OAH Outlook, May 2012 by Organization of American Historians

OAH

Volume 1 / number 4 / may 2012

OUTLOOK

A membership newsletter of the

From the OAH President

American Historians

Historians to Gather in the Land of Lincoln

Al Camarillo

A Lifeline to Young Colleagues

hey were labeled the lost generation: a cohort of colleagues who received their PhDs in the 1970s and early 1980s and could not find tenure-track positions during an era of restricted job opportunities in academia. I remember them well. I was one of the fortunate members of this generation, but there were so many others who decided to leave behind aspirations of careers in higher education after several years of stitching together part-time teaching positions hoping the job market would open for them and the legions of other doctorate holders produced during these years. Thirty years later we face another possible lost generation: a growing number of committed young scholars are struggling to remain connected to research and teaching. Though there are signs that the academic job market is improving slightly, it is still recovering too slowly to prevent thousands of young historians and other recently minted PhDs from giving up on their professional dreams. The OAH and the American Historical Association (AHA) must play important roles in offering an intellectual lifeline to historians struggling to maintain their career hopes after leaving their universities with degrees in hand but no job prospects. Discussions about alternative career paths for matriculating graduate students and recent history PhDs have been promoted in annual meeting sessions sponsored by the OAH and the AHA, but the problems that plague the academic job market are mirrored in public and private institutions that support public history career options (museums, national and state parks, local and state historical societies, and libraries, for example). The great recession created manifold problems in society, and those of us in higher education—especially at public institutions of higher learning dependent on increasingly scarce taxpayer dollars—know very well how fiscal contractions have not only stymied job growth but also affected almost all areas of our campus environments. In response to this climate of financial conservatism and budget cuts, some colleagues have offered more radical proposals for employing jobless historians, reaching back in time to the programs of the New Deal such as the Federal Writers’ Project. No good idea should be discarded as we consider multiple ways to address the problem of the new lost generation. There are steps that academic associations such as the OAH must take to reach out to graduate students and recent PhDs in history. Most importantly, we must serve as a vehicle for all historians to maintain intellectual ties and networks in the profession. As the president of the OAH, I am committed to this endeavor and will advocate for innovative and creative ways that our organization and allied associations can reach out to young colleagues to help minimize the consequences of the protracted economic downturn. Continues on Page 4 u

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Old State Capitol, Springf ield Illinois. (Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

The 2012 OAH Community College Conference will feature panels tailored to the specific needs of community college historians. To be held June 14–16 at Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield, Illinois, the conference will revolve around plenary-style panels and small group sessions focused on subjects related to teaching American history. The Western Nevada College history professor and past OAH Executive Board member Doris Dwyer explained that conference speakers “give presentations that include thematic approaches and suggest topics and sources not always familiar to community college instructors who are overwhelmed with teaching responsibilities.” Conference presenters are master teachers, community college professors, prominent research historians, and local public history experts.

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OAH

OUTLOOK vol. 1 / no. 4 / May 2012

TABLE OF CONTENTS From the OAH President

A Lifeline to Young Colleagues Al camarillo

Historians to Gather in the Land of Lincoln

The Civil War at 150 2 From the OAH Executive Director

Increasing Our Reach K atherine M. Finle y

The OAH Releases 2011 Annual Report

Scenes from Milwaukee

Actions of the OAH Executive Board

Lectureship Program Welcomes New Speakers

From the Archivist of the United States

NHPRC Promotes More Product, Less Processing David S. Ferriero 6 National Archives Releases 1940 Census

The OAH Receives Bequest from Marion Galbraith Merrill

Membership Benefit Spotlight: The OAH Career Center

Family members of a soldier are encamped with the troops in the fall of 1861. (Courtesy of the Library of Congress)

