What We’re Reading: May 10, 2012 - May 09, 2012
By Nike Nivar, Allen Mikaelian, and Robert B. Townsend
Today’s roundup of interesting articles and links from around the web includes a look into an undergraduate project about the historical context of 9/11, a manifesto on the vocation of public history, the Smithsonian’s Bigger Picture blog, and more.
What We’re Reading: May 3, 2012 - May 02, 2012
Today’s roundup of interesting articles and links from around the web includes H-Net’s updated platform, digital projects in the humanities, historic photos from the New York City Department of Municipal Records, and more.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Matthew Keough, Allen Mikaelian, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: April 26, 2012 - April 25, 2012
Today’s roundup of interesting articles and links from around the web includes reports on the 2012 Jefferson Lecture, HNN coverage of the OAH/NCPH annual meeting, a look at never constructed buildings in Washington, D.C., the connection between history and law, 101 nonfiction stories, and more.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Allen Mikaelian
What We’re Reading: April 19, 2012 - April 18, 2012
Today’s roundup of interesting articles and resources found around the web includes the transfer of the space shuttle Discovery to the Smithsonian, the 2012 Guggenheim Fellows, records from the Titanic now online, and much more.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Pillarisetti Sudhir, Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: April 12, 2012 - April 11, 2012
This week’s roundup of interesting articles and resources found around the web includes videos on “Essential Questions in American History,” articles on using Twitter for professional development, resources for the 150th anniversary of the D.C. Compensated Emancipation Act, and more.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Allen Mikaelian, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: April 5, 2012 - April 04, 2012
This week we link to articles on the 1940s Census release, a new Civil War casualty number, the future of the AHA and other professional societies, and more.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, James Grossman, Vernon Horn, Allen Mikaelian, Pillarisetti Sudhir, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: March 29, 2012 - March 28, 2012
Read articles on analyzing text in historical documents, watch videos on digital innovations in the humanities from the 2012 WebWise conference, meet the winners of the 2012 Lukas Prize, and more in this week’s “What We’re Reading.”
Article By: Debbie Ann Doyle, Elisabeth Grant, Allen Mikaelian, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: March 22, 2012 - March 21, 2012
We begin this week’s “What We’re Reading” with articles on the Eisenhower memorial’s controversial design, the 2012 ACLS Digital Innovation Fellows, John McNeill’s push to save WWII stories, and a renewed search for Amelia Earhart. Read on to learn about restoring a collection at Howard University, a study on the history and the National Park Service, teaching without textbooks, and more.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, James Grossman, Vernon Horn, Matthew Keough, Allen Mikaelian, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: March 15, 2012 - March 14, 2012
In the news this week, $47 million in historic preservation grants are being awarded to states, the New York Times publishes an obit for Peter Novick, and the Cliopatria blog announces it’s shutting down. Also learn about the new e-book versions of the Foreign Relations of the United States, Google’s decreasing efforts to scan books, a new TED-Ed YouTube channel, an argument for the humanities, and more.
Article By: Debbie Ann Doyle, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Jim Grossman, Matthew Keough, and Allen Mikaelian.
What We’re Reading: March 8, 2012 - March 07, 2012
In the news this week, a new education bill has been introduced in Mississippi concerning partisanship in the classroom, noted historian Peter Novick has passed away, and the archivist of the United States has appointed a new director of presidential libraries. Then, find links to articles on Dan Cohen and the Center for History and New Media, e-books and distraction, teaching students to “do history,” and comprehensive exams. Finally, read about how the Miller Center at UVA is putting the presidential campaign in historical context, find lesson plans for Women’s History month, and, just for fun, check out the history of the “Keep Calm and Carry On” poster.
Article By Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Allen Mikaelian, and Robert B. Townsend.
What We’re Reading: March 1, 2012 - February 29, 2012
Did you know that just “3 percent of America’s historic landmarks document the history of women, African-Americans and Native Americans”? Learn more and hear about an effort to make U.S. monuments more inclusive in the first article of this week’s “What We’re Reading.” Then, meet past-AHA president and financial journalist Charles Francis Adams Jr., learn about historians’ thoughts on movies and history movies that have won Oscars, and read up on some award winners in the history profession.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Matthew Keough, Nike Nivar, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: February 23, 2012 - February 22, 2012
In the news this week, President Obama helped break ground for the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the U.S. marked the 50th anniversary of American space flight, and three finalists have been announced for the George Washington Book Prize. We also link to articles about a “hacker historian,” the upcoming 1940s Census web site, a look back at silent films, and more.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Matthew Keough
What We’re Reading: February 16, 2012 - February 15, 2012
In the news, Inside Higher Ed covers the AHA’s new “Tuning” history project, and Gettysburg College reports on the co-winners of the 2012 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize. Also find links to tracking history PhDs, careers for historians outside of academia, and how historians are using social media. Finally, read about a student’s discovery of a forgotten Malcolm X speech and a video on George Washington’s frustration with portrait painters.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, and Robert B. Townsend
What We're Reading: February 9, 2012 - February 08, 2012
We begin this week with the news that Wendell E. Berry will deliver the 41st Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities. Then, find articles on IRBs, AHA President-elect Kenneth Pomeranz, the National Archives exhibition of the Magna Carta, and restored Edison recordings. Finally, find teaching resources to prepare for Presidents’ Day and learn more about the history of Washington, D.C.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Matthew Keough, Robert B. Townsend
What We're Reading: February 2, 2012 - February 01, 2012
In the news this week, Humanities Advocacy Day is just a month away, an updated version of the report on the State of History Education has been released, and the Jane Addams Hull House Association prepares to close. We also link to C-SPAN’s American History TV, which recently featured a tour with National Museum of African American History & Culture director Lonnie Bunch, and which will air this weekend video of the Henry Luce session at the 126th annual meeting. Finally, check out an excellent collection of resources for Black History Month, held in February each year.
What We're Reading: January 26, 2012 - January 25, 2012
In the news this week, the National Museum of African American History and Culture struggles to find artifacts like slave clothing, Facebook deletes profiles of historical figures, and AAUP announces “University Press Week.” Then, read thoughts on an app for the American Historical Review, protests to a French effort to criminalize some historical perspectives, lessons learned from serving on the AHA Graduate and Early Careers Committee, and advice for students writing their dissertations. Next, read about two 126th annual meeting sessions (on crowdsourcing, and historians and archivists), and coverage from two news organizations. Finally, just for fun, learn about cakes through history.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Jim Grossman, Chris Hale, and Robert B. Townsend
What We're Reading: January 19, 2012 - January 18, 2012
Since Martin Luther King Jr. Day began this week, we start this post with related articles, lesson plans, and videos. Then, in recent news, the National Archives has awarded $2.5 million in grants for historical records projects, JSTOR announces its soon-to-launch “Register & Read” program, and Dwight Eisenhower’s granddaughters have issues with his memorial design. Finally, thoughts on experiencing a conference through social media, tips for a non-academic job search, ideas for reforming graduate education, and two links just for fun.
Article By: Debbie Ann Doyle, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn
What We're Reading: December 29, 2011 - December 28, 2011
In the news this week, articles on a firing and rehiring at ASU, Twitter in teaching and research, a look back at books not read, and an opportunity to interact with the National Archives holdings.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, and Robert B. Townsend
What We're Reading: December 22, 2011 - December 21, 2011
This week we link to articles on history graduate school education, cuts from Congress for history programs, Lynn Hunt’s suggestions for 5 books on the French Revolution you should read, chef José Andrés’ appointment to the Board of Directors of the National Archives, and a new website on Virginians in the Civil War.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Matthew Keough, and Robert B. Townsend
What We're Reading: December 15, 2011 - December 14, 2011
Discussions on Newt Gingrich’s history background continued this week with an invitation to join the AHA from former AHA President Barbara Metcalf. Then, learn what it’s like to be an intern at the National Museum of American History, look through 4,000 digitized pages of Isaac Newton’s papers, study curriculum for teaching about the nation’s finances, and read some of the best long-form articles of 2011.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant and Vernon Horn
What We're Reading: December 8, 2011 - December 07, 2011
In the news this week, historians debate Newt Gingrich’s history background, an AHA member is announced as a future nominee for an Obama administration post, and a UC Davis historian receives criticism for stating the Armenian genocide took place. Finally, look back at the 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor through archival records and oral histories.
Article by: Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Robert B. Townsend
What We're Reading: December 1, 2011 - November 30, 2011
In the news this week, the British Library has digitized 4 million historic newspaper pages, the Theodore Roosevelt Digital Collection is now available online, National Archives has joined HistoryPin, and President Obama works on government records management. Finally, two historians, Larry Cebula and Nick Sarantakes, offer opinions on the current state of the history job market and what to do about it.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, and Robert B. Townsend
What We're Reading: November 24, 2011 - November 23, 2011
Happy Thanksgiving! Today we give thanks for professors of the year, a Wikipedia initiative, librarians and archivists, and much more. Read on for links to articles on these topics and more. And if you missed it, be sure to check out our profile of Teachinghistory.org’s Thanksgiving Website from earlier in the week.
Article By: Debbie Ann Doyle, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, and Robert B. Townsend
What We're Reading: November 17, 2011 Edition - November 16, 2011
This week we bring you news of Nixon’s grand jury testimony being released, criticism of Bill O’Reilly’s book on Lincoln, an effort to honor teachers through the National Day of Listening, and the 2011 National History Teacher of the Year. Then, read about the challenges history museums are facing and see the future through the lens of the past.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, and Robert B. Townsend
What We're Reading: November 10, 2011 Edition - November 09, 2011
This week we link to the National Archives’ Docs Teach collaboration with National History Day, a collection of resources for teaching about Veterans Day, and an article about a Marine killed in action who leaves a legacy for history graduate students. Then, get a behind-the-scenes view of exhibitions at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, learn about the British Library Royal Manuscripts app, and finally, just for fun, check out Stephen King’s new book about time travel and changing history.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, and Pillarisetti Sudhir
What We're Reading: November 3, 2011 Edition - November 02, 2011
We begin this week with coverage on AHA Executive Director Jim Grossman’s latest Perspectives on History article, “Plan C.” Then, submit your nominations for this year’s Cliopatria Awards and learn where America’s Best Restroom is located (hint: it’s in the same city that’s hosting the AHA’s 126th annual meeting). Read on to learn about the new web-book, Writing History in the Digital Age; a story about a letter written on Hitler’s stationary; historic photos of D.C.; a new exhibit on prints from early modern Europe; and Washington State’s Open Course Library. Finally, since Halloween was just a few days ago we link to posts on historic haunted houses and history-themed Halloween costumes.
What We're Reading: October 27, 2011 Edition - October 26, 2011
This week we bring you more news on the federal proposal to change IRB rules, a link to registration for THATCamp, and an interview with a history student working for Occupy Wall Street. Also check out reports on a future National Digital Public Library, a new book from an previous AHA staff member, photos from the construction of the Hoover Dam, John M. Blum’s obituary, and the 2011 National History Teacher of the Year. Finally, just for fun, some historically themed pumpkin carving templates.
What We're Reading: October 20, 2011 Edition - October 19, 2011
We begin this week with responses to the federal proposal on Institutional Review Boards, articles on the new OpenClass free course management system, and the news that Monmouth University is the new home of the Bruce Springsteen Archive. Then, read about Twitter in academia, a new website on Indians of the Midwest, and Smithsonian History.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant and Robert B. Townsend
What We're Reading: October 13, 2011 Edition - October 12, 2011
This week we’ve rounded up responses to Anthony Grafton and Jim Grossman’s “No More Plan B” article, linked to Governor Scott questioning the value of liberal arts degrees (and the American Anthropological Association’s response), and noted poor storage conditions for the collections of the National Museum of American History. Also find articles on the history of protests in America, Steve Jobs’ archives at Stanford, distance education, Google Books and copyright, and a map showing the rise of newspapers across the U.S.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, and Robert B. Townsend
What We're Reading: October 6, 2011 Edition - October 05, 2011
In the news this week, Virginia has revised error-ridden history textbooks but historians still have concerns. Also, updates on the William Cronon e-mail controversy, a former National Archives employee pleads guilty to stealing sound recordings, a House bill proposes eliminating the Teaching American history program, and good news for print: more magazines were started and fewer were shut down this year. You’ll also find responses to President Anthony T. Grafton and AHA Executive Director Jim Grossman’s recent article “No More Plan B,” tips for conference goers, and more.
Article By: Debbie Ann Doyle, Elisabeth Grant, Jim Grossman, Vernon Horn, and Robert B. Townsend
What We're Reading: September 29, 2011 Edition - September 28, 2011
In the news this week, an archivist found a moon rock in former president Bill Clinton’s papers, historian Oscar Handlin has died at the age of 95, the National Archives is now on iTunes U, and students’ knowledge of civil rights history has declined. Then, listen to an interview with MacArthur Fellowship winner Jacob Soll, watch a TED talk on “Culturomics,” read an article on studying “deep history,” advocate for history education, and discover personal histories in report cards from the 1920s. Finally, just for fun, read an article on historians from satirical newspaper The Onion.
Article By: Debbie Ann Doyle, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, and Robert B. Townsend
What We're Reading: September 22, 2011 Edition - September 21, 2011
If you’re in the D.C. area this weekend you may be interested in the Library of Congress’s 2011 National Book Festival, which will feature talks by dozens of authors, including Eric Foner and David McCullough. Along with that news, we’ve also rounded up links this week to an interview with Jack Rakove on why he became a historian, actor Richard Dreyfuss’s Constitution Day talk, the Smithsonian Institution Archives new website, a free Civil War poster resource, and a digitized ledger from the New York Society Library. Finally, hear from MacArthur award winner and AHA member Tiya Miles on a controversial decision by the Cherokee Nation and read a review on the baseball history series The Tenth Inning.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, and Pillarisetti Sudhir
What We're Reading: September 15, 2011 Edition - September 14, 2011
In the news this week, JSTOR is now offering free access to content before 1923, interviews with Jackie Kennedy are released, and Twitterstorians celebrate their second birthday. Read on for two articles on public history, C-SPAN’s new program on past presidential contenders, a man who used his retirement to earn a PhD in American history, and Jennifer Howard’s look at the lineages of scholarship. Finally, look back at September 11, 2001, through oral histories and online resources, and look forward to this year’s Constitution Day with EDSITEment and TeachingHistory.org.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, James Grossman, Vernon Horn, and Robert B. Townsend
What We're Reading: September 1, 2011 Edition - August 31, 2011
In the news this week, the new Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial has opened to the public but features quotes that have left some scratching their heads. Then, consider signing up to be part of a Smithsonian Channel discussion about September 11. We also link to an experiment in crowdsourced article reviewing, a collection of pieces on music history, and the interesting origins of state park names. Finally, watch a video of highlights of the most recent National History Day and look back at the vacations of past presidents.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant and Robert B. Townsend
What We're Reading: August 25, 2011 Edition - August 24, 2011
In the news this week, the East Coast earthquake hits the AHA and historic buildings in D.C., Rolling Stone investigates the Securities and Exchange Commission’s document destruction, Footnote.com rebrands itself, and the Organization of American Historians posts articles on the Civil War. Also, read Eric Foner’s review of American Crucible, learn about the design process for the new Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, and find advice for chairing a department from Tina Fey. Finally, learn about stolen Lincoln documents that have been returned, help the Smithsonian chose Spanish language works to be digitized, and discover the records of Old Bailey.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, and Pillarisetti Sudhir
What We're Reading: August 18, 2011 Edition - August 17, 2011
Our roundup this week includes a new Teaching U.S. History blog, thoughts on the academic job market, and a TED talk on historic preservation. We also link to a post on the creation of the Historical Advisory Committee in 1957, decades of photographs available in the Flickr Commons, and combining modern photos with historic ones to gain a new perspective.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant and Vernon Horn
What We're Reading: August 4, 2011 Edition - August 03, 2011
In the news this week, online buzz about possiblehuman-subject research rules, judge orders release of Nixon grand jury testimony, increase in political science jobs, D.C. reaches temperatures it hasn’t seen in nearly a sesquicentennial, and a new translation is out for an 1830s autobiography of a “Muslim American Slave.” We also link to digital history articles on newly awarded digital humanities start-up grants, the new Historical Thinking Project website, and historians using digitized records from London’s Old Bailey courthouse. Also read a CNN contributor’s thoughts on the question“If students fail history, does it matter?” and the draft foreword of Dan Cohen’s new book. Finally, check out a collection of 10 historically significant recordings, Teaching Carnival 4.11, and the history of history tree.
