Tempted and Tried

I must start off by saying that I cannot believe that this is the end! It feels like June only just began and here we are in the last full week of July. Despite the flurry of activity in my mind that has caused me to suffer from sleep deprivation, this project has been a blast. I still have concerns, namely that my fellow classmates have done far more on their sites than I have on mine and that my is not sufficiently adequate. But, then again, it is how I envisioned my site to look and no matter what I am proud of the outcome.

The site is up, ready to go, and I sincerely hope it is beneficial to all who view it. I did have to take down some photos due to the fact that they are from a collection that unless I seek proper permission I am not allowed to use. The problem from the very beginning was that they were actually grouped in with another collection. It truly saddened me to have to take some of the pictures off the website but I also would like very much not to be sued. It was a great lesson for me concerning copyright laws and private collections, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t frustrating all the same.

As the title of this blog suggests, this project was fraught with all kinds of temptations and trials. I have been tempted many times to throw my computer and scream at it until I couldn’t talk anymore. The trials I faced were all about making sure I had the right information and the right amount of photos. Also, I was very concerned about striking a healthy balance between telling the history of the buildings while also telling who occupies it today and what can be found there. I wanted to appeal to both the modern shopper and visitor while also appealing to long-time residents and those interested in the history of downtown Florence. I hope with all I am that I achieved this goal. At the same time, I gained a lot of wonderful insight into yet another facet of public history. I am so glad I have the experience of building a website under my belt even if it is on a small scale. Just being able to say that I did it is gratifying in and of itself and I must say I am proud of what I accomplished. I have learned so much about the history of downtown Florence thanks to this project. I have also learned that I really, really like to take pictures.

On another note, I spent a good three hours in the archives at UNA on Tuesday and am happy to report that I finished going through all of the information for Caroline Lee Hentz. And, to top it all off, I found some interesting information that connected her in a small way to another woman I plan to include in my thesis. I was sort of giddy the rest of the day. While this small discovery does not even come close to what some of my fellow classmates discovered for their own thesis work, mine was unique to me and made me happy all the same.

It has been fun everyone and I must say I am so proud of my fellow classmates and their individual projects. The public history program is certainly blooming and the program has a bright future indeed. Their projects far exceed mine in many ways and I am so excited to see the final, final products tomorrow. As this class draws to a close, I now plan to focus on the many other projects I have going on (and they keep growing) as well as my thesis research. But, in all honesty, all I have on the brain at the moment is that I am seriously in need of a real vacation.

Have an amazing weekend!!

Frustrations and Accomplishments

Happy Monday Guys!

Well, this is it everyone! My classmates and I have until Friday to make sure our websites are up and running and are everything we want them to be. The entire process has definitely been an experience and certainly one that will not soon be forgotten. Some of my classmates have had to change platforms in order to build the website they wanted or because they were not comfortable with their first platform. Others have felt the pressures of making a note worthy site that will look outstanding on their record and in their portfolio. One thing that I think all of us have had in common, including our fearless leader Dr. Barske, is that we have all experienced highs and lows during this process and have also experienced equal amounts of frustration and excitement. I must say, there is something about seeing your work go live on your computer screen that makes you feel accomplished. Dare I say that in some respects there is nothing like that feeling? This entire process scared me to death at the start, but ever so slowly I became more comfortable and confident in my ability to put together this website.

My frustrations this week are not geared toward my website. Instead, I am frustrated over my thesis research or lack thereof. Due to increased hours at work, doctors appointments like crazy, and just life, I have not been able to do as much research as I would like. As I have shared with you in past blog posts, I have read a few books and have also made trips to my university’s archives. I have another trip scheduled for tomorrow morning and I am very excited about finally being back there again. But for me, this just does not seem like enough. Now with work presenting my co-workers and I with a new schedule (yet to be revealed), I can only imagine the kind of time I will have to do research before school officially begins in August. I am determined, though, to get a great deal done and not get discouraged. I have always been the type to set goals. When I do not meet those goals or go above and beyond what I laid out for myself, it makes me so incredibly upset. Though I do sound as if I am complaining about more hours at work I promise you that I am grateful for the extra time (and money; I am a poor college student with a husband to feed). Next week, I have to work six days which leaves me no time for research in the archives. I must say this is a major bummer. But, all hope is not lost. I am hoping things can really, and I mean really, pick up at the beginning of August. The pressure is on. I am determined not to stress myself out, though anyone who knows me knows that this is easier said than done.