The Civil War at 150

uring the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War, the OAH is committed to bringing the best current thinking on this complex era to a wide audience, considering a single broad theme during each anniversary year. In 2011 we focused on the war’s origins with the April issue of the OAH Magazine of History; an Interchange on nationalism and internationalism during the war era in the September issue of the Journal of American History; and a plenary session on secession at the OAH annual meeting in Houston. Our Civil War at 150 World Wide Web project (http://www.oah.org/programs/civilwar/) explored the war through podcast conversations with Allen Guelzo and Spencer Crew, among others; featured articles from the OAH publication archive; audio and video recordings of OAH Distinguished Lectures by Stephanie McCurry and Christopher W. Phillips, among others; and period illustrations with descriptive captions. In 2012 we consider the theme of mobilizing for war, beginning in the pages of the April issue of the OAH Magazine of History (with Carol Sheriff as consulting editor) and in an OAH Magazine of History panel, “Race, Labor, and Mobilization: Teaching the Civil War,” at the OAH/NCPH Annual Meeting in Milwaukee. “Military battles were pivotal, but fighting the Civil War meant mobilizing the resources of an entire society,” writes the OAH Magazine of History editor Carl R. Weinberg. “Viewing war mobilization in this expanded context enables us to better understand the war’s outcome, and to appreciate its multiple meanings for the men, women, and children who experienced the bloody conflict.” In coming months, watch for: • a review by Michael Woods of recent literature on the causes of disunion in the September 2012 Journal of American History • recorded OAH Distinguished Lectures by Richard J. M. Blackett, Erica Armstrong Dunbar, James Marten, and William G. Thomas, among others. ■

Historians to Gather, from page 1  OAH Outlook (ISSN 2162-5050 [print], ISSN 2162-5069 [online]) is published each February, May, August, and November by the Organization of American Historians, 112 North Bryan Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47408-4199. Telephone (812) 855-7311; Fax (812) 855-0696; E-mail outlook@oah.org; http://www.oah.org/. The OAH reserves the right to reject articles, announcements, letters, advertisements, and other items that are not consonant with the goals and purposes of the organization. Copyright © 2012, Organization of American Historians. All rights reserved.

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“The OAH works very hard to ensure that the topics covered are timely and appropriate to the educator’s classroom,” added Mark Roehrs, a professor of history at Lincoln Land Community College. “The speakers are experts in their fields and engaging presenters, and the field experiences are high quality, educational, and entertaining.” While immersed in sessions and events, attendees will also have an opportunity to network with a unique mix of peers and with speakers during sessions and after-hours social events. “There are few professional conferences that focus on the basic issues faced by American history instructors at community colleges,” said Dwyer. “This workshop promises to be the best opportunity out there.” The conference program also includes a day in the community with visits to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and to other sites in Springfield. An optional daylong tour will take attendees to Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site. For more information, visit: http://cc.oah.org. ■

From the OAH Executive Direc tor Katherine M. Finley

Increasing Our Reach

ccording to a recent article in the Chronicle of Higher Education, a number of academic associations are losing members and “struggling to remain relevant and financially viable” (“Scholarly Groups’ Choices Yield Diverging Fortunes,” April 1, 2012). The decline in tenure-track teaching positions as well as the scarcity of funds for travel and professional development are blamed for eroding membership numbers and contribute to the need for academic associations to reinvent themselves. Last year, the OAH Executive Board appointed a membership task force to study how the OAH can maintain its current membership base and attract a larger and broader audience. The task force made several recommendations to the board, including: (1) working with other history organizations to offer joint memberships; (2) offering a discounted “bridge membership” to those who are new to the profession, unemployed, or underemployed; and (3) increasing our efforts to encourage students to join the organization. The OAH has worked diligently to address the board’s suggestions. To date, we have worked with three societies to offer joint memberships, are working with two other associations to provide our members with discounted memberships in those groups, and are in the process of contacting several other societies. “Bridge memberships” will be rolled out during the fall dues renewal period. We have redoubled our efforts to recruit students and are enhancing our online career center with a wealth of resources and opportunities. The inclusion of students in the ranks of the OAH will strengthen the organization in many ways. Students who are introduced to a professional society early are more likely to stay in that organization throughout their career. As the relationship between student members and our organization grows, the more likely they are to become leaders in the profession (both academically and organizationally). And, of course, the presence of young people in the OAH will help keep the history profession vibrant. The OAH, like many other academic organizations, has many members who are baby boomers or retired. With the retirement of the baby boom generation comes the possibility that the OAH will face a decline in membership. We must work to offset this potential loss by targeting budding historians, embracing both the strength that comes from numbers and the new ideas and scholarship that the next generation of historians brings. For these reasons the OAH is working on a number of special offers and promotions for student members. I encourage you to introduce your undergraduate and graduate students to the OAH and to contact me for more information about these recruitment efforts that will be important for not only for the organization but also the profession. ■

