.gov.uk/HER

 

 

That’s interesting as that’s what I’ve been doing – nothing on line because I want it to make sense when it does – but now I’m checking the key things and am planning to release data in batches, as fundamentals eg: grid ref and short description are checked, having realised that I was never going to get the time to polish it to the extent that would satisfy me

Val

 

 

 

Yes I spent years saying I didn’t want to put my data on the web until it was all checked and sorted but was eventually persuaded that this was never going to happen and that it was better to put it out there, with the added benefit that it might encourage someone with specialist knowledge of a particular area to get in touch and provide additional information or correct any glaring omissions/errors etc.

 

Mike

 

 

 

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