INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION FORCULTURAL PROPERTY PROTECTION
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Reposted from NSCC
What is Interpretation?
By John A. Veverka
Many people have heard the word interpretation. Yet, this word may have a wide range of meanings for people based on their background, training, or experience in the interpretive profession. However, I feel that the best definition of interpretation is the one developed by a task force of Interpretation Canada which set out to develop the definition that would be used within Canada (1976). That definition has been picked up over the past 17 years by many other organizations, and is the one most often taught in university courses in interpretation. This definition is:
"Interpretation is a communication process, designed to reveal meanings and relationships of our cultural and natural heritage, to the public, through first hand involvement with objects, artifacts, landscapes and sites." - Interpretation Canada
It should be stressed that interpretive communications is not simply presenting information, but a specific communication strategy that is used to translate that information for people, from the technical language of the expert, to the everyday language of the visitor.
Where do the basic strategies, techniques and principles of Interpretive Communications come from?
It is important to remember that the communication process of interpretation did not spontaneously appear one day. Interpretation (the profession, and the techniques and approaches) are a wonderful mix from communication principles from many other professions including:
* Journalism
* Marketing
* Psychology
* Non-formal and adult education theory and presentations.
* Business management and finances.
* Recreation and tourism planning/principles
* Media planning/design principles.
In reality, we see the use of interpretive techniques and principles every time we see an advertisement in a magazine or on television.
Understanding the Audience
One of the key areas of knowledge that interpreters must have to be effective in their presentations is an understanding of how visitors learn and remember information in a recreational learning environment. A recreational learning experience is one where
the person has self-selected to attend or participate in a program for "fun". The "learning" that occurs is viewed as fun as well. Anyone that has a hobby, such as coin collecting, model making, studying aspects of history, bird watching, etc. is involved with recreational learning. We learn because we want to, and the process of learning and discovery gives us pleasure.
Want to learn more? Join John Veverka for MS 268: Creating Interpretive Gallery Tours
Starting September 14, 2026.
See Original Post
IFCPP 28TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE UPDATES Registration is now live for the International Foundation for Cultural Property Protection's 28th Annual Conference, Seminar & Exhibits: April 10–14, 2027 Baltimore, Maryland Hosted by the Maryland Center for History & Culture
The International Foundation for Cultural Property Protection's 28th Annual Conference, Seminar & Exhibits will be hosted by the Maryland Center for History & Culture (MCHC), April 10-14, 2027!
The Foundation's 2027 conference will be held at MCHC and Hotel Indigo Baltimore Downtown in the heart of the "Monumental City's" arts and cultural district. This not-to-be missed in-person gathering will include all-new conference sessions presented by industry leaders and local experts, security manager and director certification and re-certification, pre-conference workshops, excursions to several world-renowned cultural institutions, group meals, industry exhibits, out-of-the-classroom educational and networking events at host institutions, and our traditional lineup of outstanding presenters, timely topics, and networking activities.
Registration Just Released!!! Early bird, discounted conference and lodging registration is now available through August 21 at: IFCPP - IFCPP 2027 Annual Conference, Seminar, Exhibits at the Maryland Center for History & Culture
Schedule-At-A-Glance Check out next year's initial conference agenda at: Annual Conference Schedule at a Glance
Featured Workshop Pre-conference offerings include outstanding workshops facilitated by internationally-recognized subject-matter experts, as well as excursions to several local cultural institutions. Our first pre-conference Half-Day Interactive Workshop covers Crisis Communications for Cultural Properties of all size and scope - the first hour of a crisis often determines how the public, employees, stakeholders, and the media will judge an organization's response for years to come. While emergency operations focus on saving lives and stabilizing the incident, leaders must also communicate with accuracy, empathy, and credibility despite incomplete information and intense public scrutiny. This interactive workshop will provide practical strategies for communicating before, during, and after a crisis. Participants will learn how to develop a crisis communication plan, prepare spokespersons, build stakeholder-specific messaging, manage misinformation, and preserve public trust while supporting emergency operations. Presented by world-renowned expert and award-winning author, Dr. Jenni Hesterman, Colonel USAF (retired).
