The report commissioned Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service on Assessing the Value of Community Generated Research is out now and is available from the Historic England website.
The report has a number of very interesting conclusions and recommendations for the potential for community research to enhance HERs and Research Frameworks – and has highlighted interesting trends influencing the outputs of community research associated with the impact of external funding and professional advice.
This project was not about assessing the quality of people’s research, rather its potential value to improve the way we determine priorities and inform decisions on planning issues, research priorities and strategies for safeguarding the historic environment.
The survey of community groups included archaeological (terrestrial and marine), historic-building and local history groups and societies. The British Association for Local History (BALH) was a project partner as this project for the first time aimed to assess the potential research value of local history research.
Many BAJRites helped to add their views on this, and we are grateful to have been able to help uncover a truer picture of how community volunteers perceive archaeology and heritage – the barriers and benefits, the pitfalls and plaudits.
You can download the executive summary and full report below.