The OAH Releases 2011 Annual Report

Organization American His of torian

2010-2011 Ann

The OAH is pleased to share with you its 2010–2011 OAH Annual Report. With reports from the president, executive director, executive editor, and treasurer, the annual report places at your fingertips a comprehensive view of the organization’s programs and activities for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2011.

ual Report

Imperiled Promise Unveiled The 2012 OAH/NCPH Annual Meeting in Milwaukee was the site of the public unveiling of Imperiled Promise: The State of History in the National Park Service, a report by the OAH examining the practice and presentation of American history in the National Park Service. In addition to a session in which the authors—OAH members Anne Mitchell Whisnant, Marla R. Miller, David Thelen, and Gary B. Nash—presented their findings and engaged in lively discussion moderated by Ed Linenthal, the team met with a group of NPS historians assembled by NPS Chief Historian Robert Sutton, as well as the OAH Executive Board and the OAH Committee on NPS Collaboration. Anne Mitchell Whisnant, chair of the study team, notes that “the entire team has been energized by the enthusiastic embrace of the study, both within NPS and across the history profession. We know that a great deal of the power to effect change lies with our colleagues inside the Park Service. But we look forward to building upon the connections nurtured, as we have prepared this report to find new ways that we and the rest of the professional history community (including, crucially, the OAH) can support and encourage improved history practice in the national parks. We find in this moment a critical, yet exciting opportunity for all those who care about American history to reaffirm both our common purpose and the public value of quality historical research, education, and understanding.” To read the report and to download a copy, please visit http://www.oah.org. If you have questions about the study, please contact Aidan J. Smith, OAH Public History Manager, at aidsmith@oah.org.

For more information, visit: http://www.oah.org/about/papers/reports/ ■

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Camarillo, from page 1 

OAH Past President Alice Kessler-Harris gathers with colleagues from Columbia University following her presidential address.

Scenes from Milwaukee Michael Horne, a reporter from Inside Milwaukee magazine, described this year’s meeting of the OAH and NCPH as “heroin for historians.” That may be taking it a bit far, but the more than two thousand historians who descended on the Brew City for the 2012 OAH/NCPH Annual Meeting did find many stimulating scholarly sessions, tours, and professional development opportunities on their schedules. In addition to those academic activities, attendees took advantage of more than thirty social events and meals, including an evening graduate-students-only bus tour of downtown Milwaukee pubs. More photos and video from the meeting can be found online at http://annualmeeting.oah.org/blog/.

Scholarly presses, history groups, and other organizations were center stage in fifty thousand square feet of exhibit space in the OAH/NCPH exhibit hall. From the opening-night reception in the exhibit hall to breakfast and luncheons held throughout the meeting, opportunities were plentiful for friends—both old and new—to relax and visit.

C-SPAN and other media organizations were on hand to conduct interviews with attendees. For links to the media coverage from the meeting visit our blog at http://annualmeeting.oah.org/blog/.

