Are folks interested in practical matters of equipment, good recording technique, transcribing; or in learning more about other oral history projects in process? Give us your input. Better yet, come forth to put on the show

Gail Kurtz will teach two more oral history workshops before taking a hiatus for the summer:

• Recording Oral History Interviews, May 16
  
  
• Transcribing, Editing and Processing Oral History Interviews, May 22
  
  

For more information please contact Gail at gdkurtz@flash.net or 510-525-7050.

Bombs & Babies: Childhood Memories from World War II

The History Department in Bergen, Norway, has worked for some time with teaching programs combining new technology and traditional historical work (databases, cartography, internet, ODL, etc.), but last term we launched a new project "oral history on the web". This course aimed at teaching students oral history skills as well as how to present their work on the internet, not just as transcribed text, but the sound as well (only extracts of interviews).

As a pilot project, we were more interested at that stage in how this would work pedagogically, and less focused on the ethical implications. Now, however, we have the material and resources to publish entire interviews on the Internet, and of course we are discussing how to do it, why we want to do it, what the results may be, and so on. The idea is to create a database with interviews, which is searchable, and thus will function as a sound archive.

We know that oral historians, as well as other historians, have strong opinions on this matter, and invite you express them and help us shape the use of the new technology in oral history.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Best regards,

Bente Opheim
Department of History
University of Bergen
Sydnesplassen 9, N-5007 Bergen, Norway.

New "Radical History and Politics" Website

The RADICAL HISTORY REVIEW and the RADICAL HISTORIANS NEWSLETTER announce a new, joint website, "Radical History and Politics." This website is extensive, currently comprising about 200 html files and nearly 1,000 screens of information, with more to come. The site includes information on both publications, on their editorial groups, on the availability of back issues, and on RHR subscription rates (the Newsletter is free to anyone interested). The RHR section of the site also includes calls for papers, guidelines for contributors, a 10-year index, a gallery of cover art from the last 30 issues, and information on RHR books and tee-shirts.

In addition, this website houses a beginning archive of articles, interviews, book reviews, public history essays, course syllabi with commentaries, and collections of images that have appeared in the RHR and the NEWSLETTER. Items in this archive address a wide variety of historical fields (women and gender, gay and lesbian, race and ethnicity, working-class, international and transnational, culture and politics, oral history) in many regions of the world. For example, the website currently contains a recent oral history interview with Bernice Johnson Reagon.

Finally, the website will in the future be expanded beyond the contents of the two publications to include other features -- debates, exhibitions of images, and reports on current activities -- that explore the intersections of historical study and radical political practice.

Check out the new "Radical History and Politics" website at: http://chnm.gmu.edu/rhr

Let us know what you think!

History Departments Around the World
Hosted by the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University, History Departments Around the World is now an online database which includes the URLs for more than 900 history departments' web pages. It is still located at its old address: http://chnm.gmu.edu/history/depts/

The database is searchable by university name and location (U.S. or Non-U.S.). In the near future it will be searchable by city and state as well.

You can also add new departments online. (Many thanks to Lex Renda of University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee, who recently added 400 departments). Please add your department to make the database even more comprehensive.

Send comments and corrections to:

Elena Razlogova.
Center for History and New Media
George Mason University

The American Folklife Center and the National Digital Library Program at the Library of Congress announce the release of the online presentation: "Voices from the Dust Bowl: The Charles L. Todd and Robert Sonkin Migrant Worker Collection," a multi-format ethnographic field collection from the American Folklife Center's Archive of Folk Culture, has just been made available through the National Digital Library Program of the Library of Congress. This collection documents the everyday life of residents of Farm Security Administration (FSA) migrant work camps in central California in 1940 and 1941. This collection consists of audio recordings, photographs, manuscript materials, publications, and ephemera generated during two separate documentation trips undertaken by Todd and Sonkin.

In addition, viewers may enjoy "Today in History," accessible through the Library of Congress's main homepage. The entry uses the fiddle tune "Eighth of January" as represented in "Voices from the Dust Bowl."