Article By: Debbie Ann Doyle, Elisabeth Grant, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: July 21, 2011 Edition - July 20, 2011
In the news this week, a bill has been introduced to eliminate the NHPRC, the Minnesota Historical Society has closed due to a state shutdown, and Borders bookstores are no more. Then, the negative news continues with teacher performance bonuses being eliminated in New York, a new research report showing low numbers for the humanities, and research libraries facing limited resources. Read on for thoughts on Skype interviews and the expectations of history grad students. Finally, we round up a number of posts on preserving the past: smells from history, archiving the Internet, collecting oral histories, a Spokane History mobile app, an exhibit of U.S. presidents’ ailments, and a look back at bicycles.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: July 14, 2011 Edition - July 13, 2011
This week we start off with a look at the new Alt-Academy careers website, Android apps for academics, and an oral history tool. Then, from the news, an attempted historical document theft, possible cuts in the Census budget, and a rethinking of Robert F. Kennedy’s papers in the JFK Library. We also link to articles on the role of community colleges in humanities teaching, further thoughts on Google’s failed newspaper digitization project, and the movement (or lack thereof) of senior faculty. Then we turn to good old-fashioned books, with thoughts on how technology is changing their form, what scholars can learn from novelists, a small furor over a book review in the AHR, and some dismal new numbers on printed book sales. Finally, just for fun, read about the history of the hot dog and the pizza box.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Jim Grossman, Vernon Horn, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: July 7, 2011 Edition - July 06, 2011
In honor of the 4th of July, the National Archives put together a video on preserving the Declaration of Independence, and we’ve embedded it below. Also, check out links to Star Wars and History, the history of the future of food, a profile of Smithsonian employee Richard Rathbun, WWII conscientious objectors, and two historical mapping sites.
Article By: Debbie Ann Doyle and Elisabeth Grant
What We’re Reading: June 30, 2011 Edition - June 29, 2011
To begin this week, check out an article by Stan Katz on faculty productivity, learn about a recent workshop on environmental history, read a review of five new books on the Civil War, and discover a 12th-century murder mystery. Then, listen to an interview with historian Gordon Wood, consider a position as a producer of the Backstory podcast, find inspiration in National History Day, and teach the 4th of July. Finally, check out 4Humanities, Charles Darwin’s digitized library, arctic explorers, new online image galleries from the Freer|Sackler museums, and a new restaurant named after Abraham Lincoln.
Article By: Miriam Cunningham, Debbie Ann Doyle, Elisabeth Grant, Jim Grossman, Vernon Horn,and Pillarisetti Sudhir
What We’re Reading: June 23, 2011 Edition - June 22, 2011
We begin this week with some extensive coverage of the U.S. History report from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Both Jim Grossman and Lee White (executive directors of the AHA and the NCH, respectively) dissect the results and offer their thoughts. We also link to other articles with reactions from historians. Then, read articles on the winner of the 2011 Pritzker Military Library Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing, the 2011 National Book Festival, Art History PhDs, Kissinger papers, and 11 endangered historic places. We’ve also linked to three digital history posts, including a digital version of the Pentagon Papers, a new Russian history blog, and a Ulysses app. Finally, read thoughts on conferences and Twitter, and watch videos from Backstory with the History Guys and the National Archives.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: June 16, 2011 Edition - June 15, 2011
This week we note the bad news that no new Teaching American History Grants will be awarded in 2011, and the good news that the NHPRC has recommended $3.9 million in documentary editing and archival project grants. Also in the news, the Pentagon Papers are now available to researchers, the Legal Times blog provides updates on the efforts to release Nixon’s grand jury testimony, the Hathi Trust reports almost nine million volumes digitized, and a recent conference connects data with the humanities. A number of articles this month offer unique perspectives: first,Ed Ayers discusses the Civil War Sesquicentennial, the Chronicle’s Wired Campus blog looks at the pros and cons of crowdsourcing, Rachael Cristine Woody describes a day in the life of an archivist, and six students explain why they value their humanities degrees. Finally, just for fun, check out a Civil War playlist featuring modern songs that reference back to the war. If some of these articles seem familiar, you may have seen them earlier in the week on our Facebook wall and Twitter feed. We invite you to “like” or follow us, today!
Article By: Debbie Ann Doyle, Elisabeth Grant, Jim Grossman, Chris Hale, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: June 9, 2011 Edition - June 08, 2011
We begin this week with the question “How would you organize a high school U.S. history survey course?” This was asked by the NHC and NHEC at a recent panel discussion. Then, segue into a panel discussion of piracy at the recent annual meeting of the Association of American University Presses , check out what’s new online from the National Library of Medicine and EDSITEment, and learn about recently acquired Constitutional Convention documents. Finally, go behind-the-scenes to see a few of the 2.5 million historic artifacts housed at the National Park Service’s Museum Resource Center.
Article By: Miriam Hauss Cunningham, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Jim Grossman, and Matthew Keough
What We’re Reading: June 2, 2011 Edition - June 01, 2011
We begin this week with a link to AHA President Anthony Grafton and AHA Executive Director Jim Grossman’s article on “The Wrong Way to Lower College Costs.” Then, turn to the news of the bill to end Teaching American History grants, the declassification the Pentagon Papers and a recording of JFK discussing the U.S. space program, the announcement that David McCullough, among other authors, will appear at the Library of Congress’s National Book Festival this year, and the National Archives’ hiring of a Wikipedian in Residence. Finally, we round out this post with links to digital history: a digital reconstruction of 1814 Washington, D.C., the new Transnational Subjects journal (which will accept digital works), and a call for submissions at Writing History in the Digital Age.
What We’re Reading: May 26, 2011 Edition - May 25, 2011
We begin this week with the news that Google has ended its newspaper digitization project. Read also about an AP U.S. history teacher’s efforts to bring current events back into the classroom, a report about the decline of Western Civilization classes, and improving metadata by making it a game. Then, discover the histories of those who rest in the 60,000 graves in the Congressional Cemetery, and check out GE ads from the 1900s. Finally, just for fun, discover a few titles in historical fiction for young adults.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, and Pillarisetti Sudhir
What We’re Reading: May 19, 2011 Edition - May 18, 2011
In the news, a British request for oral history recordings, the last combat vetern of WWI has passed away, a new director is named at the Hoover Presidential Library, and the Library of Congress’s National Jukebox offers an online stream of music from 1901 to 1925. Also, William Deresiewicz considers the state of higher education in the United States, LA Weekly rounds up a list of historical documents worth checking out in California right now, and The Atlantic looks back at 30 years of nuclear testing.
Article By: Debbie Ann Doyle, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Kathleen Sheldon, Pillarisetti Sudhir, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: May 5, 2011 Edition - May 04, 2011
The major news this week was the death of Osama bin Laden, we link to the Newseum’s newspaper front page archive to examine reactions around the world (see also the front pages from September 12, 2011). In other news, a recent study finds National History Day students outperforming their peers, EDSITEment has a number of new items on their site for May, and the Webby awards recognize the sites of a number of history related organizations. We link to three archives links: an online Nazi-era records database, the papers of environmental activist Ellen Stern Harris, and comic-strip archivist Bill Blackbeard. Finally, read more about Drew Gilpin Faust presenting the 2011 Jefferson Lecture, consider how to help history majors find a job, see what an artist thinks the White House interior looked like from 1792 to 1902, learn about preserving camps and artifacts from African American “contraband,” or refugees, from the Civil War, judge Zotero vs. Endnote, and just for fun vote on the best facial hair from the Civil War.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, and Kathleen Sheldon
What We’re Reading: April 28, 2011 Edition - April 27, 2011
In the news this week, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellows for 2011 include three former AHA presidents and a current AHA Council member. Also in the news, George Mason’s Center for History and New Media has been renamed after Roy Rosenzweig. We then link to articles on historians’ thoughts on the federal budget (hearing from Jill Lepore and Richard White), an Australian who studies African American history, a look at what makes a web resource useful to researchers, and history on Twitter. Also, get ready for summer with recommended reading, new books in history, and NPR’s book reviews. Finally, browse images of 90 Years of African American History in D.C., and “atomic gardening” in the 1960s
Article By: Jim Grossman, Elisabeth Grant, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: April 21, 2011 Edition - April 20, 2011
To begin this week, check out the news from National Parks, including free admission during National Park Week and the recent decision to reject a casino from going up near Gettysburg. Then, read Robert Darnton’s article on how the new digital world doesn’t mean the end of print, hear Civil War Naval Songs, review the facts of Emancipation Day, and look back with IBM on their last 100 years. Finally, check out John F. Kennedy’s coconut message and Lego packaging from the 1950s.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, and Lee White
What We’re Reading: April 14, 2011 Edition - April 13, 2011
In the news this week, some federal budget cuts will affect history and the humanities, a professor earns tenure with help from his Wikipedia edits, a proposal suggests history programs for those making declassification decisions, and a new historical film, on Paul Revere, is in the works. Also check out links to the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library’s Flickr stream, the FBI’s online reading room, and a BBC maps documentary on YouTube. This past week also marked anniversaries of both the Civil War (150th) and spaceflight (50th). We round up a number of links on both.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Chris Hale, Vernon Horn, Matthew Keough, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: April 7, 2011 Edition - April 06, 2011
In the news this week, the shutdown of the federal government looms, Wikipedia wants to know why experts don’t contribute, EDSITEment offers resources for jazz appreciation, legislators preserve land for the National Women’s History Museum, Drake University is digitizing its student newspaper, and some historians question the presidential bios on the White House site. We’ve also come across a number of Civil War related links this week, including a collection of Civil War photographs, a Civil War soundtrack from the Backstory with the History Guys podcasts, and a look back at Jubal Early, “Virginia’s Bad Old Man.” Finally, we’ve rounded up more coverage on the William Cronon affair, including news that the University of Wisconsin-Madison will release a portion of his emails (excluding private messages) and found no wrongdoing on his part. This is supplemented with a statement of support from the American Anthropological Association, comparisons to other cases, and more.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Pillarisetti Sudhir, John Thornton, Robert B. Townsend, and Lee White
What We’re Reading: March 31, 2011 - March 30, 2011
In the news this week, some new ideas about declassification of historical records, Ken Burns announces Vietnam War documentary, and the LA Times checks out a Virginia Civil War sesquicentennial project. Then, learn more about reCaptcha, get advice on online images and copyright, peruse a roundup of women’s history, and take a look back at historic D.C. We also continue with more articles and news on the William Cronon affair. Finally, follow-up on the recently rejected Google Books Settlement through a number of links.
Article By: Miriam Hauss Cunningham, Elisabeth Grant, Jim Grossman, Chris Hale, Vernon Horn, Pillarisetti Sudhir, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: March 17, 2011 Edition - March 16, 2011
In the news this week, the National Library of Medicine announces its student volunteer internship program, teachers add over 1,700 activities in six months to the National Archives DocsTeach site, and the Hagley Museum and Library has digitized Enron documents. Then, read about the benefits of peer review, an interview with Robert Darnton on the Digital Public Library of America, and what conference goers want out of a mobile app. Finally, look back at the first electric car, learn about changes in remembering the Civil War in Charleston, hear the story behind old Australian mug shots, and travel back to 1900s Europe.
Article By: Miriam Hauss Cunningham, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Matthew Keough and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: March 10, 2011 Edition - March 09, 2011
March is Women’s History Month and this past Wednesday was International Women’s Day, so we begin our post this week with some women’s history resources from EDSITEment, a report from the White House, images of women and a look at women photographers. In the news, Bill Gates recently pointed out a history professor for his online course, French President Nicolas Sarkozy plans to make a French history museum, recent release of some historic D.C. maps, and historians join forces with scientists to investigate “the Leather Man.” Then, hear thoughts on historians and public issues, K-12 teaching, mathematics, and more. Finally, just for fun, look through Britain’s recently declassified UFO files, chuckle at some naysayers, peek inside the Shelby Foote estate, and learn some fake facts about James Franco (future PhD).
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Matthew Keough, and Pillarisetti Sudhir
What We’re Reading: March 3, 2011 Edition - March 02, 2011
This week we remember Frank Buckles, the last living American veteran of World War I until he passed away less than a week ago. While a government shutdown isn’t news yet, the Washington Post looks back to shutdowns in the past in preparation. Next, we link to two articles this week that advocate for more history education for the public. Then, read about the historical accuracy of recent Oscar films, and consider putting together your own film for a National Library of Medicine contest. Finally, catch up on two history carnivals, look back at William Steinway’s diary and W.E.B. DuBois’ students’ infographics, play an academic guessing game, and check out a new citation app.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, Jim Grossman, Pillarisetti Sudhir, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: February 24, 2011 Edition - February 23, 2011
History education is important to the AHA, and this week we begin this week with two links on the subject. First up, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences has put together a commission, which includes a number of prominent historians, to come up with ways to improve excellence in the humanities in the U.S. Then, we link to an article from The Economist, which emphasizes the need to improve history education, despite the push for an increased focus on math and science. Next, check out the redesign of the Library of Congress’ historical newspaper site, meet a new Russian history blog, remember the 1962 space flight through pictures, learn about 69 of Thomas Jefferson’s books that were recently found, and hear about the final victim identifications of the Triangle shirtwaist factory fire. We also link to Eric Foner’s appearance on the Colbert Report and the news of recently unearthed Lincoln documents. And just for fun, learn about movies shooting in D.C. this summer, and the historical figures they focus on.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: February 17, 2011 Edition - February 16, 2011
This week we’ve been reading about the 2012 federal budget (or the continuation of the 2011 fiscal year budget) and how it would affect the history and archival communities. Then, read about the rare map donated to the Library of Congress, the Civil War sesquicentennial digitization project, and an exhibit on video games that needs your help. Also, since Valentine’s Day was earlier this week we link to a podcast on the history of courtship, an article on Sweetheart candies, and 13th century illustrations of the heart. Finally, hear about a recently discovered wreck of an 1820s whaling vessel (and its connections to Moby Dick) and look back at Mary Surratt’s boarding house.
Article By: Miriam Hauss Cunningham, David Darlington, Kelly Elmore, Elisabeth Grant, and Lee White
What We’re Reading: February 10, 2011 Edition - February 09, 2011
This week we’ve rounded up a number of links related to archives: David Ferriero’s National Archives’ reorganization plan, the cost of digital archives, the New York Philharmonic’s digital archive, and a NHL team’s trip to the archives. Then, on the technology front, read about new technologies for teaching and scholarship, issues with citing e-books, and historians and textual analysis. Finally, learn about American silent films that were a recent gift from Russia, a Black History Month video on the contributions of African American women, a National Archives talk on Civil War cartoons, and a look at UC Irvine and global writers.
Article By: Debbie Ann Doyle, Elisabeth Grant, Jim Grossman, Vernon Horn, Robert B. Townsend, and Lee White
What We’re Reading: February 3, 2011 Edition - February 02, 2011
There are only a few days left to register for Humanities Advocacy Day, put on by the National Humanities Alliance. Consider joining in to lobby for history programs on Capitol Hill. In other news, a new U.S. History AP course is a year away, the National Archives has joined Foursquare, and Google presents a new “street view” of art museums. If you’re hungry for history this month you may be interested in a group of D.C. historians who meet to discuss decades old recipes, and a journalist who tried to eat like it was 1912. We also bring you two Civil War related articles on myths and 150th anniversary events. Finally, check out a site on Middle East teaching resources and a pocket gentleman’s guide from 1870.