As for my accomplishments thus far, all of my pages minus one is up and ready for review!!! This excites me beyond all measure. I am still not sure if the Courthouse page is a go just yet, but I am determined that this week my home page will be updated a bit to reflect what the site is about while also putting up my last page dedicated to describing what public history is, what it is public historians do, and how public history can be found at work in cities and communities everywhere including downtown Florence. I certainly hope this page does the great work public historians do justice.

I am so excited to share all of this with you. Please, if you have any comments or think anything should be added, let me know. Feedback is valued more than you know.

Have a great week everyone!

Public History Matters

I have set my own deadline for my website for next Thursday, July 25th. In one week from today, my site will be up and running and awesome (I hope). This week has yet again been ridiculously crazy!!! But I am happy to report that on Tuesday, I got more done than I originally thought I would. Sadly, I did not get to go to the archives to do thesis research. But, thanks to a doctors appointment scheduled at 7 a.m. Tuesday morning, I was up at 5 and ready to go. I may start doing that more often seeing as how I got so much accomplished. I mean, there is absolutely nothing like getting ten million things done before 10 a.m. I highly recommend it, though I should warn you that you need to be prepared for your brain to stop working around 9 p.m. After I returned home from my appointment, my husband was up and ready to go…and cleaning the shower. I was impressed and shocked. He has had a terrible cold since Saturday and Tuesday was the first day he actually felt like doing something. Since we were both up, we decided to head to downtown Florence so I could take some pictures for my site and so he could get up and out of the house.

As we were walking along Court Street, I noticed that a lot of renovations are taking place beside Create (the boutique) and On the Rocks. The men there were hard at work on the storefront restoring it to its former glory. There was an article in our local paper not too long ago about these renovations and how the workers would be stripping away the facades to reveal what was underneath. That certainly made me excited and to actually see it happening before my eyes was breathtaking. Okay, it made me giddy, very giddy. There was also an article in the same paper a few days ago about how two buildings also located on Court Street, the old McCorkle’s furniture building and the Striklin building located across the street, are going to be made into apartments. If done well, this also makes me very happy. The fact that so many people are taking such an interest in restoring downtown Florence is amazing to me and really makes me proud of what is happening right here in my backyard during my lifetime. These apartments will hopefully invite young college students and young adults to take part in downtown life, and since these very people are our future, those revitalizing downtowns need to appeal to this age group while also keeping other age groups in mind and offering a little something for them as well.  I feel Florence has done a great job of this thus far and there is still room to grow.

After seeing all this taking place downtown, it inspired me to create a section on my website about Public History giving a synopsis of what it is and why we do it. The restoration and revitalization going on downtown right now will also be featured in this section. I don’t want to give too much away but I am hoping that this section will clue people in on what it is Public Historians do and how important preservation and restoration is for the future.

On another note, I published a lot of my pages that I have had in draft form for far too long. I hope you will take a look at them and let me know what you think. I was so anxious when I published them because I kept having second thoughts, like what if I misspelled something or what if something does not make sense??? But, in the end, I just had to make myself do it. No, it was not easy, but as multiple professors have told me over the years, do not second guess yourself. This project to me is a learning curve. It is something entirely new to me and everyone else in this class and unfortunately mistakes are going to be made. It’s part of learning.

So, my goal for the next few days is to type up the Public History section of my website and possibly do a page dedicated to the Courthouse. I am hoping I get this typed up and ready to go by next Thursday but I guess we shall see. If not, it will certainly be an add on in the days to come. I am so excited about how everything is coming along and I do hope you all will give some feedback about the website.

Happy Thursday, Almost Friday Everyone!  If you are in the Florence area, get out and enjoy some Handy events this weekend and and into next week as well.

Up and Down, High and Low

Happy Monday to All!

