I don’t see the visitor centers at our National Parks going anywhere anytime soon, but I can imagine fewer VCs being constructed and existing ones having shorter hours in the decades to come.  Increasingly, visitors are finding information (including ticket information) online before even setting out for their destination.  I myself spent the past few days searching Park websites to find the logistical details for our upcoming trip to Pennsylvania and Maryland, including the full complement of interpretive programming at Gettysburg for the summer season.  Social media have already changed the way the Park Service interacts with the public.  This trend will certainly continue and probably accelerate.

Digital technology increases the options of the consumer and puts the power in the hands of the customer, which are always good things.  My experience as a volunteer in the Interpretation Division at Ellis Island has taught me, however, that people still want that human interaction.  According to Laura Petersen:

. . . people still seek out rangers at parks they do not regularly visit. After pre-trip planning information was posted online for Yellowstone National Park, rangers expected a drop in visitor center activity, said Diane Chalfant, the agency’s deputy associate director of interpretation and education. “But what actually happened is the visitors came in more informed and curious because they had more in-depth questions to ask,” said Chalfant, who was Yellowstone’s chief of interpretation for 10 years.

The role of ranger is changing from providing basic facts and directions to discussing more detailed elements of the park. It means they have to know their subject matter in and out, Chalfant said.

Whatever does happen, it is safe to say that the NPS will look different even five short years from now when it celebrates its centennial.