ASALH-NPS Resources

Because all manuscripts produced through the OAH-NPS Cooperative Agreement are government documents, there are certain standards by which the manuscripts themselves must abide. One such standard that may be unfamiliar to researchers is Section 508 Compliance. Added to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 in 1998, Section 508 requires Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technologies (EIT) accessible to people with disabilities. Manuscripts produced through the OAH-NPS Cooperative Agreement qualify as PDF versions of traditionally printed assets, and are often made available on the park’s website. For this reason, these reports must be 508 Compliance. Means of aligning documents with Section 508 standards, whether in Word or PDF format, are outlined in the links and files below.

Additionally, in cases where images are used in manuscripts, said images should be accompanied by basic alt-text describing the contents of the image, and what it is the researcher wants the audience to take from the image. All submittals, including the final .pdf manuscript, must abide by Section 508 Compliance guidelines.

As custodian of the national park system, the National Park Service is steward of many of America’s most important natural and cultural resources. It is charged to preserve them unimpaired for the enjoyment of present and future generations. If they are degraded or lost, so is the parks’ reason for being.

Almost every park in the system has cultural resources, the material evidence of past human activities. Finite and nonrenewable, these tangible resources begin to deteriorate almost from the moment of their creation. Once gone they cannot be recovered. In keeping with the NPS organic act of 1916 and varied historic preservation laws, park management activities must reflect awareness of the irreplaceable nature of these material resources.