Featured Session Bridging Fire Protection Design and Insurance Risk Management for Nonprofits Meeting code requirements is not enough. For nonprofits with valuable assets, engaging your insurance carrier during the design phase can save money, reduce risk and protect irreplaceable collections. Imagine a heritage museum installs a state-of-the-art storage system to increase capacity, only to discover after construction that it requires additional fire protection not included in the original design. The result: costly retrofits, delayed occupancy and the risk of not getting insurance. Scenarios like this arise when an occupancy change alters the required protection. As an example, adding a storage system increases combustible loading, triggering higher sprinkler design criteria under both code and insurance. A system that once met code may now need upgrades to meet both. For nonprofits managing valuable properties or irreplaceable assets, this difference can create unexpected costs and significant risk. "Bringing your carrier into the design process early aligns compliance and insurability before the design or protection features become difficult or expensive to revise," says Deborah Freeland, Area SVP and Senior Property Risk Engineer, Gallagher. Key insights: • Early carrier involvement prevents costly redesigns. • Design to minimum code requirements may not offer full property protection. • Understanding how insurers assess potential loss supports stronger design decisions. • Factors such as building use, construction and hazards need to be considered during design to help meet property protection standards. • Having a full emergency response and business contingency plan can facilitate recovery after a loss. Debbie Freeland is a long-term member and past Chair of the National Fire Protection Association’s Committee on the Protection of Cultural Resources, which writes the National Fire Codes for museums, libraries, places of worship, and historic buildings. The scope of this committee’s work has recently been expanded to include security and protection from other natural and man-made hazards. She is currently chair of the task group working on the next edition of NFPA 909 - Code for Protection of Cultural Properties - Museums, Libraries, and Places of Worship. A fire protection consultant for over 35 years, Debbie has extensive experience in highly protected risk consulting, with special expertise in the protection of cultural institutions and their collections. She has worked with museums, churches, libraries and cultural institutions of all sizes in developing fire protection alternatives and programs to reduce their potential risk, and is at the forefront of developing new standards to address the protection of historic structures while preserving their historic fabric. Debbie joined Arthur J. Gallagher & Company, the world’s fourth largest insurance brokerage, in 1997 after working for 13 years with Johnson & Higgins where she achieved the position of Regional Engineering Manager covering the Western half of the United States. A graduate of the University of Washington, Debbie holds a B.A. in chemistry with an emphasis in biochemistry, then picked up additional chemical engineering studies. She is past president of the Southern California Chapter of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers and was elected by her peers as a Fellow in the Institute for the Advancement of Engineering and, more recently, Fellow of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers. Debbie has spoken at several National RIMS Conventions, American Association of Museums Annual Meetings, the Smithsonian’s National Conferences on Cultural Property Protection, the International Conference on Cultural Property Protection, Southeast Library Network, and at seminars on protection of collections, museums and historic buildings in Italy, Slovenia, Great Britain, Ireland, Scotland, Austria and several other European countries, and is a frequent speaker at engineering society meetings. She has served on the California State Fire Marshall’s Advisory Committee, and holds the ARM and CPCU designations. [insert Read More...]
Why Attend?
We look forward to welcoming you to Baltimore in April 2027!!! Don't wait to register to take advantage of significant discounts! Looking a bit further into the future - IFCPP's 29th annual conference will be hosted by the Sterling & Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, MA in April 2028 (on the heals of another big renovation). Stay tuned for details... International Foundation for Cultural Property Protection (IFCPP) Advancing the protection of cultural institutions, collections, staff, visitors, and communities worldwide.
ALL-NEW FREE WEBINAR SERIES AND Q&A FORUM Monthly Webinars Thanks very much to IFCPP longtime favorite, Dr. Jenni Hesterman, Colonel USAF (retired) for kicking off the Foundation's all-new monthly educational and resource-sharing series. Thanks very much Colonel for delivering an outstanding webinar on Protection Strategies for Insider Threats to Cultural Institution's! We very much look forward to your next presentation (and to your pre-conference workshop in Baltimore next April)! IFCPP's free monthly webinar series and live Q&A forum provides valuable educational content and resource-sharing throughout the year. Webinars will continue to feature recognized practitioners, subject matter experts, and industry leaders discussing current challenges, emerging threats, lessons learned, and innovative solutions for protecting cultural institutions and their collections. Stay tuned for a list of upcoming topics, with a wide range of timely presentations already scheduled each month into 2027...
Practitioners responsible for protecting cultural institutions, collections, visitors, and staff are encouraged to participate.
Reposted from Tim Richardson
Pause With Purpose: Learning, Living, and Leading More Fully
What if the key to better learning, healthier living, and more effective leadership is not doing more - but pausing more intentionally?
In a recent interview, I had the opportunity to speak with Jim Cathcart, a professional speaker, author, and longtime National Speakers Association member, about the value of pausing. He shared powerful insights on pursuing life harmony instead of balance, reflecting before reacting, recognizing our limits, and stepping back far enough to see what truly matters.