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Toward this end, I have two proposals that I will place before the OAH Executive Board over the next few months. First, I will propose that the organization membership structure be augmented to include sponsored memberships (with faculty advisers or other colleagues paying to cover the membership fees of their graduate students and recent PhDs). I will contact every senior member of the OAH and ask them to sponsor their students to ensure that new cohorts of American historians are connected to the profession via the OAH, its services, and its annual conferences. I will also propose that senior faculty sponsor the registration fees for their current and former students who wish to attend the organization’s annual meetings. Second, given that universities have cut back on travel funds for attendance—especially by graduate students—at conferences, I will propose the establishment of a President’s Travel Fund for Emerging Scholars to help cover the travel costs of any graduate student or recent PhD (not currently holding a tenuretrack position) accepted for participation on an OAH annual meeting conference panel. A few years ago, as the president of the Pacific Coast Branch (PCB) of the AHA, I advocated for the creation of such a fund. Students listed in the PCB-AHA annual meeting program who apply for this fund receive up to $200 toward travel expenses; this is both a symbolic and real way to let graduate students know they are important to the organization and that the PCB-AHA encourages and supports their participation at annual meetings. This initiative has been a success, and I believe a comparable OAH program will be as well. I will ask past OAH presidents to contribute to this fund, and I will make the first substantial multiyear contribution. Graduate students whom I advise are rightfully worried about job prospects in the future, and a few of my recent PhDs are finding it difficult to land tenure-track jobs. While the OAH cannot affect the structure of the current job market, the organization has a responsibility to extend intellectual and professional lifelines to those who need them most and to cultivate connections among current graduate students who will view the OAH as an organization responsive to OAH needs now and in the future. ■ Al Camarillo is a professor of American history and the Miriam and Peter Haas Centennial Professor in Public Service at Stanford University.

Actions of the OAH Executive Board

t its spring 2012 meeting held on April 19 at the OAH/NCPH Annual Meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the OAH Executive Board took the following actions:

1. A pproved the minutes of the November 8. A nnounced that the OAH Magazine of History task force will report in the 2011 OAH Executive Board meeting fall on possible future formats for the with one change: the funding request publication. The editor Carl Weinberg from the Committee on the Status of is leaving the position this summer, and African American, Latino/a, Asian the OAH will use this opportunity American, and Native American to explore various content and (ALANA) Historians in October 2011 form options. In the meantime, the was approved for one year. A proposal magazine will continue in its current for continued funding will be considformat for the next two years. ered at the next board meeting in the fall of 2012. 9. Listened to a presentation from the OAH Committee on National Park 2. Established the Horace Samuel and Service Collaboration highlighting Marion Galbraith Merrill Travel Imperiled Promise: The State of History in Grants from the recent bequest from the National Park Service, a study cothe estate of Marion Galbraith Merrill. authored by Anne Mitchell Whisnant, Five travel grants in the amount of Marla R. Miller, Gary B. Nash, and $500 each will be awarded annually David Thelen. The Executive Board to individuals to help defray the costs applauded their efforts and asked of attending the OAH conference. OAH OAH Public History Manager President Albert Camarillo and OAH Aidan J. Smith to prioritize the President-Elect Alan Kraut will draft recommendations within that application criteria and suggest indireport for OAH consideration. viduals to serve on the Merrill Travel Grants Committee. 10. Heard a report from Oxford University Press on the status of 3. Approved the budget for the 2013 the two publications (the Journal fiscal year ending June 30, 2013. The of American History and the OAH budget projects revenues at $2,901,672 Magazine of History) it publishes and expenses $2,860,802. on behalf of the OAH. 4. Created the David Montgomery Book 11. R eviewed the proposal from the Prize in Labor History, contingent Committee on Part-Time, Adjunct, upon successful endowment fundand Contingent Employment (CPACE) raising efforts. for recognizing history departments 5. Recognized the changing environment and programs that reflect best practices within the academy and asked the in utilizing adjunct and contingent OAH office to undertake projects instructors. The board approved that will acquaint history students posting these departments and and professionals with nonacademic programs on the OAH Web site career opportunities. and will publish articles on best practices in OAH Outlook. 6. Approved procedures for addressing allegations of misconduct.