I cannot believe that we are now halfway through July and that our final projects for our Digital History course are due next (yes, next) Friday! Deep breaths from this point on must be taken, especially by me. There seems to be so much left to do but no time. Between doing research, reading secondary source material, work, and working on my website (and taking care of a sick husband) I seem to have absolutely no time for these so called deep breaths. But, as always, everything will get done and relief is in sight. There is a light at the end of that tunnel folks!

As I sat down to work on my website Friday night, I discovered something that made my heart drop. I had previously wanted to do a section dedicated to city buildings located downtown including the Courthouse and the Municipal Building. Both have very wonderful histories and I was so excited about being able to share them online. Unfortunately, after I began comparing addresses with the historic downtown surveys I have in my possession, I discovered that I could not dedicate a page to either one because they are not technically located in the downtown historic district. I was stunned to say the least. In some ways, I felt crushed.

After I got to thinking about it, I thought that maybe this was a sign of sorts. I have been trying to figure out ways to scale down my project and just maybe this was a blessing in disguise. I am certainly going to see it that way. I have yet to go downtown as of yet to take more pictures but it will be done this week. I also plan to finish up my downtown restaurants page and create a page and subpages dedicated to downtown attractions. My plan next week is to devote a great deal of time to polishing up and proofreading my pages and finally getting all of them published. I feel like I have accomplished so much in the last week with getting so many pages into draft format and some pictures uploaded to my site. But the nagging feeling that I still need to be doing more remains. Finding out that two of the buildings I really wanted to write about were not located in the historic district was a huge let down, but as with most things there is a silver lining. Any historical project that one embarks upon is bound to be fraught with highs and lows. Whether it be research, writing a book, or teaching a lecture, nothing will ever be perfect. So, the lesson for today is expect the unexpected, good or bad. In the end both make for a memorable experience.

 

 

Steady As She Goes

This week has been an emotional roller coaster to say the least. As usual, I had those nasty thoughts about throwing my computer out the window. I also experienced a few mini panic attacks and moments of feeling overwhelmed and inadequate. If you have any of these symptoms you might be a college graduate student. But, as we near the end of the week, I have found that I have made some progress though it has been very slow. There were quite a few moments when I closed my eyes and clicked the mouse, hoping and praying  for the best. Transferring my blogs over to another page was the scariest moment of the week. I was so afraid that with one click everything would be wiped away, deleted in an instant. Thankfully, everything worked out and I had success. That moment gave me a glimmer of hope. It’s amazing what tiny moments like these can do to boost your moral.

But then other thoughts and worries began to pop into my head. My thesis research is coming along nicely thanks to my visit Tuesday to the university archives. But after seeing the stacks and stacks of papers and all the organization that has to be done for this process, I began to wonder what I had gotten myself into. I felt the same way when I looked at all the information that I had gathered over the last few months for this website. As I pondered how I was going to sort everything out and motivate myself to just start writing, I suddenly felt like I was in a deep, dark, unending hole. I certainly struggled with putting all those facts into coherent paragraphs while making sure they were put into my own words. There is just so much to consider and at the time I felt as if I had a great weight on my shoulders.  After I finished typing each sub page, I  would have thoughts sporadically pop into my head such as “this isn’t my best work,” or “this just sounds horrible”. I do this frequently with all of my writing. It’s a nasty habit. Sigh. I was and still am to some extent simply overwhelmed by all that I have to get done before the end of this month. Don’t we all wish we had about four or more hours in a day to get everything we need to do done?  I kept having to tell myself to just take it one step at a time and everything would eventually fall into place. It’s certainly a hard lesson to grasp totally and completely. Since then, things have gotten a little bit easier. I still feel a tremendous responsibility weighing upon me to get this right and do it to the best of my ability. But,  I have come to terms with the fact that I am not Wonder Woman and that some things are just out of my hands. Everything gets done with time, patience, and a lot of pep talk.