Contributors: David Darlington, Debbie Ann Doyle, Elisabeth Grant, Jim Grossman, Vernon Horn
What We’re Reading: January 27, 2011 - January 26, 2011
First up this week, articles on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, human subjects research policies, and access to Kennedy records. In the news, Walmart has withdrawn its plan to build a store near the Wilderness Battlefield, a historian is accused of changing the date on a Lincoln document, and the White House has put the State of the Union Address on YouTube. See also the Digital Campus podcast on academic conferences, a wiki on history journal response times, and details about the Historians Against Slavery organization. Finally, C-SPAN has posted another video (America’s First Age of Terror) from the 125th Annual Meeting and the National Archives has put up a video on President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s farewell address.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, Jim Grossman, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: January 20, 2011 Edition - January 19, 2011
Start off today’s What We’re Reading post with the schedule for new National History Center talks, a proposed Virginia textbook bill, an iPhone and Android app from the National Archives, and a detailed look at the redesigned homepage of the Library of Congress. Then, we turn to university presses and digital books. Also read a number of articles under the broad theme of politics: political violence, presidential addresses, filibusters, and the Constitution. And finish up with articles on an assortment of topics as well as a second roundup of annual meeting related posts.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, James Grossman, Vernon Horn, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: December 30, 2010 Edition - December 29, 2010
This week we note an upcoming registration deadline for the NHA Annual Meeting and Humanities Advocacy Day, new errors found in a Virginia history textbook, history teaching in Britian, and advice for those interviewing for jobs at the annual meeting. We also link to an article on U.S. population migration over the past century, thoughts on citing e-books, some belated holiday history, and a look at the brutality of Medieval warfare.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: December 23, 2010 Edition - December 22, 2010
Starting off this week we turn to the Google Books Ngram Viewer, a new online tool from Google that allows you to search keywords and phrases in their database of 5.2 million digitized books. The New York Times, Dan Cohen, and T. Mills Kelly have spent some time with the viewer and lend their thoughts. Then, check out a roundup of images: a past and present photo contest from the National Archives, Alaska images from Smithsonian, and WWII Christmas-themed propaganda, also from NARA. Next, two articles look to universities, considering incentives for those who teach online courses and looking at the statistics on undergraduates. Read a number of articles on a variety of topics, including Eric Foner on Lincoln and Obama, a map of slavery from 1860, contention at Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, history failing on Broadway, James Madison and the Second Amendment, and professors roundup their favorite books of 2010. Finally, just for fun, the history of fruitcake.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant and Vernon Horn
What We’re Reading: December 16, 2010 Edition - December 15, 2010
Preparations for the steadily approaching 125th Annual Meeting meant there was less time to round up fun links this week, but we managed to find a few. We link to news of NEH awards, a list of 50 American History Blogs, a job ad for Founding Fathers, and a look back at the Boston Tea Party. Then, we came across a number of videos this week: go “Inside the Vaults” with the National Archives, watch the lessons of science historian James Burke, and hear how it would sound if Lady Gaga taught history.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant
What We’re Reading: December 9, 2010 Edition - December 08, 2010
In recent news, President Obama nominates Albert Beveridge for the National Council of the Humanities, the National Archives holds a Twitter contest, the National Library of Medicine presents a new oral history search, technology makes an eighth-century manuscript more accessible, and the Library of Congress posts a new set of Civil War photos. Then, we link to a few annual meeting related posts: Nicholas Evan Sarantakes talks about the “Careers in History” session, John Fea gives job seekers advice, and the New Yorker pokes a little fun. Finally, remember Pearl Harbor, check out new web site designs from EDSITEment and the National Archives, compare dissertation topics, and more.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: December 2, 2010 Edition - December 01, 2010
In the news this week, the National Archives National Declassification Center has announced a Prioritization Plan for releasing documents, Georgia shifts its look at the Civil War, the National Library of Medicine adds to its Frankenstein exhibit, and two sites offer ways to search wikileaks.org. Then, check out an art history online textbook, 50 useful apps, and Charles Babbage’s “difference engine.” Finally, remember JFK through pictures and read a little girl’s letter to Abraham Lincoln encouraging him to grow a beard.
What We’re Reading: November 25, 2010 Edition - November 24, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving! While you devour turkey this afternoon, enjoy some history about this day as a side dish. Two podcasts, one from BackStory and the other from the National Museum of American History, take a look at Thanksgiving from the view of the Puritans, Victorians, American Indians, and even a football player. Then, the National Archives has put together Thanksgiving history paired with related documents and images while the National Women’s History Museum has put together a video on women and Thanksgiving. And finally, the Tea Party considers the Pilgrims… as Socialists? In the news this week, learn about the 2010-11 Rhodes Scholars who have history backgrounds, check out an upcoming National Archives discussion on Lincoln and Haiti, discover how college students can apply to retrace the 1961 Freedom rides, and preview a film on the background of Billie Holiday’s song, Strange Fruit. We also link to maps (on your cell phone and in George Washington’s life), copyright and publishing issues, “archive” as a verb, cheating as a profession, books of the year, and a new film on Lincoln to be directed by Steven Spielberg and star Daniel Day-Lewis.
Article By: Contributors: David Darlington, Debbie Ann Doyle, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, and Robert B. Townsend.
What We’re Reading: November 18, 2010 Edition - November 17, 2010
Registration for the National Humanities Alliance’s 2011 Annual Meeting and Humanities Advocacy Day opened this week. This yearly event is a great way to advocate for the humanities to Congress. Speaking of advocating, we also point to an article by Antony Beevor, who argues for the importance of history in the classroom. Then, find a number of museum-related articles: a recent report proposed that the Smithsonian’s institutions start charging admission (and the Smithsonian responded), the National Archives holds a Civil War symposium this Saturday, and the Smithsonian’s Collections Search Center releases a video tutorial. Then, check out a blog devoted to Bing map mashups, Facebook now allows you to archive your data, Apple releases (for free) streaming video of The Beatles’ February 11, 1964 concert in D.C., and Wired takes a look at an 1,800 year old multi-tool.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: November 11, 2010 Edition - November 10, 2010
Today is Veterans Day, so we start off today’s What We’re Reading post with numerous links to poems, memorials, lesson plans, other resources about the men and women who’ve served in wars. Following that roundup we link to an article by Julian Zelizer on the recent midterm elections and the news that Google will be offering free WiFi on a number of flights this holiday season. Then, read some viewpoints on new media, digital history, the Supreme Court, and politics. We also point to two sites on the Civil War’s 150 anniversary, a podcast series from the History of Medicine Division of the National Library of Medicine, an article on using stories to teach history, info about “Follow an Archive” day on Twitter, a speech prepared in case of a disaster with Apollo 11, an 1899 film of crossing the Brooklyn Bridge, and just for fun, take a look at some historic Thanksgiving recipes.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, Chris Hale, Vernon Horn, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: November 4, 2010 Edition - November 03, 2010
We begin this week by linking to what others are looking forward to at this year’s 125th Annual Meeting: Medieval history sessions, digital history sessions, and the Cliopatria awards. Also, if you’re on the job market, The Chronicle’s has an article on reducing stress. Celebrate Native American Heritage Month with two articles detailing events, more resources, and recognizing a number of Native American women. We also link to three National Archives related pieces: on possible theft by an employee, a new report on changes, and a video on Civil War documents. Read three other Civil War related links, which note the upcoming sesquicentennial and some remaining myths. Even though Halloween is over, the Backstory podcast tackles some spooky stuff, we see some ghostly images in daguerreotypes, and Jane Austen had some frightening grammar. Finally, things get a bit political in two articles on the misuse of history in politics.
Article By: David Darlington, Debbie Ann Doyle, Elisabeth Grant, and Vernon Horn
What We’re Reading: October 28, 2010 - October 27, 2010
We bring you a variety of links this week, beginning with an article on the new George W. Bush exhibit, a new report linking the German Foreign Ministry and the Nazis, a Boston walking tour of an 1849 murder, world history through 100 objects, free wifi at the Library of Congress, and what Netflix can teach universities. Then, we note two online collections of photos: the Gottlieb Jazz Photos and New York City subway photos. Finally, just for fun, plan your Halloween costume by turning to the archives, and learn the evolution of the term “geek.”
Article By: Elisabeth Grant and Vernon Horn
What We’re Reading: October 21, 2010 Edition - October 20, 2010
In the news this week, Google is assisting in making the Dead Sea Scrolls available online in the near future, a Virginia textbook has been criticized for misrepresenting the numbers of black Confederate soldiers, and for those in the D.C. area, the U.S. Capitol Historical Society is hosting book signings today and next week. We came across a number of articles on scholarly writing this week. Check out the Writing History site (and submit your writing), a look at citations (and the lack of them) in popular history books, and two perspectives on Open Access Week. Then, we present two education-related links. First, EDSITEment has some spooky lesson plans and then Sir Ken Robinson’s talk on education gets animated. Finally, take a glimpse into the past with the National Museum of Natural History’s Africana Collection, a cell phone tour at the Seattle Art Museum, the Paul Revere House in Boston, one historic gastronomist, and NPR and a series of shooting gallery photos.
Article By: Miriam Hauss Cunningham, David Darlington, Debbie Ann Doyle, Elisabeth Grant, and Robert B. Townsend.
What We’re Reading: October 14, 2010 Edition - October 13, 2010
We start off this week with matters of the history profession, linking to a question from Dan Cohen about scholarly society meetings, a report from The Wall Street Journal on how satisfied history majors are with their careers, and an article from The Chronicle about the risks of citing digital sources. Read also about the ongoing legal effort to unseal Nixon’s grand jury testimony and hear what the American History Guys say about the history of the U.S./Mexico border. Next we look to news and articles on some online resources. The National Archives has announced a new plan to post documents of the Founders for free to the public, the DCRA is putting D.C. maps that span a century on Flickr, the Transcribe Bentham project looks for transcription help, Robert Darnton lobbies for a national digital library, and the Freer Gallery of Art displays some ancient bibles. Finally, we check out some recent books (and book events) and have some fun with The Onion and ancient Greece.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: October 7, 2010 Edition - October 06, 2010
In the news this week, the U.S. apologizes for tests on Guatemalans in the 1940s and Germany makes its last WWI reparations payment. Then, we bring you a number of Civil War related articles: the donation of 700 Civil War photographs to the Library of Congress, African American surgeons and nurses during the Civil War, looking toward the sesquicentennial, military communication from the Civil War to now, and part two of the “Discovering the Civil War” exhibit at the National Archives. Read on for articles from Deborah Kaplan on her late husband Roy Rosenzweig, Samuel Redman on archivists and historians, and The Chronicle on the Sustaining Digital History project. And finally, see the history of the bicycle, explore Detroit’s past, revisit slavery in the North, learn about the celebration of a historic oil spill, view Washington D.C. from 20 years ago, and chuckle at ideas of time share computing from the 60s.
Article By: Miriam Hauss Cunningham, David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: September 30, 2010 Edition - September 29, 2010
This week we announced the Survey of Contingent Faculty Members, and in today’s “What We’re Reading,” we link to Inside Higher Ed’s look at it. Also in the news is the National Research Council’s assessment of Research Doctoral Programs. Check out a number of links that consider this data. Then, read on to a Wall Street Journal article on the impact a school’s reputation on one’s future career. We also link to news on an upcoming Civil War Symposium and a new campaign to rename George Mason’s Center for History and New Media after Roy Rosenzweig. Finally, check out a push for the National Women’s History Museum bill, audio from the African American Political Scientist Oral History Project, a documentary on Daniel Ellsberg, another look at the Kennedy-Nixon debates, tracking down correct historical quotes, and a way to use Twitter to motivate.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: September 23, 2010 Edition - September 22, 2010
In the news this week, the American Library Association takes a look banned books, in an effort shine a light on “the harms of censorship.” Also, check out two links on digital history; one on history in the digital age and the other on spatial history. We then look to two sites, from the National Archives and the National Museum of American History, for information on primary documents and artifacts. Finally, read articles on painting and history, 45 years of teaching history, biographies of Washington, history in China, and jobs in historic preservation.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: September 16, 2010 - September 15, 2010
In the news this week, historian William H. Goetzmann has passed away, the AHA has joined with a number of individuals and organizations to unseal Nixon Testimony, and the National Book Festival has released its schedule. We also link to three videos this week, featuring James McPherson, the Library of Congress’s collections, and “citizen archivists” at National Archives. Then, read about journalism and history, analog tools, the bygone tradition of pocket notebooks, and the flow of the Mississippi River. Finally, just for fun, hear alternatives to the RateMyProfessor.com site’s “red-hot chili peppers,” and check out a new game at EDSITEment.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, and Vernon Horn
What We’re Reading: September 9, 2010 Edition - September 08, 2010
In the news this week, two historians have won Balzan Prizes for 2010, and the National History Center’s weekly seminars begin again for Fall 2010. Read articles on the humanities this week: the death of the humanities, education in the digital humanities, and digital humanities start-up grants. We also include two e-book related links this week. First, read the results of a survey from ACLS Humanities E-Book, and second get an e-book for free from the University of Chicago Press. Then, check out NASA images on Flickr, the National Museum of Natural History’s centennial resources, EDsitement’s Constitution Day links, Sean Wilentz’s take on Bob Dylan, and a talk and slideshow on the world’s oldest living organisms.
Article By: David Darlington, Debbie Ann Doyle, Elisabeth Grant, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: September 2, 2010 Edition - September 01, 2010
Article By: Miriam Hauss Cunningham, David Darlington, Debbie Ann Doyle, Kelly Elmore, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: August 26, 2010 Edition - August 25, 2010
The new school year draws nearer, and graduate students are gearing up. Read about what to expect as a grad student, what to consider when listening to advice, and learn about public history programs and the jobs they may lead to. For those already in the history profession, check out the Oral History Association’s best practices page, the problems of preserving digital materials, how to respond to negative blog posts, and a brief history of intellectual property. We also link to the National Archive’s YouTube channel, the Papers of the War Department project blog, the Digital Military Newspaper Library, the Library of Congress’s technology holdings, and color photographs of Russia in the early 1900s. Finally, read about an upcoming symposium on the Civil War, the history of D.C. monuments, obscure presidents, the fight for women’s suffrage, and preserving Scarlet O’Hara’s dresses.
Article By: David Darlington, Noralee Frankel, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend.
What We’re Reading: August 19, 2010 Edition - August 18, 2010
In the news this week CNN reports on a recently unearthed Civil War POW camp, and the artifacts found that belonged to Union soldiers taken prisoner there. Then, read up on two how-tos: how-to join the Twitter crowd and how to get students interested in history. We also bring you two links to image heavy posts. The first is 70 color photographs from the Farm Security Administration, while the second is a book of summer moments from the early 1900s. Finally, read about the controversy around a new Watergate exhibit, NPR’s look at the “Anniversary of a Lynching,” and a new series of biographies from Yale University Press.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, and Jessica Pritchard
What We’re Reading: August 12, 2010 Edition - August 11, 2010
In the news this week, historian Tony Judt has passed away at 62, and AHA member Richard Brown chairs the search for the new director of the Office of the Historian in the U.S. House of Representatives. Planning for the new school year? EDSITEment has put together collections of its most used content, and the ArchivesNext blog has picked winners for the Best Archives on the Web awards. Then we look behind the scenes with Dan Cohen on the One Week | One Tool project, learn the state of the e-book, and question Google’s count of all the books in the world. Also, read answers from historians, prepare for the job market, and learn about James Smithson. Finally, view some Department of Agriculture propaganda video, look at posters from East Germany and Boston, and learn about a medieval fortress being built in…Arkansas.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, and Rob B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: August 5, 2010 Edition - August 04, 2010
New this week, the FBI has released Howard Zinn’s security file, historian Michael A. Bellesiles attempts to shed past controversy, the National Library of Medicine digitizes a 19th century manuscript, the National Museum of American History puts archival footage to music, and the National Parks offers a free entry weekend. Then, read about the selective use of history, learn “What’s Wrong with the American University System,” and find the most current articles on disability history. Finally, we turn to the digital humanities. Learn about a new blog-to-book tool, “blended librarians,” the Library of Congress’s new app, and the University of Oregon’s learning community.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: July 29, 2010 Edition - July 28, 2010
Our timely links this week include an obituary for broadcaster Daniel Schorr, the first declassification report from the National Declassification Center, news on the 20th anniversary of the ADA, the re-release of Senator Byrd’s musical album, a brief history of data visualization, and a new site for creating courses. If you’re looking for a good read this summer check out NPR’s list of historical fiction. Finally, check out our collection of image-related links, including the Library of Congress’ Great Depression color photographs, Harvard Law School Library’s legal portraits, food posters from World Wars I and II, and some historic D.C. photos.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant and Vernon Horn
What We’re Reading: July 22, 2010 Edition - July 21, 2010
In recent news, two historians are among the 10 new fellows at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, the Supreme Court of the United States blog is looking for student interns, the AASLH has a new online community, Kafka’s papers are unearthed but not made public, and workers at the World Trade Center site have uncovered an 18th-century boat. Then read on for two teaching-related articles: first, students and scholarship online, then, teaching about the Bush presidency. Also, take a look at historians in public, the writing process, George Washington’s 101 rules, William Faulkner audio recordings, and more.