The following materials on our website may also be of interest:

* "California Gold: Northern California Folk Music from the '30s, " another ethnographic field collection from the American Folklife Center's Archive of Folk Culture, continues to be available online. This elaborate online collection includes sound recordings, still photographs, drawings, and manuscripts documenting the musical traditions of a variety of European ethnic and English- and Spanish-speaking communities in California. It comprises 35 hours of folk music recorded in twelve languages representing 185 musicians.

* "Folklife Sourcebook: A Directory of Folklife Resources in the United States," has been revised and expanded for 1997. Chapters include directories for graduate programs, public sector folklore organizations, archives, serial publications, and more. This edition will be available as an online resource only. Please send updates on information in the directory to
Peter Bartis.

In addition, the Folklife Center's web pages include many popular publications, guides to collections, information about projects to publish recordings from the collections on CD, and the Folkline information service.

Social Studies teacher George Cassutto in Hagerstown, MD does a great job with student web pages although not in oral history (so far). Start with his personal web page at http://www.fred.net/nhhs/html/cassutto.html and then work your way through some of their interdisciplinary class projects.

Although it was produced by a college class, I think that the web page produced by Paul Ortiz's class at Duke, "American Communities: An Oral History Approach" is a good model. The students include excerpts from transcripts, a bit of their own writing and reflection, and images; it was produced as a public/community resource and it is indexed by narrator and concept. African American Experiences in Durham, North Carolina:

http://www.duke.edu/web/hst195.15/

The American Studies Crossroads is a good resource for getting started on such projects. It includes guides to developing class web pages. Crossroads and ASA have published Engines of Inquiry: A Practical Guide to Using Technology to Teach American Culture which is aimed at high school and college audiences. Technology and teaching resources are at:

http://www.georgetown.edu/crossroads/innovation.html

Producing a community oral history web resource is a great project for a school. This would make for great National History Day projects as well. From my experience with teachers I would suggest two things:

Look for collaborators -- fellow teachers, your school media specialist, a local archive (historical societies, colleges...), someone from the public library or local historical society, a retirement community activities director, the local NAACP, veterans groups, labor organizations, chamber of commerce, etc.

Publicize -- this seemed to be middle school teacher Michael Brooks' mantra. Make sure that you let the education reporter know when your students go to interview someone, when you bring someone into the school, when you produce something, and when you hold any kind of event such as a reception for interviewees. Present a paper or roundtable session with your students at conferences (regional oral history conferences are a good starting point). Invite people to come and look; for example, send an announcement to H-OralHist when you have something on line, ask subscribers to take a look and to send comments to you and your students. Students and narrators will be pleased for the recognition, the community will learn, readers will suggest additional contacts, and your school administrators and local donors may feel warm and generous due to the good press.

ANNOUNCING H-ORALHIST

H-ORALHIST is the successor to OHA-L, which began in 1993. H-ORALHIST is a network of people interested in oral history. Oral history is commonly defined as a method of collecting and preserving tape-recorded remembrances of past experiences. Although historians have been interviewing people since the ancient Chinese dynasties, the modern oral history movement is considered to have begun in 1948 when Allan Nevins established the Columbia University Oral History Research Office. The Oral History Association, with 1,200 members, promotes oral history internationally. H-ORALHIST invites subscriptions from people with a broad range of backgrounds, including public historians, students, local historians, and university faculty members. Active editing will stimulate discussions which reflect the theory as well as the practice of oral history interviewing. The list also seeks to provide an interactive forum for individuals interested in using oral history as defined above or for those who wish to contest the above definition.

The H-ORALHIST list is co-edited by Jeff Charnley, Michigan State University; Gene Preuss, Texas Tech University; Cheryl Oakes, Forest History Society; and Michael Gordon, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.

