The first #HeritageChat of the new year was held on the 18 January, on the theme of evaluation. It explored heritage sector uses of existing evaluation data, and asked whether there is scope for a shared evidence base.
The topic of evaluation is a common thread in all of Heritage 2020’s work but is especially relevant to the activities of the ‘Public Engagement’ and the ‘Constructive Conservation and Sustainable Management’ working groups. The session was run jointly by @HeritageChat and by ERS Research & Consultancy @ERS_Limited. Participants discussed the types of evaluation data collected by and for heritage projects, purposes and benefits of the evaluation process, best practice and pitfalls. The discussion considered both quantitative and qualitative evaluation data: it touched on the differences between the data required by funders and the types of data required for internal planning.
Many contributors also expressed the need to secure greater buy-in at organisation level. Participants shared guidance, resources and ideas for better embedding and sharing of evaluation practices. A summary of the full #HeritageChat is available on Storify.