What We’re Reading: July 15, 2010 Edition - July 14, 2010
This week we’ve been reading a lot about digital scholarship. We link to Ed Ayers’ podcast on it, Google’s millions of dollars to support it, and a number of instances of it (podcasts, and blogs, and sites). We’ve also been reading about jobs, from tracking who got hired where to a recent survey on job satisfaction. Then, we turn to the Cold War and take a look at spies during that period, and how the Cold War has led to fear and anger in politics today. Finally, read about a new CIA documentary, forensics in the 1800s, and free online access to all of Andrei Tarkovsky’s films.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: July 8, 2010 Edition - July 07, 2010
Hopefully your summer includes a little vacation time. To aid you in planning where to visit, we start this post off with some links about museums: 12 history trips from the New York Times, simulations in natural history museums, how the National Archives preserves the Declaration of Independence, and a new exhibit review blog from the National Council on Public History. Then, while the noise of fireworks is still ringing in your ears, read about why July 5th is a day to be celebrated too, and NPR clears up some myths about the 4th. Summer is also a good time for reading as EDSITEment delves into To Kill a Mockingbird while the New Books in History podcast notes Jerry Muller’s new book. Finally, get acquainted with the U.S. House of Representatives historian, remember the Newport Jazz Festival riot, learn of EDSITEment’s award from the AASL, read about preserving churches in Britain, and grab your laptop and some coffee because Starbucks now has free wifi.
What We’re Reading: July 1, 2010 Edition - June 30, 2010
In the news this week, the Civil War Preservation Trust has sent a letter (with the support of 270 historians) asking Pennsylvania to reject a gaming resort near Gettysburg, Congress is meeting to discuss the National Historical Publications and Records Commission reauthorization bill, the National Science Foundation is seeking research proposals related to the Gulf oil spill, and the American Library Association rejects an IRB resolution. We also link to a number of interesting online resources this week: the new London Lives site and the Newberry Library’s Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. For teachers, read about the rewriting of history books and the complexity of military history courses. We also take a look back at the history of Supreme Court nominations, the first Japanese tour group, video of Market Street in San Francisco before and after the 1905 quake, and a 112 year old sunken ship. Finally, explore an image from 1937, from photographer Eadweard Muybridge, and from the Korean War.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Chris Hale, Arnita A. Jones, Robert B. Townsend, and Lee White
What We’re Reading: June 24, 2010 Edition - June 23, 2010
Last week the AHA announced its new report (with the OAH and NCPH) on how public history should factor in to tenure and promotion proceedings, and this week Inside Higher Ed takes note. In other news, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville gets set to digitize newspapers and California Newsreel announces this month’s free film preview. We then link to two articles on museums: one from Wired on the American Museum of Natural History, and the other from American Association of Museums. We also cover articles on a 1976 image from South Africa, teeth and history, and preserving Hinchliffe Stadium. Finally, a new online collection of letters, Victorian “yellowbacks” the New York Public Library’s menu collection, and just for fun a comic for history educators.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: June 17, 2010 Edition - June 16, 2010
This week we learned of the retirement of House Historian Robert V. Remini after five years on the job. See also a silly video from the University of Bergen (Norway) against plagiarism that comically crosses the line itself (how many film and television references can you count?), watch the finals from National History Day live online, read an NPR story about World War II’s oddest operation, learn of the Oral History Program at the University of North Texas, and follow the history of housing finance. Finally, it’s not too early to start planning for your trip to Boston for the 2011 annual meeting. Check out an article on the city’s best used bookstores.
Article By: David Darlington, Debbie Ann Doyle, Elisabeth Grant, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend
What We're Reading: June 10, 2010 Edition - June 09, 2010
In this week’s edition, professors argue that chalk and a blackboard are the only technology a good teacher needs, archaeologists find Roman history in England, archivists digitize records at the Ford Library, scientists look at the history of chemicals, the New York Times defends the humanities, and bloggers cover history conferences. See also articles on silent films getting a happy homecoming, exploring Einstein’s brain, and a patriot who refused to declare independence. Also, browse an online collection of advertising art, and meet at the intersection of history and exploration.
Article By: Miriam Hauss Cunningham, David Darlington, Vernon Horn, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: June 3, 2010 Edition - June 02, 2010
Is it time for a change? Tom Scheinfeldt thinks so, when it comes to c.v.’s and digital achievements, while Dan Cohen sees room for change in publishing and scholarly values. Read also about digital analysis of text by computers, the effects of photography on culture, and history as theater in Washington, D.C. Finally, for fun, take a look back at an article from the 1982 issue of The Atlantic, and remember computers of yesteryear. And check out a collection of gadgets (dating back to the 20’s) that just didn’t make the grade.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: May 27, 2010 Edition - May 26, 2010
Last week, former president of the AHA Jonathan Spence gave the 39th Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities. We start off this week with two related links on what he said. Then, John Fea live blogs the Texas Social Studies hearings, the National Archives uses Facebook to locate items and seeks comments for the National Declassification Center, and Mark Twain’s memoirs go public. Looking to digital history, Lincoln Mullen considers digital-minded humanists, Dan Cohen and Tom Scheinfeldt write a book in one week, and ProfHacker looks at WordPress for building web sites. Also read about how not to procrastinate, the ancestry of corn, and a mass murder in 1832. We also take a look at a number of objects this week: maps, a money order, and African American garments. Finally, just for fun, learn the history of men in tights and the ATM.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: May 20, 2010 Edition - May 19, 2010
We start off this week with the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 2010 list of America’s Most Endangered Historic Places. Then, hear about the Spring 2010 Roy Rosenzweig Forum, check out an upcoming New-York Historical Society seminar, take a look at the Washington Post’s photographic collection of oil spills through history, and peruse some of the Smithsonian’s more unique holdings. We also note two articles, one from The Chronicle and the other from Inside Higher Ed, on pursuing non-academic jobs. From the British Library, a new newspaper digitization project and a closer look at their online maps exhibit. With the approaching summer months in mind we look to two articles on homes and history. Finally, just for fun, have you picked up your copy of Twilight and History, picked up some tips from Leonardo da Vinci’s résumé, or learned the history of the toilet from Bill Bryson?
What We’re Reading: May 13, 2010 Edition - May 12, 2010
In the news this week, the ArchivesNext blog is looking for nominations for their “Best Archives on the Web” awards. We also feature two posts this week on online historical resources: new lesson plans on EDSITEment and a roundup of digital archives. Keep reading for links to articles on the academic job market (and a football player who almost got his PhD in history), how to read history books, a book review from Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, and using historical maps in one’s research. Finally, taking a trip this summer? Perhaps you want to stay in a hotel that owns a historic site.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: May 6, 2010 Edition - May 05, 2010
In the news this week, Virginia prepares for the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, historian Mary Beth Norton becomes a member of the American Philosophical Society, NPR remembers the Kent State shootings, and Richard Overy takes a look at academic history in Britain. Next, we feature three links on web sites: web site creation as a class project, Chinese public health posters on the NLM site, and the Cleveland Museum of Art’s well designed collections display. We also look to Twitter, with an article on the ramifications of saving the Twitter archives and another on how a Calculus II class is resurrecting Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz in 140 character bursts. Finally, we conclude with some fun: selling homes by telling their history, baking a 1919 cake, and taking a look back at the World’s Fair.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: April 29, 2010 Edition - April 28, 2010
We start off this week with a selection of articles on history and new media. First up, Slate magazine looks at how historians may use the Twitter archive in the future. Then, listen to a Digital Campus podcast on “social history,” read Sharon Leon’s series on “21st Century Public History,” and check out a new document on the National Library of Medicine’s Turning the Pages site. Following this are a number of American history related articles: K.C. Johnson looks at what’s “deemphasized” in the teaching of U.S. history, Inside Higher Ed looks at the Tea Party movement and the misconstruing of American history, the Legal History Blog notes a new journal on Civil War history, and more. Finally, a historian admits to dissing his competition on Amazon and NPR looks at “land bought by newly freed slaves in the 1860s and 1870s” seven generations later.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: April 22, 2010 Edition - April 21, 2010
In the news this week, 1,000 historians send a letter to the Texas State Board of Education, historians are among the 2010 Guggenheim Fellows, the Library of Congress archives Twitter (yes, all of it), the New Yorker reports on Stephen Ambrose’s faked interviews with Eisenhower, a new report reveals private colleges give out higher GPAs, and the military says school lunches are a threat to national security. Then, some thoughts on the history profession: economic history, fellowships and mobility, making history more interesting, and what to do with a history major. We also bring you links to three web sites: the Digital Humanities Now blog, a spoof academic news site, and the Miller Center’s site on presidents and their tax policies. Finally, learn about National Park Week, new National Park quarters, the Virginia Wartime Museum, connecting the present to the past through photos, and a history-centered cell phone walking tour.
Article By: David Darlington, Debbie Ann Doyle, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: April 8, 2010 Edition - April 07, 2010
It feels like summer in D.C. (where the AHA headquarters resides) so it seemed appropriate this week to include some links to a favorite summer sport: baseball. But first, some newsworthy items: Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell revives Confederate History Month, a recent forum discusses graduate humanities education, a grad student unearths Haiti’s Declaration of Independence, and the New York Times investigates the legality of unpaid internships (another summer staple). We also bring you two articles related to research and technology: evaluate Martha Ballard’s Diary through “topic modeling” and discover the new book2net scanner at the Library of Congress. Finally, EDSITEment takes a look at poetry this month, Curtis J. Bonk offers 30 writing tips, and the UpNext wiki holds discussions on libraries and museums.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: March 25, 2010 Edition - March 24, 2010
Take a look back at U.S. presidents’ approval ratings and views on healthcare in our links to the “Presidential Job Approval Center” and a recent blog post from the Historical Society blog. We also link to two articles on the controversial Texas Curriculum issue from the New York Times and HNN. In museum news, the German-American Heritage museum in Washington, D.C. recently opened while the National Museum of Natural History celebrates 100 years in existence. Then, read about filing manuals from NARA, learn about Civil War photographer Charles Moore, and examine a century of eating habits.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: March 18, 2010 Edition - March 17, 2010
Congratulations to former AHA president Natalie Zemon Davis for winning the $785,000 Holberg International Memorial Prize for 2010. This prize recognizes “outstanding scholarly work in the academic fields of the arts and humanities, social sciences, law and theology.” Meanwhile, we also note the sad news of the loss of Richard Stites, historian of Russian culture. We bring you two articles on politics and history: a new version of American history and the Texas Board of Education’s questionable textbook revisions. On the topic of advice for the history profession read some thoughts on different approaches to tenure and how to write an article this summer. We also have two articles on American history and slavery, looking at a forgotten attempted slave escape and a collection of donated Harriet Tubman objects. Check out a number of roundups and archives online, covering federal videos, C-Span, collections of private letters, and a patent medicine trade card collection. Finally, catch up on thoughts on Cuba-U.S. relations, a profile of an FBI historian, Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail, links on the history of food (that may or may not make you hungry), and more.
Article By: Kelly Elmore, Noralee Frankel, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Arnita Jones, and Jessica Pritchard
What We’re Reading: March 11, 2010 Edition - March 10, 2010
In the news this week, former AHA president Jonathan Spence will give this year’s Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities. Also newsworthy, a closer look at the new College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR) report, which we noted on the AHA blog Tuesday. We bring you four articles on publishing, discussing form, blogs, and publishers as gatekeepers. To continue to celebrate Women’s History Month we present four women’s history articles. Learn about women’s history blogs, events this month, and see fascinating photos of women in history. Two links to history audio and walking tours also make it into WWR this week, one on U Street in Washington, D.C. and the other on North Carolina State University. Finally, we finish off with the history of the Census, Popular Science archives, the Toronto Museum Project, an origin of a simile, and a look at jobs of “yesteryear.”
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: March 4, 2010 Edition - March 03, 2010
In the news this week, congratulations to Gordon S. Wood on winning the New-York Historical Society’s American History Book Prize. Also, read about a new Pew Internet and American Life Project on media use. Under the theme of history online, hear about the challenges of a history archive, the risk of losing digital materials, and two articles on Google Books (a German take and French one). We also bring you two articles on history months as well as the discovery of a long lost Descartes letter. And finally, just for fun, a new look at Abraham Lincoln…and vampires.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: February 25, 2010 Edition - February 24, 2010
Though the 124th Annual Meeting concluded over a month ago, C-SPAN has only just aired footage of the “Reflections on Proposition 8” session, now available for viewing online. In other news, the LA Times has released the names of finalists for their book prize. This list includes three AHA members. Also check out links to a new task force report on graduate and professional education, the obituary of Jack Pole, the ICA statement on Haiti, and controversy around a new JFK series from the History Channel. For teachers we mention two articles: one on the positives of teaching at a community college and another on a lesson plan on the Olympics. Finally, peruse photo tampering through history, check out a newly discovered ancient temple in Turkey, visit the Black History Trail in Tuskegee, Alabama (without leaving your house), and see a history of International Women’s Day.
Article By: avid Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Arnita Jones, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: February 18, 2010 Edition - February 17, 2010
Due to last week’s winter weather and office closing we’ve rolled two What We’re Reading posts into one. First off, hear from Patrick D. Tardieu about threats to Haiti’s cultural heritage. Then, check out articles on sociology and religion, budget cuts in Britain, NTHP’s dozen distinctive destinations, merging history and the language arts, history on the moon, and history in Antarctica. We also have two film links: one on Herskovits at the Heart of Blackness and the other on “The Death of the Biopic.” In the digital history category, read about digitally reuniting documents, online textbooks, and experimenting with new technologies. We still have a few more weeks left in February, so we’ve put together a number of Black History Month links on a North Carolina sit-in site, Black History in Virginia, Oregon’s black pioneers, and Frederick Douglass. And finally, just for fun, see a graph of what one wore to college 70 years ago and take a quiz on your knowledge of presidential history.
Article By: Debbie Ann Doyle, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: February 4, 2010 Edition - February 03, 2010
In our roundup this week we have links to a look back on the life of Howard Zinn, news of a new children’s history museum, steps to open a Ulysses S. Grant library, a request for input from the National Archives, a look at combining history and video games, and new evidence in the history of surgery. Then, some digital history: the BBC and British museum join forces in a podcast, Priya Chhaya describes “Historian 2.0,” a blog series about the digital archives of every state continues, and the University of Chicago Press releases this month’s free e-book. Next, explore aerial images of New York from the 1920s, images from National Archives now in Flickr, and a story from NPR on a 1848 image of Phineas Gage. Finally, we finish up with a few links just for fun: Holden Caulfield’s A People’s History of the United States, a quiz on your knowledge of the 220 State of the Union addresses, a snarky 1905 letter from Mark Twain, and a look at currency across time and place.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Arnita Jones, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: January 28, 2010 Edition - January 27, 2010
To begin this week the National Coalition for History has news of recent appointments at the National Council on the Humanities and the Library of Congress’s John W. Kluge Center. Then, we send you to two places on Haiti: Blue Shield’s call for saving Haiti’s cultural heritage and a New York Times op-ed on Haiti’s history. We also report two deaths this week, historians Howard Zinn and Louis R. Harlan. Read two interviews as well, one from AHA President-elect Tony Grafton and the other from an associate professor at Elon University. Finally, we look to topics on History Day, sharing faculty positions, Business’s need for the Liberal Arts, the ethics of oral history, and the Harry Houdini Collection.
