Heritage interpretation refers to all the ways in which information is communicated to visitors to an educational, natural or recreational site, such as a

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make th ...

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are green spaces set aside for recreation inside towns and cities. ...

science centre A science museum is a museum devoted primarily to science. Older science museums tended to concentrate on static displays of objects related to natural history, paleontology, geology, industry and industrial machinery, etc. Modern trends in m ...

. More specifically it is the communication of information about, or the explanation of, the nature, origin, and purpose of historical, natural, or cultural resources, objects, sites and phenomena using personal or non-personal methods. Some international authorities in

museology Museology or museum studies is the study of museums. It explores the history of museums and their role in society, as well as the activities they engage in, including curating, preservation, public programming, and education. Terminology The w ...

prefer the term mediation for the same concept, following usage in other European languages. Heritage interpretation may be performed at dedicated interpretation centres or at museums,

historic site A historic site or heritage site is an official location where pieces of political, military, cultural, or social history have been preserved due to their cultural heritage value. Historic sites are usually protected by law, and many have been rec ...

s, parks,

art galleries An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The lon ...

, nature centres,

zoos A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zool ...

, aquaria,

botanical gardens A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

nature reserves A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

and a host of other heritage sites. Its modalities can be extremely varied and may include guided walks, talks,

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

, staffed stations, displays, signs,

labels A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed d ...

artwork A work of art, artwork, art piece, piece of art or art object is an artistic creation of aesthetic value. Except for "work of art", which may be used of any work regarded as art in its widest sense, including works from literature ...

brochures A brochure is originally an informative paper document (often also used for advertising) that can be folded into a template, pamphlet, or leaflet. A brochure can also be a set of related unfolded papers put into a pocket folder or packet or ca ...

, interactives, audio-guides and audio-visual media. The process of developing a structured approach to interpreting these stories, messages and information is called

interpretive planning Interpretive planning is an initial step in the planning and design process for informal learning-based institutions like museums, zoos, science centers, nature centers, botanical gardens, heritage sites, parks and other cultural facilities where ...

. The thematic approach to heritage interpretation advocated by

University of Idaho The University of Idaho (U of I, or UIdaho) is a public land-grant research university in Moscow, Idaho. It is the state's land-grant and primary research university,, and the lead university in the Idaho Space Grant Consortium. The Universit ...

professor Sam Ham, the National Association for Interpretation, the US

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational properti ...

, and others, is considered best practice. Those who practice this form of interpretation may include rangers,

guide A guide is a person who leads travelers, sportspeople, or tourists through unknown or unfamiliar locations. The term can also be applied to a person who leads others to more abstract goals such as knowledge or wisdom. Travel and recreation Ex ...

s, naturalists, actors (who may wear period dress and do reenactments), museum curators, natural and cultural interpretive specialists, interpretation officers, heritage communicators, docents, educators, visitor services staff, interpreters or a host of other titles. The interpretive process is often assisted by new technologies such as visualizing techniques.

Purpose

Biscayne National Park H-ranger kids hermit crab

The goal of interpretation is to improve and enrich the visitor experience by helping site visitors understand the significance of the place they are visiting, and connecting those meanings to visitors' own personal lives. By weaving compelling, thematic stories about environmental phenomena and historical events, interpreters aim to provoke visitors to learn and think about their experiences. Effective interpretation enables the visitors to make associations between the information given and their previous perceptions.Moscardo, G.(1996
Mindful Visitors: Heritage and Tourism
, Elsevier According to Moscardo interpretation can produce 'Mindful Visitors' who are carefully processing information and negotiating the meanings of the observed object or intangible element. Interpretation is often used by landowning government agencies and NGOs to promote environmental stewardship of the lands they manage.

Definitions of heritage interpretation

"Tilden's principles" of interpretation

In his 1957 book, "Interpreting Our Heritage",

Freeman Tilden Freeman Tilden (August 22, 1883 – May 13, 1980) was one of the first people to set down the principles and theories of heritage interpretation in his 1957 book, ''Interpreting Our Heritage''. Tilden was born in Malden, Massachusetts, and devel ...

defined six principles of interpretation: For the past 50 years, Tilden's principles have remained highly relevant to interpreters across the world. In 2002 Larry Beck and Ted Cable published "Interpretation for the 21st Century - Fifteen Guiding Principles for Interpreting Nature and Culture", which elaborated upon Tilden's original principles. In 2011, Beck and Cable released a new version of their principles in "The Gift of Interpretation".Beck, L, Cable,T. (2011) ''The Gifts of Interpretation: Fifteen guiding principles for interpreting nature and culture''. Sagamore Publishing,

Interpretation organizations

2013 Orgelkids Doe-orgel toetsen verbinden aan de windlade

Association for Heritage Interpretation The Association for Heritage Interpretation (AHI) is a membership based organisation for people actively involved or concerned with heritage interpretation. AHI began as the Society for the Interpretation of Britain’s Heritage in 1975 and later ...

, UK
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* Association for Living History, Farm and Agricultural Museums, USA
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*Interpretation Latin América and the Caribbean
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* Interpretation Australia
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* Interpretation Canada
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* Interpret Europe
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* Interpret Scotland
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* Interpretation Network New Zealand
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* ICOMOS Charter for the Interpretation and Presentation of Cultural Heritage Sites, International
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* ICOMOS International Committee on Interpretation and Presentation
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* National Association for Interpretation, USA
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* Swedish Centre for Heritage Interpretation
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References

* Beck, L.; Cable, T. (1998). ''Interpretation for the 21st Century: Fifteen guiding principles for interpreting nature and culture''. Sagamore Publishing, * Hadden, Robert Lee.
Reliving the Civil War: A reenactor's handbook
. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 1999. * Ham, S. (1992). ''Environmental Interpretation: A Practical Guide for People with Big Ideas and Small Budgets''. Fulcrum Publishing, * Ham, S. (2009). From Interpretation to protection—Is there a theoretical basis
''Journal of Interpretation Research, 14''(2), 49-57
* Salazar, N. (2007)
Towards a global culture of heritage interpretation? Evidence from Indonesia and Tanzania
''Tourism Recreation Research'', ''32''(3), 23–30. * Salazar, N. (2012)
Envisioning Eden: Mobilizing imaginaries in tourism and beyond
Oxford: Berghahn, . * Silberman, N. (2006). "The ICOMOS Ename Charter Initiative: Rethinking the Role of Heritage Interpretation in the 21st Century." ''George Wright Forum'' * Tilden, F. (1957). ''Interpreting our Heritage''. University of North Carolina Press, North Carolina

Online resources

A Sense of Place - An interpretive planning handbook. James Carter

Basic Interpretive Skills - A Course Manual. Thorsten Ludwig

Definitions Project

Distilling the Essence - New Zealand Department of Conservation Interpretation Handbook and Standard

Heritage Destination Consulting Interpretive Resource Library

Heritage Interpretation Centres. The hicira handbookMuseums Galleries Scotland Interpretation Guidance

Tasmanian Thematic Interpretation Planning Manual

ShineNet.net, An on-line professional network for interpretation, environmental education, heritage education and non-formal education.
{{Authority control Hermeneutics Cultural heritage Museology Communication Environmental interpretation Heritage interpretation