Hi, Emily!
That was an interesting message! Of course I agree that people choose
different subjects in which to specialize, have hobbies in, etc. I
mostly would be a listener rather than a participant in a conversation
dealing with physics or chemistry. Trust me on that one, LOL.
I hope you don't think that the many discussions about history on the
Listserv are dismissive of people with other interests. That's not the
intent! This Listserv mostly draws people who work in or want to work
in archives. Many people who work in archives find that they have a
competitive advantage professionally if they have a solid grounding in
history and current events. I think archives is a field which draws a
high number of people who naturally are interested in history.
Consider, for example, that as an archivist working with Presidential
archival materials (Nixon's, Reagan's, etc.), you might screen records
that refer to "hardhats," "refuseniks," etc. It would be your job to
understand what those terms meant historically. After all, you might
have to assess whether the records can be released to the public or
whether they require restrictions. Some archival work is "high risk"
and you definitely want to get these things right. (I'm interested to
see what the current news stories about reclassification of government
records reveal about the different levels of knowledge held by NARA
archivists and the agency reviewers. George Lardner's 2001 article and
the Slate piece pointed to some differences, with archivists grumbling
about the issue of historical context.)
As an archivist, you might also have to describe the records so that a
broad span of users can use them. Some users may be specialists in the
Presidency (I worked with some former Nixon administration officials as
well as scholars such as Stanley Kutler, Stephen Ambrose, etc.) Others
may be more casual researchers. Whatever their level of knowledge,
they would be depending on you to assess and describe the records
properly. In working with Nixon's tapes and documents, I found that it
gave me a competitive advantage to have followed current events closely
and to have read most of the scholarly books written about his
Presidency.
Whether you work in archives or in another field, it also helps to
understand some business and management concepts. That includes some
familiarity with Myers Briggs typing (MBTI). I've found Myers Briggs
useful in understanding that people process and use information
differently. Who knows where you may work during your career. Some of
your bosses may be Extroverts who are impatient with detail and prefer
oral briefings and face to face contact. Or don't want to read
anything longer than one page executive summaries. Others may be
Introverts who like to immerse themselves in detail and like lengthy,
carefully footnoted reports. They may not want someone to filter too
much knowledge for them. (BTW, I hope your Oprah reference was a joke,
;-) An employee might even inadvertently torpedo his or her career by
trying to force fit one way of handling information on a boss who wants
something else. I happen to be an Introvert but I know that my
approach doesn't work well with everyone else. So I adjust as needed.
Understanding how people process information also helps to understand
researchers. People who seem to pester reference archivists with
constant telephone calls may be Extroverts who don't like to spend
hours in a Library or in front of a computer. If the reference
archivist is an Introvert, it helps to understand how such a researcher
approaches the process of gathering information. The archivist might
think to himself, "Why don't you go look it up," when the caller is
wired according to his Myers Briggs type to pick up the phone and just
ask around.
As for your comment about our having other work to do, it depends on
the task at hand. Sometimes we are immersed in research, writing, or
helping others. But sometimes we work on things such as scanning
photos, burning CDs, etc. That can leave ample time to peruse email
and respond to the Archives List!
Take care,
Maarja
-----Original Message-----
From: Emily Brown <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Mon, 6 Mar 2006 14:47:31 -0700
Subject: How to interest young people in history...
I know next-to-nothing about politics, current events, or history. My
parents know less than I do (thanks to my "worldly" husband). At the
dinner table, they focused on other subject matters (Physics and
Chemistry). Just because someone (or an entire generation of people)
doesn't know what you know, it doesn't mean he doesn't know anything.
I'd like to think that differences in interests make the world go
round.
Current events become history and history is waiting for me in
archives. If something is really important, Oprah will bring it to my
attention.
And, shouldn't we all be working?
E. Brown
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A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List sponsored by the Society of American Archivists, www.archivists.org.
For the terms of participation, please refer to http://www.archivists.org/listservs/arch_listserv_terms.asp.
To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to [log in to unmask]
In body of message: SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname
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Problems? Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <[log in to unmask]>