May 09, 2007
From the Archives: History and Technology
By Elisabeth Grant
As yesterday’s blog post noted, the May issue of Perspectives has a theme: “History and the Changing Landscape of Information,” or more simply “history and technology.” After reading the May issue’s articles, it’s enlightening to look back at when Perspectives tackled this issue before, in February 1998 and 1999. Some articles include statements that humorously remind us how far we’ve come, while others ask questions that are still relevant to the discipline. Let’s take a trip down the history and technology memory lane:
February 1998
- The Historian, the Internet, and the Web: A Reassessment
by Andrew McMichael
“A majority of historians are now using e-mail, and the rest have probably heard of its potential from colleagues.” - Can You Do Serious History on the Web?
by Carl Smith
“Has the unregulated culture of the Internet made cyberspace a bloated refuge for work of questionable value that otherwise couldn’t—and shouldn’t—see the light of day?”
February 1999
- Have I Wasted My Summer on This Web Site?
by Joe Cain
“This article considers some of the relations between Web design and effective pedagogy. Web sites are worth the effort, but only if you think before you act.” - So That a Tree May Live: What the World Wide Web Can and Cannot Do for Historians
by Nicholas Evan Sarantakes
“My thesis is that the World Wide Web will help historians spare the lives of a few trees.”
