MC DAVID, Carol (University of Cambridge)
FROM ARCHAEOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION TO PUBLIC INTERPRETATION: COLLABORATION WITHIN THE DISCIPLINE FOR A BETTER PUBLIC ARCHAEOLOGY (PHASE ONE)
This is Part One of a two-phase paper - a dialogue between two different 'types' of archaeologists: a "traditional research" archaeologist and a "public" archaeologist (see Brown abstract in this session). Both papers will explore, from different perspectives, the tensions and opportunities that arise when 'scientific' agendas meet public ones, and will critically examine whether 'within-archaeology' collaborations can enable archaeologists with different skills, priorities, and temperaments to create public interpretations of archaeology that are meaningful in local contexts and successful in professional ones. As the 'public archaeologist' recruited to develop public participation in the Jordan Plantation archaeology, I will focus on issues of authorship and ownership as they have arisen in this collaborative project. This paper will also serve as the introduction to the session.

BROWN, Kenneth L. (University of Houston)
FROM ARCHAEOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION TO PUBLIC INTERPRETATION: COLLABORATION WITHIN THE DISCIPLINE FOR A BETTER PUBLIC ARCHAEOLOGY - PHASE TWO
This is Part Two of a dialogue between two archaeologists (see McDavid abstract, this session). As the "research archaeologist" at the Levi Jordan and Frogmore Manor Plantations, I saw the need for the public, especially descendant, involvement in these projects. Initially I saw this as a way to provide interpretations to be tested within archaeological contexts. However, I soon learned that descendant involvement could lead to radically different questions about the past, and to different ways of looking at continuities between past and present. This paper will discuss the role of descendant and public involvement in the research process, especially in terms of additions and changes to the interpretive process. It will also address some questions surrounding debates being "contested" over the issue of "interpretation at the trowel's edge", the "direct historical approach", and the archaeology of culture change within the context of the use of descendant and public interpretations.

HATTON, Alf (Hunterian Museum/University of Glasgow)
AN ETHNOMETHODOLOGICAL STUDY OF STRATEGIC DECISION-MAKING IN UK MUSEUMS
The museums literature is littered with promises of what museums can do, but the reality of museum services to the public seems less expansive. This leads to thinking about museums management: is there a deficiency in training, opportunity, mindset, or something else? Do museums have missions - Yes. So, what is a 'strategic decision' in terms of a museum? This paper will discuss a study in which museum directors in the United Kingdom reveal what they regard as a 'strategic decision'; the results suggest a professional heuristic that operates in both negative and positive ways for their museums.

BRAUER, George (Center for Archaeology/ Office of Social Studies/ Baltimore County Public Schools)
HOW AN EDUCATOR WOULD DO IT: USING THE PETER GOFF TENANT HOUSE MUSEUM AS AN INSTRUCTIONAL TOOL
How can archaeology, as utilized within a house museum experience, help students gain empathy for those who lived in the past? Engender community pride? Create a sense of ownership in the past? Understand the importance of site preservation? In this paper, a social studies educator will talk to archaeologists about these 'educational' - not just archaeological - questions. Excavated, rebuilt, and conserved/curated by students as part of the ongoing curriculum in the Baltimore County Public Schools, the Peter Goff Tenant House Museum now serves as part of an oral and visual historical interpretation activity, demonstrating the value of the study of material culture and providing students with an on-site contextual framework for interpreting excavated material remains. How this project works in educational terms will be critically examined, and the differences between (and the overlap of) educational and archaeological agendas will be discussed.

KILLEBREW, Ann E. , Neil A. Silberman, Dirk Callebaut, and Daniel Pletinckx (Ename Center for Public Archaeology, Belgium)
NEW DIRECTIONS IN PUBLIC ARCHAEOLOGY: A VIEW FROM EUROPE AND THE MIDDLE EAST
The concept of a public archaeology and accountability to a broad and multiple public is beginning to be implemented at an increasing number of archaeological sites worldwide. Several difficulties, both technical and ethical, arise in the presentation of archaeology to diverse publics on a local and global level. Is it possible to incorporate multiple historical narratives, including controversial issues, in an educational, informative, and enjoyable manner that takes into account the visible as well as invisible peoples of the past? Several experimental attempts to deal with these issues at selected sites in Europe and the Middle East are included for discussion.