Here are a few lessons from our conversation that can help each of us learn, live, and lead with greater clarity.
After my recent National Speakers Association conference, I had the opportunity to interview Jim Cathcart, a professional speaker, author, and longtime member of the National Speakers Association, about why pausing is essential for learning, living, and leading.
Jim shared a simple but powerful idea: We should not pursue life balance. We should pursue life harmony.
Balance suggests that every part of life must receive equal attention at all times. According to Jim, that is impossible. Harmony, however, recognizes that different areas of life require different levels of attention at different times, different pauses.
Jim compared life to a guitar. Each string is tuned differently, but together, the strings create a full and beautiful sound. If every string were tuned exactly the same, the instrument would be limited and dull.
The same is true of our lives. Our health, finances, emotional well-being, relationships, careers, spiritual lives, and personal growth do not always need equal attention. But each deserves appropriate attention before neglect creates a crisis.
As Jim explained, if we neglect our health long enough, it will eventually interrupt the rest of our lives. The same can happen with our finances, relationships, or careers. The neglected area eventually demands our attention.
For more than 30 years, Jim has maintained a simple morning practice. He goes to breakfast alone with a blank writing pad – not to work through an existing to-do list, but to make room for his thoughts.
Sometimes he writes only a few words. Other times, he fills the entire pad. If nothing comes to him, he may begin with his most important goal and allow his thoughts to develop from there.
This practice began after Jim heard Earl Nightingale, an American radio speaker and author say that someone who studies a chosen field for one hour each day could become a leading authority within several years. That idea caused Jim to pause and ask himself an important question:
What do I really want to learn?
That question redirected his life and eventually led him into personal development and professional speaking.
Jim also emphasized that information does not automatically become learning. We can fill our minds with data, books, presentations, and conversations, but without reflection, much of it never truly takes root.
His friend Kevin Brooks once told him, “Without reflection, there is no real learning.”
A pause gives us time to ask:
Reflection moves information from temporary awareness to meaningful understanding.
Jim described another important reason to pause: We all have a limit for human contact, engagement, and decision-making. Think about an airline gate agent handling a long line of frustrated passengers after a canceled flight. At first, the agent may be patient, empathetic, and helpful. But eventually, the agent reaches a tolerance limit. The quality of each interaction changes. We all have a limit. When we reach it, we may need to step away, get quiet, walk outside, or simply disengage for a few minutes. If we ignore that need, the quality of our attention, communication, and work will suffer. A brief pause is not avoidance. It is a way to return with greater clarity and capacity. Jim said that one of the most valuable pauses is the pause that helps us identify what deserves our attention. In a chaotic meeting, leaders can easily become trapped in details and disagreements. A leader who pauses can rise above the immediate conflict and ask a more important question:
What are we ultimately trying to accomplish?
Jim begins and ends each day with gratitude. Before getting out of bed, he says, “Thank you, God, for this good day.” At night, he repeats the same words.
That simple pause helps him notice opportunities, reflect on what went well, and approach life with greater optimism.
Jim’s message is one we can all apply:
Pause before reacting.
Pause to reflect on what you have learned.
Pause to identify what matters most.
Pause when your capacity is running low.
Pause long enough to see the larger opportunity.
In learning, pausing turns information into understanding. In living, it creates room for curiosity, gratitude, and growth. In leadership, it helps us move beyond the issue in front of us and focus on the purpose that brings people together.
Sometimes the most productive thing we can do is stop long enough to think.
Reposted from AAM
CENTER FOR THE FUTURE OF MUSEUMS How Museums Can Resist Censorship Recent attacks on the Smithsonian have highlighted pressures on museums to suppress challenging content. But the source of censorship doesn't always come from the outside, says an expert, but from being overworked, overwhelmed, and in need of an easy escape route. Here's how resources from the National Coalition Against Censorship can help teams resist these pressures.
_____________ The Audience Engagement Tool Hiding in Plain SightBy Tara Kaushik If your blog is serving only as an ad hoc notice board, you’re probably not using your museum’s website to its fullest potential. Here are three simple content principles you can use to unlock this tool and bring audiences right to your digital doorstep.
_____________ Force MultipliersBy Kaziah I. Searles To square limited resources with growing calls for accessibility and engagement, museums can lean into the power of external partnerships. Here's how you can find the right partners and set your relationships up for maximum impact. See Original Post
Reposted from ReadyWhen
Heat, smoke, uncertain power—and a growing network of people getting ReadyWhen.
Heat, smoke, and power stress
ReadyWhen: From Albuquerque to Philadelphia
A national pathway, a tabletop on the move, and the people helping it grow.
