It’s only July, but the blogosphere’s already buzzing about job hunting. Sterling Fluharty talks about pushed up interview dates while Claire Potter has started a series of posts aimed at search committee chairs. We then link to a number of articles for after you’ve got the job, covering advice for teaching nonmajors, looking at how the internet affects how students learn history, and considering the re-occurring debate on for whom historians should write books. Then, hear about the challenges libraries face in preserving digital content, learn about the digitization of the Codex Sinaiticus, and find out why it’s so hard to get info about the National Archives from the National Archives. Finally, we link to 100 facts about Lincoln’s cottage, digital postcards and pamphlets from Emory University, and political conventions that changed history.

• Your Job Applications Are Due in 90 Days
  As a couple of posts have noted in the past week, the fall hiring season is already underway. Sterling Fluharty notes that a growing number of departments are moving up their interview dates to get a jump on other departments who wait to interview at the AHA annual meeting. We have been watching that trend with some concern, but it seems to be a sign that even the elite departments are feeling some competition for the best candidates. Claire Potter at Tenured Radical initiates a series about the responsibilities of search committee chairs.
• ‘Teaching Nonmajors’
  Scott Jaschik at Inside Higher Ed interviews P. Sven Arvidson, who has just written the book Teaching Nonmajors: Advice for Liberal Arts Professors.
• The Fate of History in a High-Tech Time
  Mark Bauerlein at the Chronicle’s Brainstorm blog laments the effects of the internet on how students learn history. His post has generated a bit of debate in the comments section.
• Why Historians Should Write Books Ordinary People Want to Read
  Jeremy Young takes up the perennial problem of "Why Historians Should Write Books Ordinary People Want to Read." This issue seems to go back to the time when the first academics started to put pen to paper (as the mid-1920s report on The Writing of History in our archives shows) but it never hurts to keep the issue alive.
• At Libraries, Taking the (Really) Long View
  Inside Higher Ed discusses the challenges libraries face in preserving digital content for the future.
• World’s Oldest Bible Goes Global
  This press release from the British Library announces the digitization of the world’s oldest bible: the Codex Sinaiticus.
• Hadrian and the Limits of Empire
  Neil Faulkner’s "Hadrian and the Limits of Empire," the cover story in the August 2008 issue of History Today, discusses the Roman emperor’s reign, his monumental cultural achievements, and the difficulties he faced when he extended his empire to the Middle East. (The article is free to access but registration is required.)
• Why Is It So Hard to Get Documents from the National Archives About the National Archives?
  Anthony Clark, a historian researching the history of presidential libraries, created a significant stir this month in the archival community with his essay asking “Why Is It So Hard to Get Documents from the National Archives About the National Archives?” Over at ArchivesNext, Kate Theimer sums up the discussion thus far and offers an insider’s perspective on the challenges facing NARA.
• One Hundred Things to Know about President Lincoln’s Cottage
  The President Lincoln’s Cottage blog is celebrating its centennial (i.e. first 100 blog posts) with 100 things to know about President Lincoln’s cottage. These 100 things will be presented through 10 separate posts listing 10 facts each. So far they’ve covered 10 Basic Facts about President Lincoln’s Cottage, 10 Facts about the Cottage Architecture, and 10 Places to Visit Near President Lincoln’s Cottage. Just seven more lists to go!
• African American Pamphlets & WWI Postcards
  The bookn3rd (you read that right) blog reviews two interesting digital collections at Emory University: a Portal for African American Pamphlets and a collection of WWII postcards.
• Parties to History
  Smithsonian Magazine’s August 2008 issue looks at four political conventions that changed history. Hat tip.

Contributors: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, Pillarisetti Sudhir, and Robert Townsend.

This post first appeared on AHA Today.