[MassHistPres] Form Bs on line

[Heli Meltsner]

The Lexington Historical Commission created a comprehensive website  
that includes scans of the town's individual building, object and  
structure forms as well as area summaries; area forms; historic maps;  
lists of building plans; a bibliography and a style guide. See http:// 
historicsurvey.lexingtonma.gov/.

Heli Meltsner

On Apr 3, 2012, at 11:00 AM, Lee Wright wrote:

> Several have, Judith.
>
> Here in Marlborough, another volunteer from the historical society  
> board and I put ours online in 2008.  We spent roughly $50 or so  
> for a piece of software and did it all ourselves.  It was  
> straightforward--neither of us have any software development  
> skills-- and is explained in detail at the bottom of this page:  
> http://historicmarlborough.org/Creating_this_site.html.
>
> = Narrative: http://historicmarlborough.org/Architecture.html
>
> = Detailed listing: http://historicmarlborough.org/ 
> Property_Survey.html
>
> (We also uploaded them to the free document publishing site Scribd,  
> which makes them more widely available and allows anyone to embed  
> them in their site.)
>
> As you can see, it's very rudimentary, but it was cheap and easy.   
> And since we've had it online for the last four years or so, it's  
> become one of the largest traffic drivers to our site.
>
> However, compared to what's been possible for the last many years  
> and to what people expect, it's far from ideal.  Among other  
> things, theres is no linking within or between documents, no  
> automated mapping, which could incorporate StreetView, for example,  
> and no web-based platform for updating the information.  As a  
> result, we have legal documents online, not engagement with our  
> community's historic buildings.  The information is outdated as  
> soon as it's collected and is never updated until, typically,  
> decades have passed.
>
> Here are two innovative approaches that address different aspects  
> of these shortcomings:
>
> - http://www.placeography.org -- From the Minnesota Historical  
> Society.
>
> - http://www.whatwasthere.com/ -- A free site that makes it easy to  
> upload a photo of any location and compare that photo to the  
> present StreetView photo.
>
>
> I also believe that the state has been scanning them, but can't  
> find them online.  Perhaps someone else from the list can supply  
> the URL.
>
> Good luck with your project--
>
> Lee
>
> . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
> . . . . . . . . . .
> Lee Wright  | |  Marlborough, MA
>
>
>
>
> On Apr 3, 2012, at 10:15 AM, Judith Lund wrote:
>
>> The Town of Dartmouth is beginning to put its Form Bs, funded by  
>> CPC, on line on the town website for our citizens to see.  We are  
>> wondering if any other towns have done this.
>> Judy Lund, Acting Chair, Dartmouth Historical Commission.
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