So, what have I accomplished thus far this week? Besides making some headway with my thesis research, I have polished up my About page, transferred my blogs, created a tab for the history of Downtown Florence and one for Downtown Businesses. I have also created sub pages for the Downtown Businesses page which includes Rogers, Southall, the Surprise Store, and Milner’s Drug Store. Proofreading still needs to be done and I have plans to start working on my next page. The fun never stops. When I began typing out all of the blubs for these sub pages, I realized that even if this entire project does not come out exactly as I planned, I have learned so much, and that I feel is the most important part of this whole process. I have also learned that I can definitely be a little bit too ambitious. I have had to scale back on some of the items I want to include on this site simply because I do not have the time to do them all by the deadline at the end of this month. Anyone who knows me knows that having to scale back is so frustrating. But then again I now have experience putting things on the web and am more comfortable with the process as a whole. Surprisingly, and I cannot believe I am saying this, it has been fun and a great experience. That, however, may change considering this project is not over yet. Let us hope it does not.

Taking It One Day At a Time

Happy Monday!

So, for the past week, I have been planning an outline for my website. Sunday, I finally sat down and typed out a draft for my first tab or page which just gives a brief history of Florence. I used the same introduction for my brochure but for the website I changed some things around  just a bit. Hopefully, I will get to post this soon after I proofread it and add in a picture or two. I realize now that this project is a major one and honestly I am scared to pieces and really beginning to feel the pressure and time constraints. But, it’s just the Web, right? I mean, how in the world can I possibly be afraid of a screen. I think, more or less, it is more about the fact that people will see this site and that this is part of my portfolio for a future job. Yikes! Can you tell I am feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment? But in the end, it will all work out I know. I just end up asking myself more questions every time I come across new information and new tutorials about creating websites. This feeling will pass, right? I know I have probably said this before, but I now have a new respect for people who create websites. I certainly find myself looking more closely at how sites I visit everyday are designed. It’s extraordinary really, all the colors, features, and intricate designs found on these sites. So much planning goes into formatting websites and we often take easy access for granted. I know I certainly do. At any rate, I aim to make my website as insightful as possible and also easy to access. Therefore, loading it down with all sorts of flashy features is just not for me and is not my style. I think that certain sites should have those types of features. For mine, I have to strike a careful balance and make the history I am conveying to my viewers exciting and fun yet informative. These are just some thoughts I have had in the last week and have pondered over as I began to really sit down and plan as well as begin the scary quest into building my own site. There is so much to consider and I think I just put more pressure on myself. Oh dear.

This week’s goal is to work on making pages highlighting some of the business and restaurant buildings located downtown. My goal is to have these published by the end of the week for you all to see. In addition to this, I am planning to take yet another lengthy walk downtown, this time at night, and take some more pictures to hopefully use both online and in my brochure. I have to say, as much as I have enjoyed doing the research for this project, taking the pictures for it has been a blast. Could this be a new hobby maybe?? Yeah, totally not happening until school is complete.

As for my thesis research, I am making huge progress in this (at least from my perch). I have read two, almost three secondary sources and going to spend a few hours in our university archive tomorrow. So excited! While this does not compare to what my friends in London are experiencing right at this very moment, this will be my own adventure. But, needless to say I am so excited for them and cannot wait to hear what all they found.

Until next time!

Tutorials, Planning, More Tutorials, More Planning…

Happy 4th Everyone!

Had the most amazing day with family and enjoyed more than anything seeing my cute, precious, adorable, heart-melting niece dance around my grandparent’s living room. Can you tell I love her so very much??? My cousin also informed all of us that our family will grow a tiny bit larger with the addition of another baby girl, Leah Emma Elizabeth. So excited for them!

In addition to all that, earlier this week my husband’s grandfather had open heart surgery. From the beginning, this man has said he would only be in the hospital for five days and no more when the doctors told him it would be between five to seven days. Long story short, he did splendidly and is making remarkable progress, so much so that he has wowed the doctors in Nashville…and has sense revised his previous statement and has informed us all he will only be there four days. During his surgery, Daniel and I along with his sister took a stroll near Vanderbilt hospital and saw some of the most amazing architectural buildings. The area has done a great job reusing old buildings and turning them into modern attractions like restaurants and shops that still have that old feel (old exposed brick, original facades, etc). Needless to say, it made this future public historian giddy. What made me even more giddy was the old bookstore we found downtown. The floor creaked with age, the building had that wonderful old feel…and then the smell of old books, treasures waiting to be unearthed. Sorry digital world, you have nothing on that bookstore.