12. Updated the criteria for the Friend of History Award and the Roy Rosenzweig Distinguished Service Award.

7. A pproved the following appointments to the OAH Magazine of History editorial board: Kelly Lytle Hernandez, University 13. Formed the OAH Disability and of California Los Angeles; John DeRose, Disability History Committee, which Whitefish Bay (WI) High School; will become operational this fall. ■ Peter Seibert, National Council for History Education; Mark Roehrs, Lincoln Land Community College; Kimberly Gilmore, The History Channel; and Lisa Kapp, St. Ann’s School (NY).

OAH Distinguished Lecturer Mia Bay (seated), who joined the lectureship program in 2009, with students from Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. Bay conducted a seminar and gave a public lecture this spring as part of the university’s tenth annual Turning Points in History Lecture Series.

Lectureship Progr am Welcomes New Speakers The Organization of American Historians is pleased to welcome twenty-five new OAH Distinguished Lecturers for 2012–2013. Visit http://lectures.oah.org/lecturers/ new.html for a complete list of these newly appointed lecturers. A speakers bureau dedicated to American history, the OAH Distinguished Lectureship Program features more than four hundred lecturers from around the world. Participating lecturers not only visit college campuses and address undergraduate and graduate student conferences but also lead teacher seminars and engage general audiences at public events sponsored by historical societies, museums, libraries, and humanities councils. Support the OAH by calling on the OAH Distinguished Lectureship Program for your next guest speaker. ■ “ This has been my second experience securing a speaker through the OAH Distinguished Lectureship Program, and I’ve been thrilled with its level of service, quality of speakers, and professionalism.” —Sandra Slater, College of Charleston

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nhprc Promotes More Product, Less Processing From the Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero

ne of the seldom-told stories at the National Archives is about the work of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (nhprc). Most people, if they have heard of the nhprc at all, know about its work in supporting historical documentary editions—the papers of American presidents, statesmen, or civil rights leaders. Or they have a general notion that the commission awards grants for preservation and access projects at state and local government agencies, colleges and universities, and nonprofit organizations. Since it began giving grants in 1964, the nhprc has awarded $207 million to 4,900 projects in all fifty states and special jurisdictions. The untold story of the nhprc is its support for research and development—a national investment in the infrastructure of archives over the past fifty years. Did you know that the very first grants the nhprc made were for five manuals on basic archival techniques for beginning-level archivists and small repositories? Did you know that the nhprc was the first federal agency to fund electronic records? That it was instrumental in the development of Encoded Archival Description? That it helped in the propagation of xml and metadata for electronic records? That it funded major studies on how historical researchers gain access to sources? The nhprc also founded the Institute for Documentary Editing, now in its third decade, and the Archives Leadership Institute, the first program of its kind to train midcareer archivists and records managers for leadership positions. In June 2012 the nhprc will launch the Founders Online, an Internet database of all of the documents of six key figures in the creation of the United States: John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington. The nhprc’s mass digitization initiative is helping dozens of archives rapidly digitize and put online major historical records collections. The list of new tools, strategies, and techniques goes on and on, and the effects on the archives profession have been profound. For example, the nhprc funded the archi-

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vists Mark Greene and David Meissner to undertake a survey of unprocessed twentieth-century manuscript collections. Their report, “More Product, Less Processing: Pragmatically Revamping Traditional Processing Approaches to Deal with Late 20th-Century Collections,” appeared in the Fall–Winter 2005 edition of the American Archivist. The More Product, Less Processing (mplp) protocols encouraged archivists to consider new ways of dealing with unprocessed collections by eliminating item-level processing before making the collections accessible. The authors found that archivists could process an additional four hundred feet of material per year by processing no lower than the series level. The nhprc has gone further than any other major archives funder in embracing mplp principles. In its funding guidelines, the NHprc requires that projects guarantee that virtually all of its collections are or will soon be open for research and locatable online. This embodies one of the key tenets of mplp: repositories should provide a basic, minimum level of access to all their collections before giving intensive attention to a select few. In the Spring–Summer 2010 issue of the American Archivist, Mark Greene took up the question of the influence of the technique, finding that: While mplp focused exclusively on processing, its premises can be applied to other aspects of archival administration. Even beyond appraisal, electronic records, conservation, reference, and digitization, the most basic arguments of mplp can affect the way archivists do their jobs. The goal is to work smarter, not harder; to do things “well enough” rather than “the best way possible” to accomplish more with less (or the same) resources. In these austere times, doing more with less is a challenge faced by all—including the National Archives. Through the nhprc, we will continue to interact with our colleagues in the field to find ways to work smarter. The commission plays a modest but catalytic role in the ways archivists work

