Unique Look at History

Many people view history as a dreary topic that should be left in books and museums; however there are historians out there who are giving history a face lift. I’ve recently started to follow blogs that offer an innovative look at historical matters.

The first is Restaurant-ing Through History which follows America’s love of going out to eat and delves into the past of restaurants and what keeps people coming back. The most recent article is titled Restaurant Booth Controversy, which is a topic that would never cross my mind as relevant to…well anything. However, after reading the post I find myself completely intrigued in the development of restaurant booths since 18^th century France. Why would I ever find that to be fascinating topic? The writer of this blog provides images that the viewer can reference to and has an exciting way of telling the history. I choose this blog because the writer serves up a history lesson by aligning it with something we all know and love, restaurants. The blog also includes a post that discusses the social importance that ice cream shops had on American culture and who doesn’t have at least one childhood memory of going out for ice cream?

The other blog I chose is Forgotten Bookmarks, which probably has the most interesting theme of all the blogs I’ve discovered. The writer of this blog is a used and rare bookseller and the blog is based on all the odd things left behind in the pages of the books. What is great about these findings is that they are unanticipated primary sources found by chance. It is exciting to think that you are stumbling upon something that was once important and personal but there is no telling when it was last seen. The objects found include a letter dated 1883, polaroids, business cards, valentines, recipes, flattened plants, and even foreign currency. What I really like about the blog is that the writer doesn’t try to create a history or story behind each found piece but lets the viewer come to their own conclusion of who the owner once was based on the object and the book it was found in. The blog ignites a conversation but leaves it open for discussion and I find that to be the best way to instigate learning on a topic.

I like these blogs because they make history exciting by showing it in a relatable topic like restaurants or by playing off of our curiosities with what bookmarks are left behind as clues to our social history.

NMAH Website: Then and Now

The Smithsonian is a prominent name in preserving history so it makes complete sense that its website would be clear and concise. As someone who frequents their websites, I find them all easy to navigate and great at marketing their “product”. Since I find the Smithsonian’s websites successful, I figured what better way to learn then to see where their website originated. I chose the National Museum of American History’s website to put in the Wayback Machine.

            I was able to go back in time to March of 2000 and explore the NMAH 2000 version's website and although it was not as visually pleasing as the 2012 version it did offer more than I expected. Along with the typical general information, It included five tabs to help explore the site; including Visual Exhibitions, Not just for Kids, The Music Room, Timeline, and What is It?. Under the Visual Exhibitions, the viewer can find sixteen separate exhibits that are not totally consistent in uniformity and format. Some have images with descriptions, others are photographs of the actually exhibits, and then some are just in paragraph form. Not just for Kids described all the hands-on activities that they offer when visiting in person. The rest of the tabs are very similar and straight forward but what I found interesting is although it is not as interactive as the 2012 version, it did offer a fun interaction with “What is it?” Under that tab they provided an unidentified image of something in their collection and asked for people to guess the purpose of the object, while they offered hints. That was a great way to get people involved before the flood of accessible social media that we have today. I have searched all over the 2012 website and so far I am sad to report that they no longer offer the “What is it?” section.

            The 2012 version of NMAH's website has an abundance of information that one could get lost in for hours (myself included). The homepage has definitely become more efficient because although they have similar tabs to the 2000 version it offers a sneak peek as to what information or activities are behind those tabs that make it more intriguing to click on. I think that the way it has been laid out creates an environment that keeps you clicking on one section or another. With social media being so essential in keeping a relationship open with the public, the NMAH offers a running Twitter feed on the side of some of its pages, with links to Facebook, Youtube, and even Tumblr. The virtual exhibitions are the biggest advancement with the 2012 website. The viewer can actually have a 360 degree view of an exhibit with text full of interesting facts. Another neat aspect of the current website is the amount of information it offers to the public. The viewer can find almost any artifact held in the NMAH with an image, description, and current location.

            Museum websites have definitely come a long way. In 2000 the website offered an opportunity to learn what the museum was about and to learn a little extra bit of information on its exhibits. Now after spending an hour or so on the website, the viewer can feel as if they just spent an afternoon in the museum walking through the exhibits and rummaging through the archives yet they still want to visit in person. It is amazing how far technology has come in only twelve years.

Technology Saves Too Much Information?

      Reading the article from TechNews Daily mostly posed more questions of what is stacked against historians in the future. How will research be done when most people are constantly archiving their own lives everyday? Will that change the information we see as pertinent and relevant? In future historical biographies, will there be chapters dedicated to our leaders' correspondence on twitter or facebook during their college years? (Let's hope not for all our sakes!) These questions are the reasons, that I chose to further my knowledge in digital history. If third parties, like museums and libraries, making historical documents digitally accessible is considered innovative then I can't imagine how history will be portrayed when everyone gets to write their own history on a day to day basis. Hopefully as this class (or my career) develops I will be able to answer or possibly at least be able to theorize in depth the answers to these questions.

What is Digital History?

    It is difficult to say what digital history actually is, it is easier to say what it does. Digital history creates the learning atmosphere of a classroom, a library, or a museum anywhere at any time. It allows for those not in the academic world to access journals, books, and databases. It offers the world of higher learning to anyone with the internet. Researchers are no longer limited to what is stacked on the shelves in front of them but to almost any collection in the world. You can now virtually visit an exhibit from a museum from across the country or from across the globe. Digital history is preserving the past in large capacities by using interactive, flexible, and easily accessible media.

          In my research experience, I feel more connected to the information when I can pull it from the original article or listen to the actual recording of an interview. I would much rather browse through an exhibit myself than have to rely on an exhibit review to get my information. In a perfect world we would be able to see every original document with our own eyes or wonder the halls of every museum. Those are unrealistic dreams, right? Not exactly. With the aid of digital history, we can read the handwritten words of a president’s letter or read the front page of a newspaper from 1900 without having to leave home. There are even virtual tours of museums from the front desk all the way to their archives behind closed doors.

With almost no limitations on the historical artifacts, documents, and information one can research from a computer, the field of accessible history is expanding. It seems as though expanding and accessible are the key words when trying to define digital history. This leads me back to the original question, “What is digital history?”  Based on my own description above it seems to me that digital history is the expansion of accessible knowledge.