Alas, though it is a holiday the homework does not stop (at least in my world). So, what have I done in terms of preparing for my website on Downtown Florence? Well, for starters, I wrote down potential names of the tab/page headings I would like to use as well as which buildings will go in each category. I must say, though this class is all about technology, I enjoyed my pen and paper and sitting down with my paper surveys and copies of calendars (sorry Dr. Barske). The tab headings I came up with so far are: food, city buildings, entertainment/ attractions, downtown businesses, and retail/shopping. Any thoughts about these headings? Should some like retail and food be combined? Do the titles need to be more eye-popping (I am sure they need to be but it is still a work in progress)? These are just some thoughts and ideas I wanted to bounce off of everyone to get your opinions. If I learned anything from those readings last month it was this: connect with your potential audience! Oh yes…and collaboration.

And then there are the tutorials…one that I stumbled across did give specific directions on making pages or tabs and how to go about making all that jazz. I want to find the people that made those directions and hug them.Thanks to them, I now know that from my dashboard I can create new pages. Who knew!!?? Well, probably everyone in my class but me but that’s ok. But, I still have questions. So many questions…and seeing as how I am not the brightest light bulb in the box when it comes to technology, this process makes me semi-anxious. I am most concerned about getting all my information up under the main tabs. For instance…say I create my tab “Food” and want to give information about the Ricatoni’s building and then move on to Trowbridges… how in the world do I go about doing that? When I create the new page do I just put all my information there or can I make it to where all my food places have a separate page under the main tab? I hope that makes sense…if not I blame the sugar high I have off the strawberry desert I had earlier. The answer, I am sure, is right in front of my nose. So much digging to do, so little time it seems. Sigh. Ok. Anxiety moment over. Have a great weekend everyone…

 

Plan, Plan, Plan: Phase 1

Good Day Everyone! And happy Early July 4th!

We are now in month two of our digital history course. Month one was challenging to say the least, but we all made it through in one piece (I think). All that being said, I believe we all learned quite a bit about digital technology and its effect on history and how historians can reach people on an entirely different level. We also learned what to consider (e.g. copyrights) when building our websites. I must say it certainly is a lot to remember but I think we are all up for the challenge.

In the coming weeks, my classmates and I will be posting about our progress as we proceed to build our individual sites. I have seen some of the ideas my classmates have about what they want their sites to be about, and I must say I am so excited to see what great things will come from this course. In addition to posting about our own progress, each of us will give each other feedback along with some helpful tips. We are all in this together and as our fearless professor has told us time and time again collaboration is key. We are here to help one another because, well, I don’t think any of us has done this before (I sure haven’t anyway).

Another thing our professor has stressed over and over is plan, plan, plan! Do you know how much actually goes into a website? Did you know that what your website colors are and how much text you have matters a great deal? Maybe you knew all that but as for me I certainly never gave it much thought. Planning how our websites will be laid out is crucial to building the website and must come before actually building. Just like building a home,construction workers and all those involved in the process must have a plan to work with. So, for the next week or two, my focus will be on the planning process, figuring out what goes where and all that fun stuff. Oh yes, and watching tutorials on how all this works. Needless to say, the planning part for me will be a piece of cake as I am all about some planning. But some of the tutorials I have watched so far have me feeling that this process will be more than daunting. EEEKKKKKKK!!!

For my website, I will be focusing on Historic Downtown Florence, Alabama. This area has such a rich history from Henry Ford’s interest in the area for his car plant to the building of Wilson Dam and TVA. Of course, there is much, much more to be told, but hopefully my website will help shed some light on some of the great history contained in this area. I have looked at other historic downtown websites and have decided that I would set mine up similar to theirs. I plan to include a summary of the history of Florence from its beginning and discuss how it has changed over the years.  I also plan to highlight various businesses, restaurants, and shops located downtown and give a synopsis of the history of the buildings in which these businesses are housed and then give a description of what is there today as well as information about what they sell. It will be about drawing in tourists but also giving them as well as community members a bit of background concerning how far the downtown area has come and what is still ahead.

Progress hasn’t stopped over the years. In fact, just today an article in our local paper talks about how the downtown area is restoring buildings and reinventing them. While the building may have the original facade it will also serve the people of today with a variety of shops and restaurants. It’s so exciting to see the downtown area revert back to the past in appearance with a modern twist inside. I hope that in some small way my website can be a part of this change.

