Modernizing the National Register

Welcome to the web version of Modernizing the National Register of Historic Places: Towards an Open Data Framework (also referred to on this site as Modernizing the National Register), which was researched and written by Matt Kelly between 2022 and 2024.

A PDF copy of the report can be downloaded from the University of Oregon Scholars' Bank site.

The text of the report is shared under the Creative Commons CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.

Abstract

The National Register of Historic Places was established as part of the The National Historic Preservation Act, which was signed into law in 1966. This terminal project considered the role the information age has played in shaping the way data about the National Register is collected, stored, and analyzed and made available to preservation professionals, researchers and the public in general. The main question which guided the research project was: How can an open data framework inform the way National Register nominations are published and accessed as an institutional collection? The concept of an open data framework was introduced, and its relevance to the National Register was explored. A literature review revealed the prevalence of open data discourse in other allied fields, but less so in historic preservation publications. An online survey was distributed to the preservation community, and was intended to assess familiarity with open data principles and the use of digital research tools. The written responses were primarily open-ended, and analyzed using qualitative coding analysis. Survey respondents revealed an appreciation for the body of knowledge represented by the National Register, and also a desire for improved access to this data. A set of case studies presented examples of digital research tools that are relevant to preservation stakeholders, and explored the ways in which open data initiatives have informed the development and use of these tools. The last section paired findings about shortcomings of the accessibility of National Register data with recommendations on improving the usefulness and relevance of digital tools used by preservation stakeholders.

Web version

The web version of the report is broken up by chapters as follows:

Introduction

The National Register through a Critical Lens

Research Motivation and Overview

Conceptualizing the National Register

An Introduction to Open Data Philosophy

Literature Review

Survey Methodology and Design

Findings and Recommendations

Reflections and Conclusions

Acknowledgements

References

Appendix A: National Archive link calculations

Appendix B: Sampling of National Register listings

Appendix C: Resources with helpful glossaries

Appendix D: UO Research Compliance Services Review

Appendix E: Survey Responses

Appendix F: Survey Qualitative Analysis Code Summary

Appendix G: Colophon

Supplemental Material

The research was presented as a poster during the 50th Montana History Conference, which took place September 28-30, 2023 in Helena. https://www.ktvh.com/news/historians-flock-to-helena-for-50th-annual-montana-history-conference

Matt was awarded a student scholarship to attend the 2023 Association for Preservation Technology International conference in Seattle and presented a 10-minute talk on the topic.

A final presentation of the research was delivered at the University of Oregon on May 31, 2024 (link to recording forthcoming).