Article By: Noralee Frankel, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Arnita Jones, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: January 21, 2010 Edition - January 20, 2010
It’s been a few weeks since a regular What We’re Reading post has gone up, due to the schedule around the recent 2010 annual meeting. But we’re back, with a number of links collected throughout this month. We start with some newsy items, including coverage of the participation of historians George Chauncey and Nancy Cott in the Perry v. Schwarzenegger trial, a look at Haiti’s tumultuous history, the opening of a history center at the Decatur House, and a look at “How to Teach the Writing of History” in this month’s issue of Historically Speaking. Then, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, this past Monday, we have two links: an EDSITEment feature and the discovery of a long lost recording. Read on for more articles on the sub-fields of history (military history and the history of religion), history and new media, textbook revision and digitization, and history throughout the states.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: December 24, 2009 Edition - December 23, 2009
Happy Holidays! On this Christmas Eve, check out a collection of digital humanities sessions at our upcoming annual meeting, take a peek at the making of an online exhibit, and consider what could have been if Alexandria and Arlington had never left Washington, D.C. Then, get in the holiday spirit with notable snowstorms of the past, a digitized version of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” a reenactment of Washington’s Christmas crossing of the Delaware, and archives of Christmas kitsch and Hanukkah caroling.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant and Jessica Pritchard
What We’re Reading: December 17, 2009 Edition - December 16, 2009
In the news this week, the National Coalition for History reports on the lawsuit that’s been dropped now that 22 million e-mails from the Bush administration, that were thought lost, have been found. Also, check out the China Beat blog’s roundup of China-related talks around the world and at the AHA’s upcoming 124th annual meeting. We bring you articles on a variety of topics this week, including: studying Civil War secession at the Abbeville Institute, using the economy as a teaching moment, and presenting climate change through an interactive timeline. We came across two articles on trains this week: the New York MTA is running 1930s trains this month and the Orient Express has arrived at its final destination for good. Two links this week feature video content: the History Channel’s “The People Speak” videos feature notable actors performing famous speeches and PBS’s NewsHour has a channel on YouTube. Finally, get in the holiday spirit with the historical essay that accompanies the White House Christmas ornament and the Neediest Cases Campaign of 1912.
What We’re Reading: December 10, 2009 Edition - December 09, 2009
In the news this week, the OAH has hired a new executive director, the NHPRC is recommending $2.9 million for grants, Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero gives his “State of the Archives” address, and recent panel looks at changes in the Lower East Side. Then, we bring you three links to pages on oral history and storytelling: Cambridge University has a new online oral history collection, the Clerk’s Office of History and Preservation has created an oral history site for the U.S. House of Representatives, and Andrew Marr at the Economist’s culture magazine Intelligent Life looks at TV as a storyteller. Other articles we link to include advice on pursuing a career in academia, a look at the much forgotten Hall of Fame for Great Americans, history on Twitter, and finally, scanned articles from the days after the Pearl Harbor attack.
What We’re Reading: December 3, 2009 Edition - December 02, 2009
To start off this week, check out the pamphlet image from the AHA’s G.I. Roundtable series that is featured in the CUNY 2010 calendar. Then, read some big news from the National History Center: they recently received a huge contribution from the Mellon Foundation. EDSITEment has a number newsworthy items: an upcoming web site redesign, new lesson plans, and feature for December that includes a podcast from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Mark your calendars for a free concert December 18th, showcasing the Library of Congress’s Stradivarius instruments. Finally, read about GWU’s experiments with digitization, an examination of the 1976 Swine Flu, excerpts from the “Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception,” and an article on the photographs that inspired Norman Rockwell.
Article By: Miriam Hauss Cunningham, Elisabeth Grant, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert Townsend
What We’re Reading: November 26, 2009 Edition - November 25, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving! In honor of this delicious holiday, we start off this week’s What We’re Reading with Thanksgiving and food related posts. Then, check out images from the Library of Congress’s Flickr page, Yuri Dojc’s “Last Folio” exhibit, and a forgotten file at the Denver Post. Finally listen to an NPR story on “An Unlikely African-American Music Historian,” take a look at “Mr. Wilson’s University,” and check out Jeffrey Herf’s “Hate Radio” along with Richard Wolin’s response, ”Herf’s Misuses of History.”
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, and Jessica Pritchard
What We’re Reading: November 19, 2009 Edition - November 18, 2009
We start off this week with some news items: the Committee on Lesbian and Gay History has put out a press release for the 2010 AHA Annual Meeting and Georgetown University has a new masters in global history. Then, we look at the future of print: Syracuse University is keeping its “little used” books, Tom Peters at Library Journal weighs in, and some history students switch to the Kindle. We also link to a number of interviews this week. Hear from Richard Moe, individuals from the Depression and WWII, and editors Mark Philip Bradley and Marilyn Young. Three articles tackle a variety of topics: academic writing, the history of the internet, and the end of the ‘00s. And finally, take a look at Lincoln through dance, view lesser known photos from the JFK investigation, and see remembrances of Veteran’s Day around the world with the Boston Globe’s Big Picture blog.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Arnita Jones, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: November 12, 2009 Edition - November 11, 2009
In the news this week, new restrictions and fees for researchers entering the U.S. raises concerns, Marilyn B. Young’s Decolonization lecture is now online, historian Robert N. Proctor continues to deal with Big Tobacco, ICHS gears up for Amsterdam 2010, and Newsweek takes a look at the last decade. On the topic of African American history we bring you two articles: one on Howard University’s Moorland-Spingarn Research Center and the other on BlackPast.org. Then we turn to the archives, looking to forgotten treasures and a turn to the digital. And finally, we round this post of with some fun: performer Lin-Manuel Miranda raps about Alexander Hamilton, a “historic gastronomist” recreates meals from the past, and the University of Chicago lets visitors “make [their] own academic sentence.”
Article By: Miriam Hauss Cunningham, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Arnita Jones, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: November 5, 2009 Edition - November 04, 2009
November is National Native American Heritage Month and in this What We’re Reading we bring you three sites with information on events, activities, lesson plans, and resources on various topics pertaining to Native Americans. From the National Coalition for History read up on all the budget updates, new commissions, and nomination progress happening in Washington. Two articles focus on assessments and suggestions: the first on PhD programs, and the second on natural-history museums. Finally, learn more about photographer Roy DeCarava, look back at Kenneth Clark’s Civilisation: A Personal View, consider hiking the Ridgeway National Trail.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: October 29, 2009 Edition - October 28, 2009
We start off this week with news and advocacy. Take a look at all the items in the National Humanities Alliance’s October Policy Digest as well as their push for NEH funding, review COSSA’s Washington Update, and in non-Washington related news, check out a map from 1675 up for auction in the UK. Today, October 29th, is the anniversary of the “Black Tuesday” stock market crash, and we bring you three articles from NPR remembering the event. Have an iPhone? Check out a few apps for historians. And finally, with Halloween taking place this weekend we couldn’t resist brining you a couple of Halloween-related links.
Article By: Miriam Hauss Cunningham, Elisabeth Grant, Arnita A. Jones, and Jessica Pritchard
What We’re Reading: October 22, 2009 Edition - October 21, 2009
In the news this week, AHA President Laurel Thatcher Ulrich has won a prestigious award, the Gates Foundation has donated a significant amount to the African American History and Culture Museum, and a Russian historian has been detained for violating “privacy laws” in his research. We also link to two articles on the history of healthcare. One comes from the History Guys and another from James Mohr, history professor at the University of Oregon. Then, peruse images that have been faked, drawn, or added to Flickr. There are also a number of other articles on a variety of topics, including: Google Books, open access, the value of a college education, a new Lincoln exhibit, and the National Book Awards. Finally, we round this post out with a little fun: creepy songs from the Library of Congress archives.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: October 15, 2009 Edition - October 14, 2009
Three articles start off What We’re Reading this week. First, the Chronicle examines history of science professor Robert N. Proctor’s fight to keep his unpublished manuscript private. Then, Wired critiques Google’s Usenet Archive, and Google responds. And finally, the Wall Street Journal takes a look at Norman Rockwell’s paintings of the “four essential freedoms.” From the blogosphere, Laura Wimberley at ACRLog looks at budget cuts in higher ed while the GeneologyBlog worries about Indiana’s State Archives. Meanwhile, from the opinion columns, we bring you thoughts on Walmart and the Wilderness Battlefield, as well as one take on Tarentino’s Inglourious Basterds. Finally, this post rounds out with ten history podcasts you might want to check out.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: October 8, 2009 Edition - October 07, 2009
In the news this week, AHA member Douglas Greenberg receives a top honor from Phi Beta Kappa, David Ferriero is questioned at his confirmation hearing to become Archivist of the United States, and history professor Merrill D. Peterson passes away at age 88. We also link to a study of Google Scholar by Library Journal, and take a look at The Historical Society blog. Then read two articles on archiving papers (those of Supreme Court Justices and historians). Finally, watch videos and lectures on the new Anne Frank YouTube channel and the Forum Network.
Article By: Arnita A. Jones, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: October 1, 2009 Edition - September 30, 2009
New this week, some Iowa history classrooms are embracing primary resources over textbooks, a British man and his metal detector unearth seventh-century treasures, the Gilder Lehrman Institute releases an issue of History Now on the American Revolution, the National Security Archive joins Facebook, and Google Books features every issue of LIFE ever published. Then, we bring you two articles on NARA: one on NARA’s proposal (and request for public comments) to issue researcher ID cards, and the other on NARA documents on Footnote.com. Finally, for fun, check out a database of historic bridges, a “virtual postcard tour of Algiers,” and a look at some National Park posters.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Arnita A. Jones, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: September 24, 2009 Edition - September 23, 2009
In this week’s What We’re Reading we bring you an assortment of news and reviews. In the news, Cologne is rebuilding its city archives after the devastating collapse earlier this year. Then, read about a new web site that allows users to “access information about projects funded by NEH since 1980,” the ATF transferring an Alexander Hamilton document to the National Archives, and readers being sought for the U.S. Department of Education’s International Programs. In reviews, James McPherson takes a look at a number of Abraham Lincoln biographies, Donald Worster critiques Ken Burns’ new documentary on the National Park Service, and the Humanities E-Book site receives some positive comments.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, Arnita A. Jones, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: September 17, 2009 Edition - September 16, 2009
We start off this week with news of a series of micro-webcasts on “The Future of Primary Sources” from the Center for Research Libraries. Then, in honor of the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s voyage this month, we link to two articles: “Why a Fourth Grader Knows More About Henry Hudson Than You Do” and “Titles Fit for a 400th Anniversary.” We also bring you a mini-roundup of September 11th related articles from last week. Check out the Make History site, a Washington Post article about a new generation’s look at 9/11, and the Boston Globe’s Big Picture site tribute. Finally, for fun, take a look at infographics from the 1930s, some letters of note, and Al Franken’s impressive map drawing skills.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant and Arnita A. Jones
What We’re Reading: September 10, 2009 Edition - September 09, 2009
In the news this week, Harvard University opened DASH, “a central, open access repository for the scholarly output of faculty and the broader research community at Harvard.”Meanwhile, the Library of Congress announced it will acquire the Jack F. Kemp collection. Those in the classroom may want to check out two links included this week: resources for Constitution Day and an archive of information on the American presidents. We also link to an article on the history of homeownership in the U.S., and why renting isn’t such a bad idea. And check out a section of Wired’s web site called “This Day in Tech.” Finally, we bring you two links to photography resources. First, NARA asks what they should post next to their Flickr account, and second, blogger Jason Kottke points to the Library of Congress’s online exhibit of Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii’s work.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: September 3, 2009 Edition - September 02, 2009
The Google Books discussion (the pros and cons, the settlement) rages on, and this week we bring you two new articles on the matter. Then, the recent death of Senator Ted Kennedy has brought a lot of media attention, and a renewed look at the history of the Kennedy family. And finally, we link to the relaunch of the BBC History Magazine, a new take on Martha Ballard’s diary, 20 interesting maps, an archives on the web contest, and finally a president tracker.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: August 27, 2009 Edition - August 26, 2009
In the news this week, Senator Ted Kennedy has lost his fight against cancer, local officials will allow Walmart to build next to the Wilderness Battlefield, and a new historic preservation program is available at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Then we link to articles on historians and online identity theft, and best practices dealing with “orphan works.” We’ve collected a variety of book-related links this week, including, a review of Noralee Frankel’s Stripping Gypsy, Humanities E-book celebrating its 10th anniversary, History Today seeking your book reviews, news of sales of books on military history remaining steady, and the Wells Fargo staff’s history book picks. And finally, for fun, check out the history behind the FBI flags, learn about presidential vacations, and take a peek at decades old back-to-school photos.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: August 20, 2009 Edition - August 19, 2009
We start off this week with the news that the National History Center is now accepting applications for the 2010 Decolonization seminar. Then, check out an article on Paul Jennings, a slave in James Madison’s White House who wrote a memoir on his experiences there. From the blogs, NARA has joined the blogosphere and is already generating discussions, while the Library of Congress recently used its blog to report on new discoveries in its archives. Finally, speaking of archives, check out Google’s newspaper archives, which recently quadrupled in size. And take a look at Kate T.’s Archives 2.0 wiki, a new source for lists of online archives and more.
Article By: David Darlington, Miriam Hauss Cunningham, Elisabeth Grant, and Vernon Horn
What We’re Reading: August 6, 2009 Edition - August 05, 2009
New this week, the National Humanities Alliance has sent out their “Monthly Policy Digest” with updates from Washington (legislation, nominations, and more). Also, the Public Interest Declassification Board takes another look at federal records policies. From the museums, learn about the National Archives’ 75th anniversary (and all the related events they have lined up), or check out the National Museum of American History’s post about preserving personal archives. The National History Education Clearinghouse has posted new videos on TAH grants, while Flickr continues to be a place of discovery. Finally, just for fun, hear about John Quincy Adams’ new twitter feed, read about shark attacks in 1916, and discover a forgotten chimney and learn why some historians want to protect it.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Arnita A. Jones, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: July 30, 2009 Edition - July 29, 2009
This week we point to an article from the BBC on Russia and its “commission to counter the falsification of history.” The AHA wrote to President Dmitrii Medvedev recently to express concern about this development. Other articles we link to this week include: a look at some lesser known National Parks, biking the Iron Curtain Trail, and restoring historic murals. Then, just for fun, we take a musical jaunt into some “Horrible [British] Histories.”
Article By: Miriam Hauss Cunningham, Elisabeth Grant, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: July 23, 2009 Edition - July 22, 2009
In recent news, Obama picks Jon Jarvis for the National Park Service, $116 million goes toward improving the teaching of American history, Governor Tim Kaine supports the Wilderness Battlefield fight, and starting July 27 the public can review the Social Studies-History Standards. We also note two events: a constitutional history graduate course and the Thomas Paine exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery. Then, read about some new digital history projects: podcasts from the Gilder Lehrman Institute, digitized records from the Freedmen’s Bureau, and NARA on Flickr. And finally, a review by Peter Green, a report on Historical Thinking in Higher Education, first ladies’ homes, John Brown and Harper’s Ferry, and celebrating the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11.