Until next time everyone!

Where Do You Choose To Have Your Eureka Moments?

For our blog reading this week, my classmates and I were instructed to read Patrick Leary’s ”Googling the Victorians”. Towards the beginning of his article, Leary makes this statement that paints a clear and accurate picture about our future as scholars when using digital technology: “The eureka moments in the life of today’s questing scholar-adventurer are much more likely to take place in front of a computer screen.” Isn’t it so true that instead of having our “ah-ha moments” in libraries and archives we are having those moments when finding documents and little helpful snippets of information while Googling or perusing online sources? This article, published in 2005, is a bit outdated but captures the very essence of what has become of finding sources of all types for research and thesis projects. During the course of the article, Leary discusses some of his experiences searching online for source materials and how conducting research is changing. He says this about the archival experience verses online resources: “But we are perhaps reaching a point in our relationship to the online world at which it is important to recognize that the reverse is equally true.” While finding things online that aid our arguments and research is wonderful, finding some of those same sources in an actual library or archive is equally as exciting and useful. In the end, there are pros and cons of using the Web or going to an actual building to conduct research. I ask you to mull this over as you read over my experiences with both: what is your preference?

This article expresses in every way possible my beliefs about the digital world that is not only our present but our future. Leary states that the advice of librarians is indispensable to doing research. I have worked in a library for almost two years. I deal with computer issues, failed printers, how do I navigate Facebook questions, creating email accounts, and the list goes on and on. But can I confide in you what truly gives me the greatest joy? Helping those who come in with research questions find the books or websites they need! The author makes a point of explaining how the Web is a great source for research, a quick and easy way to find the information we need and possibly find the meaning to words and phrases in texts from a different time that mean absolutely nothing to us in the present (Leary explains that he had this conundrum and Google had the answer). The Internet provides a plethora of sources to find and explore that may not be readily available at your fingertips. Internet searches also encourage people to think a little harder about how to search and what they really want while also providing a form of communication for scholars as they advance their respective fields online by sharing ideas and information. Yet my biggest issue is what Leary calls the “offline penumbra” which is whatever is not online will no longer exist. For me, this is more than terrifying….it’s disastrous to even think about!

No, I promise I am not overreacting. I think I need to share with you my experiences regarding research in both archives and libraries as well as on the Internet. I will start by making this statement: the Internet is not the enemy. Contrary to how I feel at times, like wanting to throw my computer at work when it doesn’t scan my documents in correctly, it has helped me exponentially with my research both for this upcoming website and especially for my thesis work. I have been able to look up other historic downtown websites and figure out a plan for setting one up, what to include, and what I could add to my site to make it different and out of the ordinary, unique even. I have also been able to look up snippets of information and books about my wonderful women of Florence for my thesis research. Let me tell you: finding those books and where they are located has saved me a lot of running around. I find that through Internet searches I can get a synopsis of a book, how other authors have used/cited a source, and find books and articles I never would have dreamed to look through much less pick up. I also must say that having articles and even some books online make it convenient for me when I am on the go to just look up a source and read away. Yet I do find there are some negatives. Sometimes PDFs don’t load fast enough or freeze giving me only half of what I need. I also find that at times I search and search and search using a variety of different terms and phrases and NEVER FIND WHAT I AM LOOKING FOR! I sigh, moan, groan, and even get that nasty thought to throw my computer at times. Oh yes, and then there are the times I find that wonderful, perfect source and click on the link…anticipation building…hope restored…only to be crushed by either the statement saying the website is no longer available or that I have to pay a ton of money to view the entire site. And yes, this has happened frequently. And yes, it does make me sad, deflated even.

Nevertheless I have had eureka moments at libraries, archives, and on the Web. The database I wrote about last week with those letters and diaries are documents that would probably have been forgotten/underused if not for putting them up for the world to see. I imagine that I will come across images, diaries, letters even that if not put up online may never have been read again unless you are a scholar who has prior knowledge about these documents. Digital technology means democracy for the people which to me is a beautiful thing and something I fully support.  People need access and as historians, my classmates and I have the responsibility to put up online good, reliable history that is accessible to all especially since online research is the wave of the future.

