<p> This dissertation explores how Louisiana French cultural resources, specifically historic documents, oral history recordings, and photographs of colonial artifacts, might be rendered more digitally accessible for the purpose of preserving and promoting Louisiana's unique French language and heritage. Methods of action research design guided this study's investigation. First, I examined the needs of French speakers living in and around the city of Lafayette, Louisiana. Then, after reviewing several projects using information communication technologies, in particular projects from the fields of cultural computing and digital humanities, I conceptualized distinct Internet applications for French-speaking Louisianans and for people interested in Louisiana's French language, history, and culture. Three fictional, yet feasible narrative scenarios serve to illustrate how my envisioned Internet applications might function. Specifically, I propose how Louisiana French resources could be enhanced through technologies including (1) metadata encoding, (2) database interoperability, (3) social networking, (4) serious games, (5) voice-recognition applications, and (6) enhanced digital video subtitles. This dissertation also (1) looks at copyright issues concerning objects of cultural heritage and (2) discusses trends of cultural institutions&mdash;museums, archives, and libraries&mdash;that are currently adopting policies, which encourage the public to freely access, reuse, and redistribute text and image copies of certain institutional holdings. This dissertation concludes by recommending collaborative efforts between Louisiana public libraries, Louisiana universities, and the Digital Public Library of America, a national initiative seeking to digitize, preserve, organize, and present cultural heritage resources online to the public.</p>

<p> Modern studies of site distribution, utilization of near-coastal riverine resources, and the development of cultural complexity during the Holocene in southwestern Washington are hampered by the limited amount of data from previous archaeological investigations. This study of Willapa River Valley archaeology provides a context in which to interpret southern Northwest Coast near-coastal pre-contact archaeological sites. </p><p> Three areas for investigation became evident during the initial research phase and directed subsequent inquiries. The first dealt with prehistoric site distribution in the Willapa region landscape, the potential for locating sites, and site distribution patterns on the Willapa River Valley alluvial terraces. Bayesian GIS modeling and geomorphologic-based survey techniques identified a new sample of 26 localities representing approximately 10,000 years of occupation. Eustatic sea level rise, seismic movement, tsunamis, and fluvial processes formed the Willapa region's landscape, and promoted natural redox reaction formation processes within submerged archaeological contexts. </p><p> The second involved the pre-contact utilization of lithic, floral, and faunal natural resources, and how these adaptations relate to what we know from past work at coastal-adjacent midden sites. Excavation at the Forks Creek terrace site revealed a detailed chronology of a 2700 BP Willapa River Valley camp oriented toward the seasonal hazelnut, bitter cherry, elk, deer, and salmon resources of a fire-maintained prairie "garden" and the Willapa River. Microblades were manufactured for their technological qualities, illustrating similarities to Salish Sea "Locarno Beach" assemblages. </p><p> The third encompassed the archaeology of the Athabaskan Kwalhioqua, and addressed the potential for recognizing cultural enclaves in the archaeological record through the study of exotic obsidian and blueschist artifacts. Obsidian "wealth blades," blueschist clubs, and nephrite adze artifacts define a pattern of late prehistoric long-distance trade and exchange. The "Pacific Athabaskan coastal trade network" hypothesis poses that direct sea-going canoe trade occurred between Athabaskan cultures of the southern Northwest Coast within a counter-seismic ceremonial dance network prior to the great earthquake of AD 1700. </p><p> New insights into the prehistory of the Willapa River Valley are provided with consideration given to site location, age of occupation, cultural landscapes, and the position of the Willapa River Valley prehistoric occupation within the Pacific Northwest.</p>

The Legacy Resource Management Program, as legislated by Congress in 1990, is an attempt to provide the Department of Defense (DOD) with a pro -active program for identifying, protecting and maintaining natural and cultural resources on all lands under DOD jurisdiction or influence. Congress set aside funds to be used to establish and support the program in fiscal year 1991 and the Legacy program was included in DOD's FY92 and FY93 budget proposals. In addition to these efforts, the Legacy program places special emphasis on resources associated with Native Americans and on public access issues. The report herein was prepared as part of the Education, Public Awareness, and Outdoor Recreation Task Area of the Department of Defense Legacy Resource Management Program. The overall program is managed by the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Environment, with administration by the U.S. Army Engineering and Housing Support Center Natural and Cultural Resources Division. The Education, Public Awareness, and Outdoor Recreation Task Area is managed at the U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station (WES). This report is an assessment of current policies and procedures concerning Native American access to and consultation with DOD installations. The primary function of this report is to develop a bibliography of published material relating to Native American access issues on DOD facilities.