Article By: David Darlington, Noralee L. Frankel, Elisabeth Grant, Arnita A. Jones, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: July 16, 2009 Edition - July 15, 2009
This week’s What We’re Reading explores President Obama’s recent meetings with historians, conservation training on the road, a look at a 200 year old murder mystery, and lesson plans on EDSITEments calendar. Also, check out a collection of Soviet posters and cartoons and on demand classic movies.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: July 9, 2009 Edition - July 08, 2009
Robert McNamara, Secretary of Defense during the Vietnam War, died this week at the age of 93. In this edition of What We’re Reading we link to an article from the Washington Post and to recordings of his exchanges with Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. Other news-worthy links this week include the release of FBI interviews with Saddam Hussein and the appointment of a military history position. We then point to two upcoming events: a conference on diplomacy in a world of Facebook and the annual National Book Festival. We list a series of interesting articles this week, covering topics of oral history and IRBs, scholarly publishing, and American history. Finally, two digitized finds: the Codex Sinaiticus and a postcard from 1905.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Arnita A. Jones, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: July 2, 2009 Edition - July 01, 2009
We start off this week with links to two reviews. The first looks at the play “Arcadia,” while the second analyzes the book The Tragedy of American Diplomacy. Then, we point to a series of articles on FDR in a recent issue of TIME magazine. A number of links this week address history online: take a new look at e-mail lists, read an update on Zotero, learn about iTunes U, get advice on creating digital content, and see photos of Africa from 1860-1960. In recognition of the July 4th holiday this weekend, we bring you two related links. And finally, we wrap up with articles on a new era of historians, Monticello, and Michael Jackson.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Jessica Pritchard, Pillarisetti Sudhir, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: June 25, 2009 Edition - June 24, 2009
In the news this week, the AHA has sent a letter of concern to Russian Federation president Dmitrii Medvedev, historian Gerhard Weinberg wins an award from the Pritzker Military Library, and the Library of Congress adds its one-millionth page to its Chronicling American project. We also link to an article on the future of university presses, selling dollars to make dollars, and a new collection of four Frederick Douglass speeches. Finally, we link to two bits of fun: more photos in the “Looking Into the Past” series and wise recommendations from the Book Seer.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Arnita A. Jones, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: June 18, 2009 Edition - June 17, 2009
A recent article in the New York Times on “traditional history courses” has created a bit of a stir in the blogosphere. We start off this post by linking to the article and some responses. Then, check out Michele Lamont’s view of the field of history, read about a new college for history only, and listen to a layman’s approach to historic preservation. And finally, see historic newspapers on the Library of Congress Flickr page, read a critique of Google Books, learn seven lesser-known Civil War stories, revisit a two-century-old mystery, and learn about the life of Gypsy Rose Lee.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: June 11, 2009 Edition - June 10, 2009
After protest, investigation, and a report, the State Department’s Office of the Historian has a new chief. See a collection of articles on the current situation and how it all began. Then, read about the NHPRC recommending $5.9 million in grants for documentary editing and archives, the dismissal of the case against Zotero, the death of Ernest May, and the history of crayon packaging.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, and Vernon Horn
What We’re Reading: June 4, 2009 Edition - June 03, 2009
In the current economy there has been a lot of attention on the housing bubble bursting, and in the first article we link to this week two authors from the Chronicle ask, “Will Higher Education be the Next Bubble to Burst?” Also looking at the future and universities, Phil Pochoda considers what’s in store for university presses. We also link to two Civil War related pieces: thoughts on the centennial commemoration with an eye toward the Civil War sesquicentennial, and a look at women who fought in the Civil War. Then, read about visual gems in Google Books, the Google Books settlement, cycling the Underground Railroad, Donna Reed’s saved fan mail, space monkeys, the end of the Reading Archives blog, and a history of GM CEOs. Finally, just for fun, check out PhDComics.com, for series of comics where a humanities character faces budget cuts.
Article By: David Darlington, Debbie Ann Doyle, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: May 28, 2009 Edition - May 27, 2009
In case you missed it, we have an overview from the New York Times on the National Archives’ loss of Clinton administration data, along with a response from NARA. Then, read an article on the challenges of digital scholarship, hear a podcast on how the Civil War affected ideas of death and mourning, learn the origins of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and check out some WWI and WWII food-related posters. Finally, remember Memorial Day (which was observed earlier this week) through the Boston Globe’s Big Picture blog.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: May 21, 2009 Edition - May 20, 2009
In the news this week, Lincoln historian and lifetime member of the AHA David Herbert Donald passed away at the age of 88. In other news, the Second Latin American Economic History Congress will be held in 2010 in Mexico City. On the topic of education, we link to articles on a new book from the University of Chicago (Becoming Historians), a different take on how to rank colleges, and arguments for the importance of the humanities. Then, read about the digitization of historical treasures, historic vessels in San Francisco, mapping sounds, and fifty years of style. Then, just for fun, peruse antique typewriters, see a snapshot of 2009, and if you’ve been rejected recently, find out what good company you keep.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Miriam Hauss, Arnita A. Jones, and Jessica Pritchard
What We’re Reading: May 14, 2009 Edition - May 13, 2009
We’re not even halfway through 2009, but it’s already budget request time (FY 2010) for the Obama administration. See what the president has requested for NEH, then visit the National Coalition for History’s web site for complete coverage of which institutions may see budget increases. Speaking of funds, according to Inside Higher Ed, lack of them is causing some faculty to postpone retirement. In other news, Louisiana State University Press is in trouble, JSTOR has posted 5,900 new pamphlets, and the Monroe County Historical Museum seeks to highlight one of their resident’s participation in the Civil War. Finally, read a response to a NYT article on history and torture, check out an excerpt of a new book on Alger Hiss, and review the recent history of the Hubble Space Telescope.
Article By: Arnita A. Jones, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: May 7, 2009 Edition - May 06, 2009
To start off this week, we revisit two topics we’ve previously addressed on the blog: Google Books and the Wilderness Battlefield’s fight with Wal-mart. Then, read the latest National Humanities Alliance newsletter, join a discussion at H-Disability, and hear a conversation between James McPherson and Craig Symonds. We bring you three posts focused on photos or video: a new site on Florence Kahn, a collection of dissection photographs, and images of from Japan in the 1860s to the 1930s. Finally, we conclude with some May-themed posts: “MayDay,” a garden-themed roundup, and a history of Mother’s Day.
By: Debbie Ann Doyle, Elisabeth Grant, Arnita A. Jones, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: April 30, 2009 Edition - April 29, 2009
Can it really be the last day of April already? As this month rounds up, we round up too, with links to recent rankings and winners, current events, and articles on a variety of topics. Read the U.S. News & World Report’s rankings of history programs, hear how President Obama measures up in his first 100 days, and see who ArchivesNext is calling the Best Archives on the Web. Then, check out how the stimulus bill will help the National Park Service, learn of recently unearthed Ben Franklin letters, reflect back with the ACLS, and see NPR’s take on the history of the flu. Finally, sift through a hodge podge of links covering topics like oral history policies, wine, the Titanic, and more.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: April 23, 2009 Edition - April 22, 2009
In the news, the U.N. launched the World Digital Library, started four years ago by Librarian of Congress James Billington, online on Tuesday. Speaking of the Library of Congress, it’s extending the hours and dates of its Lincoln exhibit, due to popular demand. In other news, William and Mary students discover forgotten, and educationally valuable, documents in Richmond. We also link to a recap of Sam Wineburg’s controversial OAH speech, the making of a film series on WWII, New Deal classroom resources, and a fight for a Revolutionary War site. Finally we wrap up with some Earth Day links (just a day late).
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Arnita A. Jones, Jessica Pritchard, and Pillarisetti Sudhir
What We’re Reading: April 16, 2009 Edition - April 15, 2009
To start off this week’s What We’re Reading we note the historians that have won 2009 Guggenheim Fellowships. Then, we point to a video of Supreme Court Justice David Souter speaking on “The Humanities in a Civil Society” and news of the architectural team chosen to design the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Read articles on the past and future of the economy, how to use Wikipedia as a teaching tool, and ways to “establish learning outcomes for undergraduate majors in history.” Finally, check out museum channels on YouTube, book binding digitization, and, just for fun, the history of White House pets.
Contributors: Noralee Frankel, Elisabeth Grant, Arnita A. Jones, and Pillarisetti Sudhir
What We’re Reading: April 9, 2009 Edition - April 08, 2009
On AHA Today we’re always looking for to bring you more digital resources. We start off this a video of a lecture given by David Levering Lewis, news of the Library of Congress’s new YouTube channel, an article on the possibility of future presidential libraries being digital, and a link to a new collection of digitized Food and Drug Administration documents. Then, see our selection of image related links, including LIFE magazine photos from the day Martin Luther King Jr. died, a four part series on a Civil War photograph mystery, and a look at the work of photographer Eddie Adams. Finally, read a Washington update from COSSA, learn about renovating a house to reflect its historic roots, explore the evolution of a skyscraper, and learn of the death of historian Sidney Fine.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, Arnita A. Jones, and Jessica Pritchard
What We’re Reading: April 2, 2009 Edition - April 01, 2009
What We’re Reading this week is organized into three categories. First up is digitization, with articles on the digitization of scholarly journals, public domain books, and Spanish-language songs, as well as a list of digital archives online. This is followed by a small collection of online video resources. In the news category learn about recently presented grants and awards, a newly released newsletter, discoveries from the 1800s, and just for fun a roundup of some April Fools’ Day shenanigans. Finally, we wrap up with a couple of links to more remembrances of John Hope Franklin.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: March 26, 2009 Edition - March 25, 2009
In case you missed it, learn of AHA members who were recently awarded fellowships from the Gilder Lehrman Institute. Then, check out the 2009 list of most endangered battlefields, learn of another press abandoning print, hear Eric Foner’s talk on “Who Owns History?”, and ask yourself, “are you a luddite?” We also link to Internet Archive news, videos for the study of American history, and a discussion from the Journal of American History. Finally, read about two mysteries (Lincoln’s watch and Geronimo’s skull), and more.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend.
What We’re Reading: March 19, 2009 Edition - March 18, 2009
In the news this week, National History Center Founding Director Wm. Roger Louis has won a distinguished teaching award. Then, two articles explore how internships and other experiences outside the academe can supplement one’s graduate education. Explore some interesting online resources through the Digital Archives of the National Library of Scotland, at The Memory Palace podcast blog, and at an upcoming exhibit on FDR. Finally, we continue our look at “History in Hard Times” with concerns about the Iraq National Library and Archive and an update on the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Article By: David Darlington, Debbie Ann Doyle, Elisabeth Grant, Arnita A. Jones, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: March 12, 2009 Edition - March 11, 2009
We start off this week’s post with some recent news: the collapse of the Cologne archives, Drew Gilpin Faust’s recent award, and museum events in D.C. Then, learn what it takes to be a part of the Flickr Commons, view an interactive map of Brooklyn, find out about history’s youth, or take an online tutorial. For fun, visit an illustrated look at Lincoln’s life, celebrate Barbie’s 50th birthday, and check out a unique photography experiment. Finally, we continue our look at “History in Hard Times,” with a number of articles on the job market. Read all this and more in this week’s What We’re Reading.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, Arnita Jones, Jessica Pritchard, Pillarisetti Sudhir, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: March 5, 2009 Edition - March 04, 2009
This week we start off with the revelation that the CIA has destroyed 92 interrogation tapes, verifying a fear the AHA expressed in 2008. Then, Tony Grafton takes a look at graduate school past and future, a history professor is interviewed in the Freakonomics blog, the LOC unravels the origins of the automobile, and a new audio tour explores historic D.C. Finally, we link to a number of articles for a section we’ve titled “History in Hard Times.”
Article by: Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: February 26, 2009 Edition - February 25, 2009
Continuing the New York Times/Nixon tapes/AHR saga (mentioned here and here in past What We’re Readings) Clark Hoyt, “the reader’s representative” at the New York Times, weighs in. Then, the National Coalition for History reports on 2009 funding for a number of government agencies, programs, and institutions of interest to the history community. Read also about green ideas from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, links for use in the classroom, Lincoln articles in an online journal, advice for potential graduate students, and the history of the smiley face.
What We’re Reading: February 19, 2009 Edition - February 18, 2009
We start off this week’s What We’re Reading by playing a little catch up and linking to articles on President’s Day, the Lincoln Bicentennial, and Darwin’s birthday. Then, the New York Times takes a look at an “emerging job trend”—being a digital archivist. Need a little inspiration? Check out the Humanity Initiative’s collection of commencement speeches dating back to 1936. And finally, we finish up with education (99 free online books humanities students should read) and edu-tainment (Oregon Trail for the iPhone).
What We’re Reading: February 12, 2009 Edition - February 11, 2009
In last week’s What We’re Reading, we linked to a New York Times story about an article under consideration for publication in the American Historical Review. This week we link to a follow-up in the NYT about how the article was rejected, and to AHR editor Robert Schneider’s response to the whole leaked article situation. Then, read about two policy statements that deal with oral history and Institutional Review Boards (IRB). Lincoln gets two mentions in this week’s post when we link to an interview with James McPherson and to new photos on the Library of Congress Flickr page. In the theme of digital history we have three links: a new archive of medieval manuscripts, Lisa Spiro’s take on the digital humanities in 2008, and an online museum scavenger hunt. Finally, you may scream for it, but what do you really know about the history of ice cream?
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: February 5, 2009 Edition - February 04, 2009
We’ve collected links on a variety of topics for this week’s What We’re Reading, and begin with one historian’s suggestion for President Obama: a new Federal Writer’s Project. Then, an article being considered for the American Historical Review shows up in the New York Times? We also note the progress being made in the creation of the National Museum of African American History, a report on the preservation crisis at Auschwitz, and the fear of losing our online memories. Finally, read about one professor’s words of caution for potential PhDs, historians’ picks for the best presidential biographies, and new video on the Poplar Grove project.
Article By: David Darlington, Debbie Ann Doyle, Elisabeth Grant, Miriam Hauss, Vernon Horn, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: January 29, 2009 Edition - January 28, 2009
Last week’s “What We’re Reading” compiled an number of articles and posts on the inauguration of President Barack Obama, and he’s wasted no time since taking the oath of office (twice). Read about his revoking of Executive Order 13233, new transparency policies, and take another look at his inauguration address. Then, we link to quite a range of digital history related items, including a recent conference at the Smithsonian, more on Google Books, engaging students in new ways, and web sites covering a number of historical topics. Finally, catch up with some past AHA staff and contributors.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: January 22, 2009 Edition - January 21, 2009
Tuesday marked the inauguration of our 44th President, and in this What We’re Reading we’ve rounded up quite a selection of inauguration-related links. Check out the Lincoln inaugural bible, a number of interactive features, newspaper front pages from around the world, and much more. Or, if you’ve read enough inauguration coverage, scroll down to the other articles we note, including 12 historic preservation destinations, some thoughts on cyber infrastructure, new additions to the Flickr Commons, a new online radio show, and upcoming Lincoln bicentennial events.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Arnita A. Jones, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: December 25, 2008 Edition - December 24, 2008
Are you warm and toasty on this December 25th? George Washington sure wasn’t when crossing a half-frozen Delaware River today over 200 years ago. What else happened on this day in history? We link to the Library of Congress’ American Memory site for more. Then, in the news, archiving Bush administration e-mails may be delayed, due to technical and legal issues. We’re also reading about using Lincoln-Obama comparisons, Google Books for research, two Boston Tea Party tea chests on display, what writer-historians should check out at the annual meeting, a recent history hoax in the name of education, and finally, a report on maintaining digital resources.
Article By: Kelly Elmore, David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: December 18, 2008 Edition - December 17, 2008
As the holidays draw ever nearer we link to two festive posts: holiday events at National Trust Historic Sites and a look back to an eventful Christmas Eve at the White House in 1929. Then we move on to a number of digital history related items: The Journal of American History has a new podcast, the Library of Congress has released a report on their Flickr Pilot, Google is now digitizing magazines, Walt Whitman has his own digital archive, and HNN is looking for interns. In other news, the Justice Department has donated documents to the United States Holocaust Museum, the Washington Post names the top ten history books for the past year, and West Point starts a new Center for Oral History. Finally, we link to Life photographs from 1958, a new Economist report, the top newspapers for reporting on higher education, and some thoughts on doing transnational/global history.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, Pillarisetti Sudhir, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: December 11, 2008 Edition - December 10, 2008
The big news this week is the resignation of Allen Weinstein from his position as Archivist of the United States. The deputy archivist will step up until President-elect Obama nominates a replacement in January. Speaking of the president-elect, we point to an MSNBC article featuring historians discussing the historic nature of the recent election. Then read articles on ranking journals, the fight against plagiarism, conference advice, and a fun look at “original meanings of the world’s place names.”