I have run across phrases in books or words from times past and had no idea what they meant! So…did I reach for a dictionary? I report shamefully that nine times out of ten I did not…I Googled it. So, just as Leary did, I Googled the phrase and often became lost in all the hits I received, shocked that so many sources could be found for one word or phrase. It was, to say the least, fascinating. That being said, I firmly believe that the Internet can never, ever, substitute for the archival experience. Why you ask? I will give you two reasons/experiences and the blog is yours (sounds like a sermon closure). This past spring, I had the wonderful opportunity to work at the Joseph Wheeler Home/ Pond Springs in Hillsboro, Alabama for my internship. Every minute I spent cataloging and going through my trunks was delightful. Hands on experience-there is absolutely nothing like it. I got to feel the letters, clothes, and even hair in my hands (please don’t freak out, I had on gloves). It was exhilarating to know that others before me handled these objects and it was fun to let my mind wonder and think of where it was written or who wore that dress to what event. The sad part is that there are so many items there that there is a backlog meaning not everything is getting digitized as quickly as it could. So, I have to wonder if all of it will ever be seen by the public. Eventually, maybe, but seeing it online after actually seeing it in person will just not be the same for me. Visitors to the museum will get a regaling tale about the General’s family and see for themselves the artifacts, books, and papers of the General himself (not to mention a plaster cast of his foot! Excited yet??). At any rate, going to see artifacts at a museum or archive has a feel to it that if done well does not even compare to seeing that same artifact online. You get the story, see the excitement on the faces of the guides there, and most importantly history comes alive all around you. That, to me, makes for a more exciting experience than just taking a virtual tour online.

 And then there is the research I am conducting this summer and into this fall. As I have mentioned, I am going to get the opportunity to sit and look through old diaries dating back to the Civil War and one that even dates back even further than that! Can you tell I am excited, thrilled, elated???? Well, if not, I am. The experience of sitting in a library is captivating to me. I guess it goes back to my love for books which I have had since I was three or so. I never wanted toys, just pens, pencils, paper, and books. The feel of a book in my hands signifies relaxation and contentment, and being able to hold and see documents from so long ago yet again makes my mind wander and makes me smile to imagine what they must have felt when writing this particular item. It allows me to conduct intellectual history-thinking like they thought, experiencing in some ways what they experienced. Seeing it online does provide the comforts of home and convenience, especially if I am far away from where those artifacts are. Yet, going into a library/archive has a specific smell, fell, and atmosphere that cannot be obtained from a computer screen. While the advantages of the Internet do outweigh doing in person research for some, for me I see the pros and cons of both. That does not mean I don’t have my preference…

Locating Primary Sources

 In the last week, the digital history class students and I have been reading about what to consider when building our websites (which in itself is really starting to become more real, frightening, and exciting). Things that must be taken into consideration include the audience, purpose, what types of digital media to include on the site, color of the website, font, and the list goes on and on. But after reading the article that was assigned for this blog, “Digital Junction” by Debra DeRuyver and Jennifer Evans, I began to wonder what the role of primary sources plays in creating a successful website. The article begins by asking this question which was first posed by Randy Bass, a professor at Georgetown University: what will happen when the World Wide Web becomes invisible? You may have the same response I did upon reading this: what does that mean??? It really boils down to a simple concept: the invisible web is all the information floating around the Internet but is not cataloged by such search engines as Google. The information can usually only be accessed with special permission. Ever tried to look up JSTOR without going through the library website? In order to view the full text of the article one would have to pay twelve maybe even fifteen dollars to view it. That in itself is discouraging enough.