This is a slide show of selected photographs from the Big Springs Ethnographic Assessment US-95 Corridor Study.

<p> <i>Pis&eacute; de terre</i> or rammed earth is a building technique that has existed for over ten thousand years. Although this technique was first documented for Western Civilization by the Roman Pliny the Elder circa 79 AD, evidence of its use prior to his time is found in China, Europe, and elsewhere. Rammed earth achieved notoriety in the United States during three distinct periods in its history: the Jeffersonian era, the Great Depression, and the Back-to-Nature Movement of the 1970s. In the United States earth buildings are uncommon and usually deemed marginal or fringe. This is true even though at times the U.S. government has been a proponent of alternative building techniques, especially rammed earth. Intended for those interested in material culture, this thesis provides a brief history of rammed earth, articulates its importance to the building record of the United States, and describes methods for its preservation, repair, and maintenance. </p>

<p> Within the world of library collection and preservation, the focus has historically been on the dual preservation of physical form and intellectual knowledge as represented through symbols (text), images, metadata, and organization of information. Certainly, the philosophy of the library to "enhance learning and ensure access to information for all" (ALA 2008) is paramount in directing resources and collection development in response to the needs of the user community. However, research and educational material may be found beyond the explicit materiality of books and the text they contain; understanding and recognizing spiritual and cultural properties implicitly located within certain library materials may provide additional fields of research, as well as learning and collaboration opportunities. Using adjunct literature within the field of museum studies and ethnography, this paper proposes to discuss how simultaneous recognition of intangible and tangible properties of certain objects is relevant to the library. The special collections library is perhaps the best place where such considerations can be made - it is a library dedicated to preserving not only copies of each work, but variant copies whose tangible and intangible properties may vary from one another - though some examples may apply to academic or public libraries as well. The scope of this undertaking will include a discussion of the adjunct and related literature from the museum world, identification of books, or types of books that have spiritual or cultural values to be considered, collection of cultural or religious viewpoints related to identified materials from members of one of those communities that create or use these items (Buddhist), and discussion of how such findings can inform the ongoing operations of special collections libraries and their mission as cultural memory institutions.</p>

<p> The purpose of writing <i>Using Geert Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions to Describe Cultural Differences between First Generation and Second Generation Vietnamese in the Vietnamese Church in America</i> is to affirm the existence of cultural differences within the Vietnamese American church between first generation and second generation Vietnamese Americans. The comparison is based on the categories of national cultural values according to Hofstede's research and measurements at the individual level. The acknowledgment of those cultural differences will help church leaders build effective communications and understanding and hence consolidate church unity. </p><p> Cultural differences between two generations in Vietnamese American church have created challenges in effective communications and in ministries working together amongst the congregation and at the leadership level. Ignorance of those conflicts and neglecting to find solutions make the existing gap broadened and hinder the mission of the church. Drawing from scores Hofstede's study gave for Vietnam and for the US on the five cultural dimensions, the present research showed how close the degree on an individual level for first generation and second generation Vietnamese Christians is reflected the measurement on the national level with respect to each dimension. </p><p> In order to verify the hypotheses of this research, an instrument called HCD-VCA Survey, tailored for the Vietnamese American church context was created. This tool composed of twenty statements with four statements per each cultural dimension, and had the participant rate every statement on a six-point Likert scale. Each set of four statements and their associated scores considered as subscores was compared between the first generation and second generation group. </p><p> Result from survey data confirmed the distinct difference of standpoint for each cultural dimension between the first generation and second generation Vietnamese Christians in the church. First generation group tends to more readily accept the high power distance, has tendency toward high collectivism, toward masculinity, stronger uncertainty avoidance, and toward short-term orientation than second generation group. Their standpoints relating to power distance dimension and collectivism/individualism dimension reflected the national cultural values of Vietnam and the US according to Hofstede's research. </p><p> The findings of present research ascertained the existence of cultural differences between the first generation and second generation Vietnamese Christians within the Vietnamese American churches. This primary issue needs to be acknowledged adequately and studied systematically. It is important for church leaders to have full knowledge of culture-related issues in order to identify any cultural tension encompassed in other problems in the church. Church leaders must find ways to narrow the cultural difference gap between the two generations in order to reinforce church unity. The establishment of English language ministry for young people also needs to be encouraged and supported in every Vietnamese American church.</p>