smarter—through strategic investments in our cultural heritage and through research and development for the field as a whole. Perhaps most important, it complements the mission of the National Archives to preserve and make public the records of the American people. ■ Join the Archivist of the United States at his blog at http://blogs.archives.gov/aotus and visit the National Archives Web site at http://www.archives.gov

National Archives Releases 1940 Census The release of the 1940 census marks the first time the National Archives and Records Administration has distributed an official decennial census online. By law the information on individuals in the decennial censuses is locked away for 72 years. The 3.9 million images constitute the largest collection of digital information ever released by NARA. The free Web site, hosted by Archives.com, includes a database of Americans living within the 48 states and 6 territories on April 2, 1940. For more information, visit: http://1940census.archives.gov/. ■

Membership Benefit Spotlight The

OAH Career Center

Marion Merrill stands next to a photograph of her late husband, Horace Samuel Merrill (1910–1996), at a dedication ceremony at the University of Maryland in 2006. (Photo courtesy Thai Q. Nguyen)

The OAH Receives Bequest from Marion Galbraith Merrill

he OAH received a gift of $50,000 from the estate of Marion Galbraith Merrill in February 2012. Mrs. Merrill’s bequest pays tribute to the life of her late husband, Horace Samuel Merrill, and his devotion to teaching and research excellence in American history. At its 2012 spring meeting in Milwaukee, the OAH Executive Board voted to use the bequest to establish the Horace Samuel and Marion Galbraith Merrill Travel Grants. Five travel grants in the amount of $500 will be awarded annually to individuals to help defray the costs of attending the OAH conference. OAH President Albert Camarillo and OAH President-Elect Alan Kraut will draft application criteria and suggest individuals to serve on the Merrill Travel Grants Committee. ■

Fifty-Year Member Pins

id you join the Mississippi Valley Historical Association/ Organization of American Historians on or before 1962? If so, you are among a very dedicated group of members, and we want to recognize your tremendous achievement with a fifty-year membership pin. Those individuals celebrating their fiftieth year of membership in 2012 will soon receive their pins. If, however, you have passed your fifty-year milestone and did not receive your pin in the past, please let us know so we may show our appreciation for your longstanding commitment to the OAH. Please contact Susan Daut to request your pin. Call 812-855-7311 or e-mail sdaut@oah.org. ■

The OAH has many publications, resources, and services that can help you learn more about American history and allow you to share your knowledge with others. But did you know that the OAH provides a valuable career resource as well? The OAH Career Center is a powerful tool that connects employers and job seekers via a confidential and easy online portal. Free to all OAH members, the Career Center gives job seekers easy-to-use online tools to search and sort employment listings and confidentially post résumés, and it offers automated e-mail notification of new position postings. Employers and recruiters can also use career center tools to hone recruiting efforts, post job descriptions, and review résumés to find the best candidates for a variety of staffing needs. To learn more about the OAH Career Center, visit http://www.oah.org. ■

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2012 OAH Community College Conference Springfield, Illinois

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June 14 –16

The Organization of American Historians is pleased to announce its sixth annual community college conference to be held June 14–16, 2012, at Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield, Illinois.

For more information, and to register, visit

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http://cc.oah.org/

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