Office of the New Mexico State Historian

Description

Four strategies have been developed to help achieve the mission of the office of the State Historian. The first of these is research and interpretation, which is guided by the principle that advancing an understanding of New Mexico's history and culture is the fundamental objective of the Office of the State Historian. In this capacity, the State Historian is responsible for conducting comprehensive research and supporting scholarly and community-based research. The second strategy is educational programming and community outreach, which is based upon the idea that, raising historical and cultural consciousness requires a sensitive and creative approach in introducing complex questions for public thought and debate. This is accomplished in part by cultivating relationships and facilitating dialogue among communities and individuals. It is also accomplished through establishing a programming agenda that emphasizes commitment to education and community outreach. The third stratregy is informational services and is based upon making information on New Mexico history accessable, all-inclusive, and meaningful. As the Office of the State Historian continues to develop a comprehensive research agenda that includes an understanding of New Mexico's past, a concomitant goal is to make this knowledge readily accessible to the larger public. Finally, the fourth strategy is heritage preservation. This not only includes conservation but also the preservation of a "collective Memory." Specifically, it entails a commitment to participate in efforts to preserve the experiences of New Mexicans, their built environment, experiences, memories, and, in accord with the agency's mission, their written record. This strategy is also driven by the State Historian's statutory obligations to serve as a member of the Cultural Properties Review Committee, the policy making committee that oversees the Historic Preservation Division.