The editors serve two-year renewable terms, with the approval of the H-Net Executive Committee and rotate their duties. The current editor will be identified in all messages coming from the list. The editors will solicit postings (by email, phone and even by regular mail), will assist people in managing subscriptions and setting up options, will handle routine inquiries, and will consolidate some postings. Anyone with suggestions about what H-ORALHIST can and might do is invited to send in ideas. The editors will solicit and post newsletter-type information (calls for conferences, for example, or listings of sessions at conventions.) They will also commission book and article reviews, and post book announcements from publishers. H-ORALHIST will be moderated to filter out extraneous messages (like requests for subscription) and items that do not belong on H-ORALHIST. They may belong somewhere else, or in the judgment of the editors they do not aid the scholarly dialogue. The editors will not alter the meaning of messages without the author's permission. It is advised by a board of scholars and is sponsored by the Oral History Association.

More information about the Oral History Association may be found at the Association's web site:

http://www.baylor.edu/~OHA

Logs and more information about H-ORALHIST can also be found at the H-Net Web Site, located at:

http://www.h-net.msu.edu/

ABOUT H-NET

H-ORALHIST is affiliated with H-Net, an international network of scholars in the humanities and social sciences that creates and coordinates electronic networks, using a variety of media, and with a common objective of advancing humanities and social science teaching and research. H-Net was created to provide a positive, supportive, equalitarian environment for the friendly exchange of ideas and scholarly resources. H-NET sponsors dozens of e-mail lists and Web sites for them in a variety of disciplines and fields, publishes reviews of scholary books and articles on the internet, and provides a weekly Job Guide. Our host is Michigan State University. More information can be obtained by sending an e-mail message to h-net@h-net.msu.edu or by browsing our Web site at http://www.h-net.msu.edu.

SUBSCRIBING TO H-ORALHIST

To subscribe, send an e-mail message (no signatures or styled text), from the account where you wish to receive mail to LISTSERV@h-net.msu.edu, with the following command as its only text:

SUBSCRIBE H-ORALHIST firstname lastname, institution

Example: SUBSCRIBE H-ORALHIST Jane Smith, Pioneer State U

Please follow the instructions you receive by return mail.

For additional information please write: Jeff Charnley,

For technical assistance please contact the H-NET help staff at: help@h-net.msu.edu.

Thank you for your interest in H-ORALHIST!

The H-Oralhist Editors

ANNOUNCING H-SCHOLAR

An H-NET List for Independent Scholars and Scholarship.

Sponsored by the National Coalition for Independent Scholars, H-Net:
Humanities and Social Sciences On-line, and Michigan State University.

H-Scholar is a moderated internet discussion forum sponsored by the National Coalition of Independent Scholars. Its purposes are: assisting independent scholars to share their work and research interests with the larger community, enhancing their productivity by promoting the sharing of information and resources, facilitating communication between independent and academically affiliated scholars with shared interests and concerns, providing information about issues of general interest to all working scholars regardless of their discipline or situation and creating a forum for discussion of specific scholarly issues across disciplinary boundaries. Its intended audience includes not only NCIS members, but anyone engaged in serious scholarly research that is not supported by institutional resources, academics interested in issues of concern to independent scholars, and persons interested in ways to build communication between scholars and the general public.

Its editorial focus will be on encouraging scholars to assist each other to pursue their research interests. This includes discussions both of (a)intellectual issues in scholarship and (b) practical concerns. The editors will limit discussions of intellectual issues to those of general scholarly interest, or those of interest to scholars in more than a single field of work: where possible they will refer more specific issues, to another H-Net list. The list also hopes to carry reviews of books and electronic/multi-media publications presenting intellectual issues in scholarship that are of general or broad interest, as described above. WWW and other Internet sites may be reviewed, along with print material, and, in any case, reviews will cover a wide diversity of resources.

The H-Scholar list is co-edited by Margaret DeLacy, Joanne Lafler, Barbara Bell, Anne Lowenthal, Neala Schluening, and Diane Calabrese. It is sponsored by the National Coalition of Independent Scholars and is advised by a board of scholars. The editors will retain discretion to reject personal criticisms, the publication of sensitive or personal information (such as the home address of a third party), irrelevant or excessively long or frequent submissions, overly-extended discussions of a single issue, and commercial or self-interested announcements.