<p> This dissertation explores how California history museums represent the history of children and childhood. This work is inspired by earlier studies in the fields of anthropology, sociology, museum studies, and public history that question and analyze the underrepresentation or misrepresentation of groups, such as women and ethnic minorities, in US museums. How US museums represent children and their history has yet to receive scholarly attention. </p><p> This dissertation contributes to filling this gap in the literature and bases its conclusions on a state-wide survey of more than 200 California museums, interviews with 110 museum professionals or volunteers, site visits to 40 museums, and in-depth field research at 10 museums. I argue that too often the experiences, stories, and contributions of children are overlooked, absent, or marginalized in California history museums. When representations of children's history do emerge, they often reflect ideals rather than realities, universalize the historical experience of childhood, and, in the process, romanticize the past. This dissertation acknowledges obstacles that get in the way of richer representation and offers potential solutions.</p><p> During my study it became clear that multiple meanings of children's history are at work in the California museum community: the history <i> of</i> children, history <i>for</i> children, and history <i> by</i> children. This dissertation examines each in turn and demonstrates how conceptions of children, many with deep historical roots, influence not only museum exhibitions but also programming for children. Central to this dissertation is the study of history <i>by</i> children at the Pasadena Museum of History, which provides middle-school students the opportunity to teach history as docents to younger children. Drawing upon my three years of participant observation at this site and interviews with forty middle-school students, I contend that inviting children to participate, create, and co-produce in museum spaces improves children's attitudes towards museums, enriches representation, and brings to light perspectives that may otherwise remain marginalized.</p>

<p> This study explored the culturally driven variables in the marketing process that contribute to a brand's success or minimize cultural missteps. The primary research question was: How are consumer brand organizations building capabilities and organizing to embed cultural inclusion and insights throughout the marketing communications process? Twenty senior-level marketing executives contributed to the mixed-methods study. Five critical variables were found to be consistent across industries: effective data collection, reporting, and integration are critical; leadership must be courageous and culturally skilled; strategic alignment around cultural inclusion throughout the enterprise and across internal and external stakeholders is necessary; culturally adaptive talent management is required; and an end-to-end focus and recalibration of the processes requires resource investments and a commitment to hardwire a refined approach. Recommendations for leveraging the variables included a greater focus on data integration, inclusive leadership development, process recalibration and development of cultural agility competencies, and knowledge sharing across industries.</p>

<p>This study involves creating archaeological predictive models (APMs) for Bradford County, Pennsylvania: a known site model, a regression analysis model, and a multi-criteria analysis model. The APMs show the areas of highest sensitivity for archaeological sites but utilize different methods so that the models can be compared. The thesis also compares locations of known archaeological sites and the areas of high archaeological probability to natural gas well sites to determine the impact of natural gas drilling on the archaeological record. Finally, the thesis addresses whether new archaeological sites can be located using different types of remote sensing. The goal of this study is to provide a planning strategy for the protection of cultural resources. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania statewide historic plan for 2012-2017 calls for the creation of a statewide archaeological probability map. This study provides a baseline for the future creation of predictive models for the state of Pennsylvania.