DERRY, Linda (Alabama Historical Commission)
CONSEQUENCES OF INVOLVING ARCHAEOLOGY IN CONTEMPORARY COMMUNITY ISSUES
Ten years ago, when I first read Ian Hodder's article in American Antiquity entitled, "Interpretive Archaeology" (1991:7-18), I, an employee of my state's historic preservation office, had been given the impossible task of acquiring, preserving, and interpreting a large archaeological site with a woefully inadequate budget. Hoping to garner the additional support needed to save this endangered site, I was busy learning to listen, understand and accommodate various community voices. So Hodder's vision of an active "doing" archaeology that got involved in contemporary issues was very appealing. I liked the idea that the living community surrounding the site could benefit from archaeological interpretations. In this paper, I will briefly outline a few of our attempts to make archaeology relevant to a diverse community. More importantly, I will also assess the consequences of this active "doing" archaeology for both the resource and associated contemporary communities.

GIBB, James G. (Independent Scholar)
PUBLIC ARCHAEOLOGISTS AS TEACHERS AND ACTIVISTS
Debates about the nature of archaeology, its relevance and role in society, often overlook a perhaps too obvious point: archaeologists - people - do archaeology. Any discussion about the field should include a consideration of its practitioners and their relationship to the field and, as professionals, to society at large. This paper examines the role of archaeologists in the USA and Canada, making the case for archaeologists as community leaders and activists, teachers whose special knowledge and understanding can direct social change in a positive way.

JEPPSON, Patrice L. (Center for Archaeology/Baltimore County Public Schools)
PITFALLS, PRATFALLS, AND PRAGMATISM IN PUBLIC ARCHAEOLOGY
Engaging the public means that archaeologists take on responsibilities that both complement and compete with their primary aim of 'researching the past'. Whether presenting data, sharing methods to empower others or tailoring pedagogy to meet curricular needs, publicly active archaeologists face a range of new choices/compromises. These 'choices' are generally made through a disciplinary lens calling for 'stewardship' or 'preservation' (i.e. preservation through enhanced public awareness). Drawing on examples from the formal education sphere, and incorporating a pragmatist philosophical position, this paper will evaluate discipline-based goals for public archaeology against the potential civic role that archaeologists could play in society.

NOBLE, Vergil E. (U.S. National Park Service)
SIGNIFICANCE VS. VALUE IN ARCHAEOLOGY
Archaeologists have struggled for decades to come up with reasoned approaches to assessing the significance of cultural resources with respect to the National Preservation Act. What an archaeologist considers significant, however, is not necessarily what contemporary society values. This paper examines the concepts of significance and value as applied to archaeological sites, with reference to public perceptions. Among the issues explored are those related to heritage tourism, especially reconstructed sites, and how archaeological sites compare with other cultural resources. Parallels with the environmental and historic preservation movements are also drawn.

BLACK, Eve (Independent Scholar - The Ma'agen Mikhael Ship Project)
FROM SITE TO PRESENTATION - EDUCATION AND PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS
The way archaeology is presented is the clearest expression of the value we place on the historical resource. As archaeologists responsible for both land and underwater excavations, the choices we make become the pivotal point in site processes and in determining what future educational role archaeology will hold - in its widest context. As the focus of archaeology in the 21st century turns toward cultural tourism, by addressing the crucial role of presentation we state, unequivocally, that knowledge, public perception and understanding of the past, awareness of tradition and the expression of a global connection are paramount in our considerations - otherwise, why do it? I will discuss the way this is being approached in two models in Israel: a monumental coastal site in its early stages of interpretation and a shipwreck, removed from its ancient home on the seabed and currently being prepared for presentation in a purpose-built museum.

BOYD, Varna and John P. McCarthy (Greenhorne & O'Mara, Inc.)
A CRITICAL CONSIDERATION OF "HANDS-ON" EDUCATION/VOLUNTEER PROGRAMMING: CASE STUDIES FROM CULTURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
This paper will present an overview and critical assessment of "hands-on" education/volunteer programming developed and executed as part of three cultural resources management (CRM) projects at Greenhorne & O'Mara, Inc. Using the Fort Frederick, Lorton Town Center, and U.S. 219 Meyersdale Bypass projects as case studies, this critical review will include pros and cons of public education/volunteer involvement in each case. Broader ethical and professional issues will also be addressed, including the appropriate role of volunteers in CRM. It will be argued that extreme care needs to be taken whenever volunteers are included in a project, especially when there is the intention of realizing cost reduction. Further, the paper will also argue that public outreach/education programs need to focus first and foremost on meeting community needs while maintaining professional standards of project performance.