Introduction

by Antoinette J. Lee, Editor

After nearly a year of planning, CRM: The Journal of Heritage Stewardship was launched in late 2003. It was a new phase in the 25-year evolution of the CRM "name," from CRM Bulletin, to CRM magazine, to the new CRM Journal. Part of a suite of cultural resources periodicals published by the National Park Service for the heritage community, which includes the quarterly Common Ground and the monthly electronic newsletter Heritage News, CRM Journal provides readers with an examination of trends and emerging issues in cultural resource management both in the United States and abroad. CRM Journal's mission is to broaden the intellectual foundation for cultural resource management and stimulate active dialogue among authors and readers.

So, how did our readers react to CRM Journal? We heard from more than 500 subscribers after they received their first issue. They offered thanks for the publication itself and its long record of service. They praised the new format and design. Some described how CRM Journal has helped them perform their duties. Several professors cited the value of CRM Journal in classroom teaching. A reader from England described CRM Journal as having "wide relevance beyond the U.S." A subscriber from India connected CRM Journal with his internship in the United States under the auspices of the United States Committee of the International Council on Monument and Sites. Another subscriber from New Zealand expressed her approval from the "other end of the world."

Who reads CRM Journal? Subscribers include staff of museums of history, science, natural history, maritime history, art, and anthropology and outdoor historical museums. They are professors of history, anthropology, historic preservation, public history, architecture, landscape architecture, ethnic studies, marine studies, and popular culture. Subscribers work for national parks, cultural resources consulting firms, State Historic Preservation Offices, Federal Government agencies, state parks and historic sites, independent consultancies, government archives, historical societies, city planning agencies, libraries, law firms, architecture and design firms, economic development offices, Native American heritage programs, professional associations, transportation agencies, housing authorities, parks departments, and offices that conserve art and other cultural works. The diversity of subscribers is a barometer of the diversity of the cultural resources field and the many entities and professional affiliations that are involved in preserving cultural heritage.

Where do CRM Journal readers live? Subscribers are spread across the United States—in major cities, older suburbs, smaller towns and communities, and remote locations, like national forests in the West. Approximately 1,000 are in countries in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Central and South America, and the Caribbean area, as well as Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, and Canada. The impressive number of international readers confirms the importance of cultural resources and heritage stewardship throughout the world.

How did these subscribers hear about CRM Journal? As CRM developed under the editorship of Ron Greenberg, its availability spread through word-of-mouth up to the mid-1990s, when only paper copies were available. With the Internet and email, the periodical became more widely known to the heritage community.

Understanding who our subscribers are helps us meet their needs and expectations. In each issue, we aim to offer current issues that cover the broad range of the field. We want every subscriber to find something of interest among the viewpoint essays, articles, spotlight interview, research reports, and reviews. We hope that the different formats help readers to delve into disciplines and interests allied with their own and gain a better understanding of how other professions address common cultural heritage challenges.

This issue again illustrates the many disciplines and interest areas in cultural resources work. It offers examinations of the historic preservation of South Street Seaport and Times Square in New York City, World War II home front heritage, historic house museum interiors, the tangible heritage of the civil rights movement in the United States, and the application of GIS and GPS technologies to the preservation of historic landscapes and to thematic groups of historic properties spread over large distances.

With this issue, we are also initiating a new Letters to the Editor section. We encourage readers to raise questions, provoke thoughts, and promote dialogue.

Please continue to send us your comments, reactions, and article ideas to NPS_CRMJournal@nps.gov or Editor, CRM Journal, National Park Service, 1849 C Street, NW (2251), Washington, DC 20240-0001. Thank you for your support! Our next issue is scheduled for January 2005.