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: December 4, 2008 Edition - December 03, 2008
In this edition of What We’re Reading, two historians have been named recipients of the 2008 Kluge Prize, and will split the $1 million award. In other news, JSTOR announces that new content has been added to Aluka collections. From the blogosphere, read about how not to apply to grad school, and take a peek into some “delightful ephemera” from the Washington State Library. Finally, we point to two articles from the New York Times, covering the varied topics of the housing bubble and the American Revolution, and World War I deserters.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Robert B. Townsend, and Lee White
What We’re Reading: November 27, 2008 Edition - November 26, 2008
This Thanksgiving edition of What We’re Reading starts off with a number of useful links to Turkey Day related pages and posts. Take a look back to Thanksgiving in the 1700s with the Library of Congress, find out what was served at the first Thanksgiving with the help of a historian at the National History Education Clearinghouse site, and see all of the features the History Channel has to offer for this holiday. Then, in non-Thanksgiving news, read about the opening of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, learn the background of President-elect Obama’s economic adviser choice Christian Romer, find out “What’s So Special About a Team of Rivals?”, and finally, hear about a forum set up to examine misunderstandings in history.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, and Lee White
What We’re Reading: November 20, 2008 - November 19, 2008
In the news this week, Bruce Cole departs the NEH for his new role at the American Revolution Center, and Louis Hyman, Harvard alum and AHA member, receives a fellowship through the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Then, read an article on the affect of blogs on public intellectuals. We’ve also linked to a number of digital and non-digital projects: the Rehnquist papers at the Hoover Institution, LIFE photos through Google, five centuries of board games, a range of resources on the Hammer Museum web site, Virginia Tech’s new digital archive, an interactive map of historic D.C. tours, and Google’s Rome site. Finally, read about a historian’s answer to Lincoln’s premonition of his death, Studs Terkel’s impact on the history field, and an opportunity to impact Social Studies-History standards.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, Noralee Frankel, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: November 13, 2008 Edition - November 12, 2008
This past week we’ve taken a look at articles and resources related to Barack Obama’s historic presidential win; see the Newseum’s newspaper archive, a collection of election maps, and a look back at religion and campaigning. Then, read about librarians’ efforts to build a better search engine, PhDinHistory’s take on a number of recent professional issues, a summer institute from the NHC, lost photos from Hiroshima, financial teaching materials, and the latest Omeka release.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, and Robert Townsend
What We’re Reading: November 6, 2008 Edition - November 05, 2008
While the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth isn’t until next year, we link to the Library of Congress and Smithsonian, which are already talking about related exhibits and events. Also, we point to the Lincoln Bicentennial Commission’s web site and the wealth of Lincoln information available there. Then, submit your nominations for the 2008 Cliopatria Awards, check out two election related articles, read up on the Zotero lawsuit, find out why “John Smith” is leaving academia, and hear about incorporating rare books into undergraduate classes. Finally, see three articles on history on the internet.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: October 30, 2008 Edition - October 29, 2008
A number of news items start us off in this edition of What We’re Reading. First up, the National History Center and the Teagle Foundation have released a new report on “The Role of the History Major in Liberal Education.” Then the Office for Human Research Protections appoints a new head, the Park services opens the Tuskegee Airman National Historic Site, and OHA launches a new web site. We also link to articles on “How Muslims Made Europe,” a profile of an assistant professor, wikipedia and “truth,” and a new mapping project. Rounding out this post we note articles related to two (unrelated) themes: presidential campaigns and Halloween.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, Jessica Pritchard, Pillarisetti Sudhir, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: October 23, 2008 Edition - October 22, 2008
This week we’ve been drawn yet again to a number of articles related to digital history. See two articles on how digital libraries challenge physical libraries, check out jobs in the digital humanities, browse over 250 “killer digital libraries,” and learn about a new project to create virtual Colonial Williamsburg sites. Then, peek into the writing process of Ian Kershaw, read Mary Dudziak’s take on W., and check out the newest addition to The Commons (a project of the flickr photo sharing site).
Article By: Elisabeth Grant and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: October 16, 2008 Edition - October 15, 2008
The ups and downs of the current economy are all over the news these days, so we start off this What We’re Reading by looking back at financial times of yesteryear. Then, check out an impressive personal library, learn what the Britannica blog says Americans look for in a president, and find out where historians fit in the climate crisis. Finally, we point to a recently discovered “Stonewall” Jackson memoir, a project on the future of scholarly journals, a debate on British history, and an article on the cheapest eats possible in New York City.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, Jessica Pritchard, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: October 9, 2008 Edition - October 08, 2008
We start off this week’s post with news from Washington that isn’t economy or campaign related. Read up on a number of news items from the National Coalition for History (including NARA news, the donation of FDR papers, and more), and learn the best way to keep up-to-date on the Vice President Cheney records case. Then, take a look at Tom Scheinfeldt’s stance on digital history and employment in academia, learn what happened this week in history from the Britannica blog, mourn the lack of a digitized version of the Intellectual History Newsletter, and compare past presidential candidates (by unconventional comparison measures).
Article By: Elisabeth Grant and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: October 2, 2008 Edition - October 01, 2008
In honor of the annual meeting, still a few months away, we start this What We’re Reading off with a look at Google’s new transit map project and an article from the New York Times on how New Yorkers can still help tourists find their way. Then, learn what it takes to start a museum, check out the history of African Americans in Congress, discover how the Internet turns historical errors into facts, read about conservatives funding history programs, plan a trip to Union Station to celebrate its centennial, and hear about a new lawsuit against Zotero. Finally, see two WWII related articles: a new exhibition of postal memorabilia that document the Holocaust and a look into the deterioration of Hitler’s health.
Article By: Debbie Ann Doyle, Elisabeth Grant, Jessica Pritchard, Robert B. Townsend, and Sharon K. Tune
What We’re Reading: September 25, 2008 Edition - September 24, 2008
So much to read online, so little time. We’ve organized this week’s abundance of articles and Internet finds by breaking them up into three categories: Images, Digital History and Online Tools, and More. See images from the National Maritime Museum and from areas torn apart by Hurricane Ike. Learn about the plan to put Holocaust video testimonies online, the Smithsonian’s efforts to digitize its collection, visualization engines, a new German historical encyclopedia wiki, and a tool to find bookstores wherever you go. And finally, read about this weekend’s Museum Day, the restoration of Montpelier, a “cultural initiative” from the UAE, a look at networked history, and newly discovered Winston Churchill transcripts.
Article By: David Darlington, Elisabeth Grant, Vernon Horn, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: September 18, 2008 Edition - September 17, 2008
This week we start off with a number of alerts by the National Coalition for History. First, the NCH examines the recent release of the Rosenberg grand jury transcripts, and next points to two opportunities to nominate (for a preservation award and for the most endangered Civil War battlefield list). Then, read Inside Higher Ed’s report on a new form of adjunct abuse, Siva Vaidhyanathan’s critique of the so-called “digital generation,” information on a forum on preserving the news, Constitution Day resources, and finally humor in the rejection letter.
Article By: Elisabeth Grant, Arnita Jones, and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: September 11, 2008 Edition - September 10, 2008
Today marks seven years since the September 11th terrorist attacks. So in this edition of “What We’re Reading” we link to an article on the new memorial for 9/11 victims at the Pentagon, which is opening to the public today. We also point to the National Historic Trust for Historic Preservation’s review of the PBS film on the aftermath of 9/11, “Objects and Memory.” In other topics, we include an article about the lawsuit (of which the AHA is a part of) to preserve vice president Cheney’s papers, a look at the Mississippi Freedom Riders then and now, and a “fledgling historian’s” use of Google Maps to track Marco Polo.
Article by: Elisabeth Grant and Robert B. Townsend
What We’re Reading: September 4, 2008 - September 03, 2008
This week’s post contains links to articles, interactive web features, and news from a museum and a historic home. Read about political scientists’ claims that those in the social sciences get more grants, and consider Lisa Spiro’s question of Wikipedia’s academic merits. On the digital history front, “Making the History of 1989” has officially launched; an interactive map shows Washington, D.C. in 1791; and a podcast chronicles the history of baseball. Finally, the Library of Congress embraces the Book of Secrets and James Madison’s home improvement is complete.
What We’re Reading: August 28, 2008 Edition - August 27, 2008
As the next presidential election draws ever nearer, we turn to the history of politics in America. Visit an exhibit on Democrats in Denver in 1908, read summaries of past Democratic and Republican conventions, and check out a map on voting and population data over time. Then we switch to National Parks and preservation. Hear about a battlefield threatened by Wal-Mart, learn about National Parks in the classroom, and read up on repair plans for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Finally we link to the National Archives’ special document displays, the future digitization of the Dead Sea scrolls, and an upcoming conference in memory of Charles Tilly.
What We’re Reading: August 21, 2008 Edition - August 20, 2008
This edition of What We’re Reading should have a code name and secret password. We start off with news of the recent release of Office of Strategic Services files and the revelation of identities of some agents. Then, we turn to NPR, with a story on Fort Hunt Park in Virginia’s secret role in WWII. We turn next to history blogs to hear about bad experiences with the Academic Job Wiki and good experiences with bad history films. Want to partner with the Government Printing Office? They’re looking to digitize a number of historical materials. Finally, read about a $3 million boxing archive, an extensive online photo collection, the Women’s History Museum’s search for a home, NASA’s chief historian, and the five secrets to publishing success.
What We’re Reading: August 14, 2008 Edition - August 13, 2008
This week’s What We’re Reading includes links from one end of the graduate school spectrum to the other. Read the latest installment in Claire Potter’s series on the hiring process, or start from the beginning with Student Hacks’ timetable for entering graduate school. Then, the ACRLog asks, “Where do you draw the line on plagiarism?” And we round this post off with a report from the Library of Congress on recently discovered treasures, and a number of Hillary Clinton’s campaign memos from The Atlantic.
What We’re Reading: August 7, 2008 - August 06, 2008
In the news this week, the Higher Education Act reauthorization bill (H.R. 4137) made it through Congress with contributions from both sides of the political spectrum. Also, the death of Nobel Prize winning author and historian Alexander Solzhenitsyn has sparked many remembrances, we point to a few. The Library of Congress has posted a webcast of Dane Kennedy’s lecture at the recent Decolonization seminar put on by the National History Center. The LOC also grabbed our attention with a webcast on “How the States Got Their Shapes” and National Book Festival podcasts available through iTunes. Also, follow links to Brett Bobley’s look at the digital humanities, news of the reopening of the National Museum of American History, the Britannica Blog’s week in preview, a collection of satirical WWI maps, and a showcase of Olympic torches over time.
What We’re Reading: July 31, 2008 Edition - July 30, 2008
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.
What We’re Reading: July 24, 2008 Edition - July 23, 2008
What exactly is “digital history”? We start off this post with a link to a vocabulary lesson at the Digital History Hacks blog. Then following this theme, the ACRLog looks at helping students with the “digital abundance” online, Nicholas Carr questions how the internet is changing the way we think, and The Economist notes a report that looks at the effects of more journals online. Also see the ALA’s “copyright slide-rule,” visit a heated discussion on retiring from academia, get up to date on a new bill aimed at the Smithsonian, take a look at integration in the military, and finally, discover the histories of ten ghost towns.
What We’re Reading: July 17, 2008 Edition - July 16, 2008
This week we’ve read about interactive digital history, looked at the job market from the public historian’s point of view, and learned how to get a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. In this post we also link to news of the first steps in the creation of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, to two recent reports (one on copyright, the other on preserving battlefields), and the problem with New York’s “birthdate.” We’d also like to thank Ralph Luker at Cliopatria for including AHA Today in his list of 80 history blogs to note.
What We’re Reading: July 10, 2008 Edition - July 09, 2008
We start off this week’s “What We’re Reading” with a couple of articles discussing Anthony Grafton and Robert B. Townsend’s “Historians’ Rocky Job Market” article, recently published in the Chronicle. Then peruse vacation destinations from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, learn about a request for proposals from the National Assessment Governing Board, and discover George Washington’s childhood home for yourself in an article from the Washington Post. Also included this week is news of renovations at the Gettysburg Cyclorama, the history of campaigning for president, a blog on strange maps, and evaluations of the AHA.
What We’re Reading: July 3, 2008 Edition - July 02, 2008
One hundred years ago yesterday Thurgood Marshall was born, so we start off this week’s “What We’re Reading,” with a post about this centennial from the Legal History Blog. Then, don’t forget that nominations for the John W. Kluge Prize will be accepted until July 15. We also link to a recently discovered speech by Gandhi, the latest History Carnival at Progressive Historians, a debate on Iraqi Baath Party documents, and the blog China Beat, which has recently produced a number of posts on Jonathan Spence. Three links are particularly newsworthy (a decolonization lecture, the release of Rosenberg trial records, and the recently appointed PIASA president), while we also point to number of excellent resources (copyright renewal records, Second Amendment Research Center, and a list of past female presidential candidates).
What We’re Reading: June 26, 2008 Edition - June 25, 2008
Perhaps June should be “Digital History Awareness Month.” Last week’s “What We’re Reading” was heavy on digital history articles, and this week is no different. We start off with Cathy Davidson responding to Mills Kelly’s discussion of digital scholarship and tenure, followed by Jeremy Young’s troubling question about Web 2.0, and end up with a look at digitization efforts at the Boston Public Library. This post also includes news of new special collections acquisitions, a survey of women’s history, struggles with the Freedom of Information Act, treasures in the attic, a new Gutenberg-e title, and this year’s winner of the Pritzker Military Library Literature Award.
What We’re Reading: June 19, 2008 Edition - June 18, 2008
Digital history is a hot topic in the profession right now, and a reoccurring character on AHA Today, so we start off this week’s “What We’re Reading” with two posts by Mills Kelly on “Making Digital Scholarship Count.” Keeping with the digital theme, we link to a post about the “unofficial wiki” for the Society of American Archivists’ 2008 annual meeting. Then, learn about the NCH’s support of the “Electronic Message Preservation Act,” hear advice on attending international conferences, look back at presidential campaign commercials, and read about a professor’s preservation award.
What We’re Reading: June 5, 2008 Edition - June 04, 2008
With the Democratic presidential nomination finally settled (sort of), it seems especially timely to start off this week’s “What We’re Reading” with a link to the most recent History Carnival, written in the format of a presidential debate. Next, two news items from George Mason’s Center for History and New Media: the launch of a new site and the completion of a weekend multimedia conference. On the topic of libraries and the digitization of books we link to two articles, the first from Dan Cohen and the second from Robert Darnton. Other topics covered this week include popular history, style in Wikipedia, the history of photo tampering, and new projects and awards.
What We’re Reading: May 29, 2008 Edition - May 28, 2008
This week’s “What We’re Reading” starts off with the news that Microsoft is shutting down its Live Search Books and Live Search Academic projects, after digitizing over 750,000 books. And speaking of the digital age, David Pogue writes about copyright issues and e-Publishing in an article for the New York Times. On the online resources front we link to EDSITEment’s new feature on “The Presidents,” where they pair up with PBS to examine recent presidencies. Then, read about the new DiRT wiki, get advice for your job interview at the AHA annual meeting, learn about the “crowdsourcing” of history, and read a summary of the recent Jefferson Lecture featuring John Updike.
What We’re Reading: May 22, 2008 Edition - May 21, 2008
As we round out the last weeks in May we note that this month many celebrated Asian Pacific Heritage, and we link to a Library of Congress page of resources for that. Speaking of commemoration, sometimes it comes with challenges. For instance, we’ve been reading articles about the ongoing design debate over the Martin Luther King memorial.. From the National Coalition for History we’ve learned about recent grants and awards, while we look to the National Trust for Historic Preservation for its most recent list of the Most Endangered Historic Places. Then read about obscure online databases, Western adventure, what a history major can do, digitization in Timbuktu, and a new D.C. museum. Or, just for fun, revisit political election logos from 1960 to the present.