This all just sounds really grim doesn’t it? So what is a public historian to do?? Bass has an answer for that. He says that “the real power of these materials will not come from sheer access to primary resources, but the connections that can be made across them and the visibility of the process of the work being done on them.” What I believe historians have to keep in mind is that we should make the process of working on primary materials visible. There are plenty of secondary sources out there, but how many students or those on the outside really understand what primary source material really is much less how to access them? Sure there is a lot of material written about what they are and how to access some of them, and technology is being taught in the classroom, but it just cannot keep up with the pace that primary sources are being made available. Further, do they know how these sources are being utilized in our various projects? The authors of this article were “disappointed to realize that for the vast majority of online primary sources, the information professionals involved in the project have not made the simplest of connections-a hyperlink between two Web pages-available to their users.” The Web is a confusing place full of information. The problem is that few of us know how to navigate through the information and search online to find what we need. And, “As the Web becomes as invisible as our television sets, it becomes increasingly difficult to imagine it presenting different configurations of primary sources and scholarship.” That’s just downright terrifying for me. I have been in college six-ish years and I will be the first to admit that finding sources, especially primary, can be overwhelming and difficult, frustrating even. Sometimes technology does not make it any easier. So, what can we do to help prevent primary sources from being lost in the dark abyss that is the Web? “Overcoming our technical illiteracy would help us make the Web visible again and give us the vocabulary to develop or participate in new, connected, scholarly environments.”In the rest of the article, the authors give great pointers and examples of a wide range of primary source websites as well as detail about six primary resources found online that help overcome our technical illiteracy and conquer what before seemed maddening and overwhelming. A special thank you to these ladies for attempting to make the invisible, Deep Web less complex and more approachable.

For this blog assignment, we were instructed to locate a primary source website accessible from the University of North Alabama library homepage. I picked the North American Women’s Letter and Diaries database because I love all things to do with Women’s history. I also must note that I am, along with doing this class this summer, conducting research for my thesis which focuses on the Women of Florence. I have only done a little research so far but in the coming weeks I will be perusing through a few diaries and letters in Collier library which I must say I am BEYOND excited about doing. So, in short, I wanted to see what this database had to offer. I was not disappointed…

The North American Women’s Letters and Diaries database is not only accessible through Collier Library but also through the website  http://solomon.nwld.alexanderstreet.com/ where you would have to register for a free trial. It is obvious that the types of sources one will find consist of old letters and diaries from the colonial era through the 1950s. The database was developed at the University of Chicago and in the introduction to the website the creators even detail what software they used to help give it a fresh look and an email address for any comments or concerns one may have. They also make note of the fact that they improved their search engine to perform better and created a new toolbar navigation so that browsing for sources is much easier. It seems they have taken the comments and concerns of past visitors and done everything in their power to make sure the site is easily accessible and makes primary documents easier to find and research. This navigational toolbar allows the user to choose from a variety of choices to conduct their research such as “browse” (where one can search by authors, sources, years, places, historical events, and from their showcase which is also located on the home page), “find”, “search” (which helps narrow down your search by selecting from the choices underneath labeled simple, diaries, letters, and advanced), and what we all need at one time or another the tab “help”. Also at the top one will notice links below the toolbar titled “about” giving information about the site and “software requirements” which I for one appreciated.

While browsing around on the site, I perused through their showcase section and came across a diary from a young black school girl in 1933 describing her aspirations and her school days. There was also a letter pertaining to the small pox outbreak in 1792 with the letter dated April 6, 1795. Daniel (my husband who is fascinated by old letters and who pointed out the differences in how people wrote letters in some of the sources we looked at) and I had a blast looking through this material. Some of the sources found here are digitized scans of the documents themselves. Others that I found were transcribed for the user, leading me to believe the documents were either too fragile or this was done to save room and time. While this database may not help me with my digital history website, it may come in handy for my thesis. I already have quite a few ideas in mind. The improvements they appear to have made on the website make the entire process an enjoyable experience though when I clicked on Civil War documents I did feel a bit overwhelmed! There were so many choices (which thrilled my soul) but it almost seemed too much to ever imagine going through. I sincerely doubt that many people know this database is accessible through the web (sort of) or even through our University library. This proves the author’s point in the article described above that in order to fully embrace the rich material primary sources can provide, we must brush up on our technological language and keep sources, especially primary, from becoming invisible. Saving the wonderful letters found in this collection, exposing them to more people, and teaching others how to use them properly depends on it. Others deserve to know about sources such as the ones described above and I make it a personal goal to try and improve my skills at finding primary sources and making the work I do with and on them more transparent. There is nothing like reading first-hand accounts of past events written by people who actually experienced them and lived in a time far removed from the present. Doesn’t everyone deserve to get that experience?

Have a terrific week everyone! Until next time…