To join H-Scholar, please send a message to: listserv@h-net.msu.edu(with no subject line) and only this text:

sub H-Scholar firstname lastname, institution

Capitalization does not matter, but spelling, spaces and commas do. When you include your own information, the message will look something like this:

sub H-Scholar Sam Jones, Ball State U

Follow the instructions you receive by return mail. If you have questions or experience any difficulties in attempting to subscribe, please send a message to:

help@h-net.msu.edu

H-Net is an international network of scholars in the humanities and social sciences that creates and coordinates electronic networks, using a variety of media, and with a common objective of advancing humanities and social science teaching and research. H-Net was created to provide a positive, supportive, equalitarian environment for the friendly exchange of ideas and scholarly resources, and is hosted by Michigan State University.

For more information about H-Net, write to H-Net@H-net.msu.edu, or point your web browser to http://www.h-net.msu.edu.

We look forward to hearing from you!

The H-SCHOLAR Editors

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New Journal Announcement

The Journal of Multimedia History

The Department of History at the University at Albany announces a new multimedia journal. This exciting project will present professional scholarship that incorporates video, audio, and computer technologies. It will be published on the World Wide Web. To build on the enormous popularity of webzines such as SLATE and SALON, The Journal of Multimedia History aims to wed academic scholarship with the opportunities of the Internet in order to enliven our discipline, improve pedagogy, and expand interest in history among the general public. Scholars working in any field of history can submit "multimedia texts" (texts that incorporate pictures, audio, and/or relevant hyperlinks). We also seek interpretive articles about historical web sites and undergraduate or graduate courses that use innovative web cites; instructors should provide commentary about their experiences with the course. Every issue will include reviews of new multimedia products, ranging from CD-ROM software to radio shows. Finally, since this is a new project, the Editorial Board encourages other types of research that might be appropriate for this new journal.

Please submit articles and queries via the internet, to Gerald Zahavi or Julian Zelizer   [Subject Line: Editorial Board JMMH] or via snail mail to:

Editorial Board
The Journal of Multimedia
Department of History, University at Albany
Albany, New York, 12222
(518) 442-3992
Fax: (518) 442-3477

CALLS FOR PAPERS & CONFERENCES

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Consider Publishing with The Public Historian

The Public Historian, a quarterly journal sponsored by the National Council on Public History and published by the University of California Press, welcomes the submission of manuscripts by all those interested in the theory, teaching, and practice of public history, both in the United States and abroad. We are looking for manuscripts which make a significant contribution to the definition, understanding, and/or professional and intellectual progress of the field of public history. We conceive of the term public history broadly, as involving historical research, analysis, and presentation, with some degree of explicit application to the needs of contemporary life. The journal provides practicing professionals and others the opportunity to report the results of research and case studies and to address the broad substantive and theoretical issues inherent in the practice of public history. The journal aims to provide a comprehensive look at the field, publishing articles from the following sectors, among others:

• Public Policy and Policy Analysis
• Corporate Biography and Information Services
• Federal, State, and Local History
• Oral History
• Archival, Manuscript, and Records Management
• Public Memory and Commemoration
• Museum and Historic Site Administration
• Cultural Resources Management
• Heritage Tourism
• Historians and the Law
• Planning
• Historic Preservation
• Historical Editing, Publishing, and Media

In general, only manuscripts not previously published will be accepted. Authors must agree not to publish elsewhere, without explicit written consent, an article accepted for publication in The Public Historian.

Please submit inquiries and requests for manuscript policy to the editors at the address below:

Shelley Bookspan, Editor

Lindsey Reed, Managing Editor

Michael Osborne, Review Editor

Department of History
University of California
Santa Barbara, California 93106
805/893-3667
Fax: 805/893-7522

CALL FOR PAPERS

The Historian

The Historian welcomes manuscripts submitted by historians and students of history throughout the world. Submissions should be of interest to a wide general readership rather than narrowly aimed for specialists. Papers on all areas of world history, including the histories of the Ancient world, Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Pacific, the United States and all other regions are welcome. Manuscripts should meet the professional standards of academic journals, make a significant contribution in empirical fact or interpretation, and use unpublished and primary sources or a broad range of relevant literature. Manuscripts that have been published elsewhere (including in the electronic media) or that are under consideration for publication will not be considered by this office.