Wildfire smoke is crossing state lines, while extreme heat presses electrical systems, public spaces, workers, and people whose health, mobility, or access needs make disruption more dangerous.
But there is another part of the story. Across the country, people who run cultural institutions, produce gatherings, protect facilities and collections, manage emergencies, welcome the public, and hold communities together are finding new ways to prepare—and finding one another. ReadyWhen is starting to move.
_______________
Next up · Free IFCPP webinar
August 26, 2026 · 11:00 AM MT / 12:00 PM CT / 1:00 PM ET · Live on Zoom
Cultural institutions can become vital anchors during disruption—but buildings do not respond on their own. Anchor buildings need anchor people. The real capacity lives in the people who understand the facilities, protect the public and collections, operate complex systems, maintain trusted relationships, and know what an institution can safely offer.
I’ll introduce ReadyWhen: The Lights Go Out, our facilitated, game-based preparedness experience, followed by a live Q&A and open forum for cultural-property protection professionals.
_____________
A national pathway
A decade of field practice enters a national room
Majestic Collaborations was invited to help design and co-convene Americans for the Arts’ new Readiness, Response & Community Care pathway.
We brought a decade of field practice through The Art of Mass Gatherings and a simple idea: the people who already know how to manage crowds, food, facilities, communications, volunteers, accessibility, and temporary infrastructure are part of a preparedness workforce hiding in plain sight.
The pathway creates a national room for that idea to grow—connecting arts leaders, local agencies, preparedness practitioners, and cultural institutions around what our sector can safely and usefully contribute before, during, and after disruption.
______________
From playtest to full release
The tabletop looks great now, but Albuquerque was also a real playability test. We’re gathering what participants and facilitators taught us—what moved easily, what needed explanation, where the choices became most interesting—and using that feedback to build the full release version.
The next step is a professionally printed and boxed ReadyWhen tabletop designed to travel well, set up easily, and be used in more rooms by more facilitators. We’re also developing an online version so geography doesn’t have to determine who gets to gather around the table.
And the invitations are already arriving. We’ve heard from people interested in bringing ReadyWhen to Kerrville, Los Angeles, Denver, San Antonio, North Carolina, and other communities.
One especially exciting potential partner has also approached us about developing an element—or a version—of the game that could help build preparedness within their own sector. It is early, but it points toward something we hoped ReadyWhen could become: a strong core experience that can be adapted without losing the ideas underneath it.
How do we turn the people, places, relationships, and operational know-how we already have into greater preparedness before we need it?
IFCPP's ALL-NEW CIPS OFFICER CERTIFICATION COURSE - ONLINE COURSES NOW AVAILABLE! Re-Introducing the Certified Institutional Protection Specialist program The International Foundation for Cultural Property Protection (IFCPP) is proud to have launched its new and improved basic security certification on July 30th . Updated course work for the Certified Institutional Protection Specialist (CIPS) online certification course is now available!!!
The curriculum introduces students to unique security challenges facing cultural institutions, while providing practical skills that can be immediately applied to daily operations. Whether you're new to the profession or looking to strengthen your knowledge, CIPS establishes a solid foundation in cultural property protection. Don't miss this limited-time introductory pricing. Enroll by August 15 and save 50%! For questions, group discounts, and additional Information, please contact us at: office@ifcpp.org or call 303.322.9667
IFCPP Protection Tip of the Month
Secure Doors Every Time
Every Unlocked Door Is an Invitation
One of the simplest—and most effective—ways to protect people, collections, and facilities is to ensure that every secure door is closed and locked when it should be. Whether it's a collections storage room, staff office, loading dock, or emergency exit, an unsecured door can provide an opportunity for theft, vandalism, unauthorized access, or safety incidents.
It's easy to assume someone else checked the door or that you'll "only be gone for a minute." Unfortunately, many security breaches begin with these small moments of convenience. Every staff member, volunteer, contractor, and security officer plays a vital role in maintaining the security of your institution.
Taking just a few extra seconds to verify that a door has fully closed and latched can prevent costly incidents and help safeguard irreplaceable cultural resources.
Best Practices
Professional Tip
Security isn't just about keeping unauthorized people out—it's about ensuring only authorized individuals have access to the right spaces at the right time. A securely closed door is one of the simplest and most effective barriers protecting your people, collections, and mission.
IFCPP Reminder
Every employee, volunteer, contractor, and visitor plays a role in protecting our cultural institutions. Small, consistent security habits—like ensuring doors are properly secured—help preserve our people, our collections, and our shared cultural heritage.
Together, we strengthen security—one action at a time.
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