ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that the long-term accessibility of heritage relies to a great extent on perceptions of the future that are articulated in specific strategies of preservation. It addresses three perceptions of the future: one that assumes ongoing continuity, one that assumes controllable transformation, and one that assumes an eventual break in continuity. The chapter presents some examples from village of Hallstatt that illustrate how a continuity-oriented perception of the future can facilitate accessibility over several centuries. Archaeological finds and analyses document the life and work of prehistoric people in the Hallstatt high valley from the Neolithic period onwards, with organized salt mining documented since the Middle Bronze Age. Whereas archaeological finds and their documentation are preserved for future generations of researchers in scholarly collections and archives, safeguarding published archaeological research for the future in academic publications is the responsibility of research libraries.