Manuscripts should be 6,000 words or less, exclusive of footnotes. The latter should be double-spaced and conform to The Chicago Manual of Style. 14th edition). Footnotes should be citations of sources rather than textual or bibliographical commentaries. Two paper copies of the completed manuscript, double-spaced, with one-inch margins (right margin unjustified) are required for submission. Copies will be returned only to those authors who supply stamped, self-addressed envelopes. Electronic submissions cannot be accepted due to system limitation.

Evaluation of manuscripts generally requires four to five months, as submissions are referred anonymously to two specialists whose comments are reported by the editor to the author. If a manuscript is accepted for publication, the author will be required to supply a diskette in IBM format, preferably Microsoft Word, footnotes in a separate file (not embedded in the program). Photographs, maps, and other illustrative materials are encouraged. The author has responsibility for securing permission from copyright holders for reproduction of visual materials to be published in The Historian. Manuscripts will be edited for accuracy, organization, clarity, and consistency. Copy-edited manuscripts will be sent to the author for approval before the article goes to press. Authors will also have the opportunity to review their galley proofs.

Please send manuscripts, correspondence, and editorial suggestions to:

Professor Linda Cooke Johnson, Editor
The Historian
Department of History
301 Morrill Hall
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824-1036
e-mail:
Historia@pilot.msu.edu

Two Calls for Reviewers

History Reviews On-Line is currently looking to expand its base of reviewers. It is one of the inaugural on-line history journals. This is a unique opportunity to review, as the reviewer is allowed to write longer reviews since this journal takes advantage of the assets of the Internet. One thus is not constrained to the 500 word review of the average print journal. In addition, works are reviewed expeditiously, as opposed to the year to two year wait that frequently occurs with the print media. Thus, this is a good opportunity for one to gain experience reviewing.

This journal covers all areas of history. It is online at http://www.depauw.edu/ ~dtrinkle/hrol.html. Guidelines for reviews are also available at that URL. The journal is supported by DePauw University, and edited by Dennis Trinkle. Professor Trinkle is the author or editor of several works, including the forthcoming History in the Electronic Age.

If there are any questions, please feel free to talk to me or email me at samerr0@pop.uky.edu.

Please send requests for books to review, or any other communications to the editor, to dtrinkle@depauw.edu.

You can reach the editor by snailmail at: Dennis Trinkle, Editor, History Reviews On-Line, Department of History, DePauw University, Greencastle, IN 46135.

Scott A. Merriman, Associate Editor

 

H-ORALHIST BOOK REVIEWER

INFORMATION FORM

 

H-ORALHIST will begin publishing reviews of recent books, and other media of interest to oral historians. In order to do this we need to build a database of potential reviewers. You'll find a reviewer information form at the bottom of this posting. If you are interested in reviewing for H-ORALHIST, please complete the form below and return it to Gene B. Preuss at Preuss@ttacs.ttu.edu.

Reviews on H-ORALHIST will also be distributed to other H-Net lists, so it may reach a larger audience than reviews in specific journals. The reviews are also made available through H-REVIEW (http://www.h-net.msu.edu/reviews/), the web-based access tool to the online reviews published by H-Net's discussion networks. Another added benefit is that electronic reviews are not as limited to space as print journals. Finally, list members can initiate discussion about reviewed books and media via the list.

We encourage all experienced oral historians to consider sending in the form. We welcome reviewers from a variety of disciplines and professional affiliations.

I look forward to your responses,

Gene

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• Name:
• E-Mail address:
• Mailing address:
• Institution/Affiliation:
• Professional Status: (associate professor, graduate student, librarian, independent researcher, etc.)
• Oral History interests:
• Most recent publications/projects:
• Other publications/lists you review for:
• Research and Teaching Topics/Subjects of interest:

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

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