What We’re Reading: May 15, 2008 Edition - May 14, 2008
We start off this week’s “What We’re Reading,” with three newsworthy items: NARA’s recent “Founders Online” report, the appointment of a new director at the Institute for the Study of Europe, and recent bills in Congress on “orphan works.” Next we link to two book reviews, one in which Robert McHenry examines the term “whig history,” and another where Anne Applebaum showcases how mighty (and scathing) the pen can be. Then, we turn to the digital realm, linking to a PowerPoint presentation on “Web 2.0 for Archivists,” and then to a survey on the quality of digital texts. Finally, watch an interview with the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s president Richard Moe, and check out Australian historian Ian Tyrrell’s new blog.
What We’re Reading: May 8, 2008 Edition - May 07, 2008
This past week we’ve been reading a lot of news, and share it with you now in this week’s What We’re Reading. The news of historian Charles Tilly’s death last Monday has been reported around the blogosphere (and therefore you may have already heard), but we link to a remembrance by Claire B. Potter. Also find links to a joint statement on Iraqi records from two organizations, support for a Senate bill from the American Library Association (ALA), reports that the Smithsonian will maintain control of the Arts and Industries Building, and a symposium honoring Gerhard Weinberg by the German Historical Institute (GHI). Other less newsy topics in this post include a Q & A with David Kyvig, Lisa Spiro’s survey of digital materials, a look how academia views biographies, trial proceedings of Old Bailey, and books by and on Michel de Certeau. Finally, we turn once more to Jonathan Rees’s use of YouTube in class, and how he’s looking for your input on what you use.
What We’re Reading: May 1, 2008 Edition - April 30, 2008
On this May Day edition of “What We’re Reading,” we start off with a link to Zachary Schrag’s article on IRBs, which examines “how talking became human subjects research.” Then, we turn to kids these days: how they’re being taught history and how they’re affected by growing up in a digital world. Also included are articles about secret wartime refugees, content versus design in history web sites, an excellent work of nonfiction (that unfortunately turns out to be based on fiction), and a move to open Brazilian archives. Finally, we link to a review essay in the New Yorker on the Greek historian, Herodotus.
What We’re Reading: April 24, 2008 Edition - April 23, 2008
Whether it’s the recent report about the future of the AHA or reoccurring issues at the Job Register, you can be sure there will be reactions and opinions on the blogosphere about it. We start off this week’s “What We’re Reading,” by linking to Jeremy Young at Progressive Historians and Sterling Fluharty at PhdinHistory for their takes (and requests for opinions) on the AHA. Also in this post we cover this year’s college grads and their job prospects, professional histories and history by professionals, teaching with YouTube, and grants for improved student learning. We finish up with links to an interview with Daniel Walker Howe, images from Hitler’s private gallery, a look at social networking and scholarship, and a “pirate problem”.
What We’re Reading: April 17, 2008 Edition - April 16, 2008
The Guggenheim Fellowships for 2008 were announced earlier this month, and among the awardees were a number of AHA members. We begin this week’s “What We’re Reading” by recognizing them. Then, we look at the value of history for the public, another interpretation of Google Books, the NARA web capturing debate, and an interview with Thomas Bender on his new book. Finally, our last two selections examine blogging: at the conference and as a habit.
What We’re Reading: April 10, 2008 Edition - April 09, 2008
Among the recently announced 2008 Pulitzer Prize winners are two historians. We start off this post by recognizing them and linking to their award winning works. In other news, the Library of Congress posted a press release last week about the relocation of their European Reading Room, in response to a flurry of protests from academics. From the Chronicle’s Footnoted blog comes an article on the issue of anonymity in the academic blogosphere. And we round out this post with a number of web/tech features, including a Making History podcast, a look back on past technology with Manan Ahmed, a series on digital humanities projects at ClioWeb, Boston Library on Flickr, and new digitized newspapers at the LOC’s Chronicling America site.
What We’re Reading: April 3, 2008 Edition - April 02, 2008
As always, historians have covered a range of topics in the blogosphere in the past week. We link to historians discussing general education requirements, the OAH convention, and even April Fools Day. Also, many historians are up in arms over the possible closing or relocation of the Library of Congress’s European Reading Room. On the lighter side, have you been watching John Adams on HBO? Separate fact from fiction with an article from Jeremy Stern. Finally, read about the University of Florida’s digitization project, state education reform tables, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.’s personal library, and more.
What We’re Reading: March 27, 2008 Edition - March 26, 2008
“Stop fidgeting” is just one piece of advice in Linda Kerber’s recent Chronicle Careers article, our first link in this week’s edition of “What We’re Reading.” The article is about giving better conference presentations. We also link to Scott McLemee of Inside Higher Ed, who is perplexed by a recent Harvard University Press publication. And speaking of print, Eric Alterman of the New Yorker writes an obit for American newspapers. At the Association of College and Research Libraries blog, Brett Bonfield looks for histories of the library community’s past, and is disappointed by what he finds. Meanwhile, the Library of Congress looks to the future and its upcoming unveiling of the “Library of Congress Experience.” Other articles cover the release of Hillary Clinton’s First Lady schedules, student to professor e-mails, efforts of the Internet Archive, and the remembrance of Joseph M. Levine.
What We’re Reading: March 20, 2008 - March 19, 2008
To begin this week we point to a number of articles that feature historians talking about the history profession and historians themselves. Then, sit in on a class led by James Sheehan when you watch the podcast of “History of the International System.” This past weekend the Smithsonian announced their new secretary is Georgia Tech’s current president; we link to three sites’ coverage on the news. Also, hear from Stan Katz on liberal education and the history major, read a critique of the new John Adams series on HBO, and check out a webcast of oral histories. And finally, checkout what we’re reading offline, with History News from the AASLH.
What We’re Reading: March 13, 2008 Edition - March 12, 2008
It’s been a busy week of reading on the web, and we’ve gathered quite a range of articles and blog entries. We start off with Stan Katz at the Brainstorm blog looking at why the public should care about history, and how the National History Center and AHA play a part. Then, read a number of perspectives, in the First Monday online journal, about Web 2.0. For fun, we’ve linked to news of a new movie about a college professor, appropriately titled “Tenure.” Other topics include possible state park closings, intellectual history in grad school, a survey from the Getty Institute, birthday wishes for H-Net, large-scale digitization projects, and (believe it or not) more.
What We’re Reading: March 6, 2008 Edition - March 05, 2008
Last week’s “What We’re Reading” included numerous articles on the Gutenberg-e project going open access. This week, we begin with one more perspective on the issue, from Jim Jordan at Columbia University Press. Next, we include articles on two persistent topics covered by AHA Today: Google Books and Wikipedia. Then read about a new newsletter from the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP), an article on historians and the public, an interesting George W. Bush Library design project, and finally, reports of a new collection at the National Gallery of Art.
What We’re Reading: February 28, 2008 Edition - February 27, 2008
The news that the Gutenberg-e project has gone open-access has created quite a buzz, and we start off this week’s post with a Chronicle article on the evolution of the project. Then, the results are in! ArchivesNext has selected the “Best Archives on the Web.” For those interested in copyright issues we offer two articles that examine the challenges of copyright law. And even though the Annual Meeting is over a month behind us, hear about a new professor who takes a look at both sides of the interview table. Also included in this post: the Defense Department reopens a digital library, a new site wants to be the “YouTube” for documents, share info on technology-related museum projects at MuseTech Central, and hear just what American teenagers know about history.
What We’re Reading: February 21, 2008 Edition - February 20, 2008
We start off this week’s post with three articles related to online digitization: a report from the Council on Library and Information Resources, a response to scanning errors from Google Books, and another look at the open-source program Omeka. Also, read about NARA’s extended research room hours, the University of Maryland’s links to slavery, George Washington as a lame duck president, and finally a 1908 campus protest.
What We’re Reading: February 14, 2008 Edition - February 13, 2008
It’s been all about the Archives Wiki this week, with a post on Tuesday and an announcement in the February issue of Perspectives on History, recently placed online. So it seems only fitting to start off this week’s “What We’re Reading” with reactions to the Archives Wiki from around the blogosphere. Following that we’re reading about challenging history, navigating the Library of Congress, catching up with Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, and finally taking a closer look at open access.
What We’re Reading: February 7, 2008 Edition - February 06, 2008
Stretching the “what we’re reading” idea a bit, this post begins by pointing to the Making History Podcast Blog, where AHA president-elect Laurel Thatcher Ulrich reads from her book Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History. Also noted this week are articles on the Holocaust Museum’s assistance with the International Tracing Service’s archive, a new book on the 9/11 Commission, British teenagers’ misconceptions of who is real and who is not, and a look at text-mining with the Center for History and New Media (CHNM). Finally, find out just why humanists, in Cathy Davidson’s opinion, insist on reading their papers at conferences.
What We’re Reading: January 31, 2008 Edition - January 30, 2008
Last week’s “What We’re Reading” noted the presence of the Library of Congress’s holdings on Flickr. This week, the ArchivesNext blog shows what else can be found at the photo sharing site, and in another post announces their first annual “Archives on the Web awards.” Read on to find articles on plagiarism, overproducing PhDs, and professional issues (including travel woes and peer review). Finally, read one historian’s cautionary tale of Google search results.
What We’re Reading: January 24, 2008 Edition - January 23, 2008
A new project between the Library of Congress and the photo-sharing site Flickr has created quite a buzz online, and therefore begins this week’s “What We’re Reading.” Also noted are two articles from the Washington Post, news from the Chronicle on disputed Iraqi archives, and an “unconference” announcement. And finally, just for fun, read about how Stephen Colbert has badgered the Smithsonian into displaying his portrait.
What We’re Reading: January 17, 2008 Edition - January 16, 2008
It’s a touchy subject and also the focus of the first half of this week’s “What We’re Reading” post: the history job market and the AHA’s role. We point to four articles, and the comments that go with them, to explore a range of views on the subject. Following that is a selection of announcements (including new projects, new award recipients, and new books), links to an excellent series of posts on the digital humanities, and details on how Lincoln’s cottage is going green.
What We’re Reading: December 27, 2007 Edition - December 26, 2007
This week’s “What We’re Reading” starts with a number of questions: Can Google’s new open encyclopedia best Wikipedia? You mean I can’t throw these out? How do I survive the Job Register? Read on for the articles that attempt to answer these questions. Then, peruse an overview of the articles available (from restaurants in D.C. to National Security) in the 2008 Annual Meeting Supplement.
What We’re Reading: December 20, 2007 Edition - December 19, 2007
Among the articles selected for this week’s “What We’re Reading” is an Inside Higher Ed piece on a new project between the Center for History and New Media at George Mason and the Internet Archive. Furthermore, we link to Dan Cohen’s blog where he explains the project in more detail. Also from Inside Higher Ed, comes a look at new efforts at Harvard to cut down the time it takes doctoral candidates to complete their degrees. And keep reading to find articles on publishing the Founding Fathers’ papers, questioning the role of the research assistant, the deaths of two historians, and good news for a former AHA staff member.
What We’re Reading: December 13, 2007 Edition - December 12, 2007
In this edition of “What We’re Reading,” we start off a look at two reports: the 2006 Survey of Earned Doctorates, and a study of social science PhDs five years later. You’ll also find an article on a recent copyright symposium, a legal fight over a copy of the Declaration of Independence, and a new blogger joining the Brainstorm.
What We’re Reading: December 6, 2007 Edition - December 05, 2007
Updates on funding for renovations on the American History Museum, debates from student newspapers on what to post on the web, and the question “Do we still need women’s history,” are topics from just a few of this week’s “What We’re Reading.” Also included is an article that takes a look into where the term “America” came from, and news from the National Coalition for History.
What We’re Reading: November 29, 2007 Edition - November 28, 2007
This week we note two newsworthy articles: protests over a talk by Holocaust denier David Irving, and historians (including two past AHA presidents) endorsing Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. From “First Monday” we find professor Richard Cox discussing the effects of new technologies on archives. And finally, what makes a good historical novel? Watch a webcast from the Library of Congress with historical fiction writer David L. Robbins.
What We’re Reading: November 22, 2007 Edition - November 21, 2007
We start off this week with reactions to the National Endowment of the Arts report on the state of Americans’ reading habits. If these trends continue it may be a troubling signal for the country in general and the history profession specifically. Then continue on to other articles we’ve read this week, including a timely article on the history of turkey pardons, a historian’s exciting discovery of new pictures of Lincoln at Gettysburg, new developments at the Center for History and New Media, an oral historian reflecting on his own life, and finally a historian’s endorsement of the “Smallest Publishable Unit.”
What We’re Reading: November 15, 2007 Edition - November 14, 2007
In this week’s “What We’re Reading” you’ll find news from Capitol Hill, including the new “National Veterans History Project Week,” and the National Coalition for History’s coverage of bills, NARA, and more. Also in this issue, historian Patty Limerick looks at the resurgence of Westerns at the movie theater; former Harper’s editor Lewis Lapham starts a new history magazine; and author Christine L. Borgman talks about her book Scholarship in the Digital Age.
What We’re Reading: November 8, 2007 Edition - November 07, 2007
In this week’s “What We’re Reading”: The Library of Congress responds to the report suggesting they were missing 17% of their holdings; Samuel J. Redman’s article “How Museums and Libraries Lose Stuff”; this year’s Cliopatria Awards for the best history blogs; and more.
What We’re Reading: November 1, 2007 Edition - October 31, 2007
In this edition of “What We’re Reading” learn how to recover collections after a fire, discover the best historical resources on the web, and revisit historical surprise attacks. Also, delve into the history of the Manhattan project and peruse the latest titles from the Humanities E-book program.
What We’re Reading: October 25, 2007 Edition - October 24, 2007
Digital is the buzzword in this edition of “What We’re Reading.” Check out articles on digitization projects at the Library of Congress as well as at libraries across the country. Then read about a Harvard Professor’s methods on integrating “digital innovation and scholarship” in his classroom. See also articles on the historical value of photos, Wikpedia’s anonymous editors, IRBs in Iraq, and more memories of Roy Rosenzweig.
What We’re Reading: October 18, 2007 Edition - October 17, 2007
On October 12th AHA Today recognized the life and work of Roy Rosenzweig, who passed away on the evening of October 11th. The news of this loss has spread across the Internet, where numerous blog posts and articles went up soon after Rosenzweig’s death. Within this post are links to a few. You’ll also find some other articles we’re reading, on topics including the Tomb of the Unknowns, a digitization project in Germany, and dirt on Madison.
What We’re Reading: October 11, 2007 Edition - October 10, 2007
In the articles listed below we begin with yet another Wikipedia debate, but this one isn’t about what’s acceptable in student bibliographies. You’ll also find a link to the GAO report on the Smithsonian’s physical plant, which includes some worrying pictures. For political gossip lovers, check out Newsweek’s review of the late Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr’s diaries, which have been compiled into the book Journals: 1952-2000. In addition, there are links to a tale of public historians, suggestions on applying for tenure-track positions, accusations of elitism in history departments, and finally, some tips on how to preserve digital media…
What We’re Reading: October 4, 2007 Edition - October 03, 2007
The articles in this edition of “What We’re Reading” ask a lot of questions: How many amendments does the Constitution have? Who was Chester Arthur? Where have copyright law and its enforcers gone wrong? And that just scrapes the surface. Check out the reading list below and decide for yourself which questions get answered, and which lead to even more questions.
What We’re Reading: September 27, 2007 Edition - September 26, 2007
In this week’s edition of “What We’re Reading” you’ll find articles on new technology that is helping piece together the past, news on another foreign scholar denied entrance to the U.S., and a new “open book” that explores the impact of all things Google.
What We’re Reading - September 19, 2007
Today we’re starting a new weekly feature on AHA Today that will highlight articles and blog posts that may be of interest to historians. Check out the articles below and find out what we’re reading.