PS I focused on the way history gives some archivists a competitive advantage. I should add that I would have done fine working in an arts oriented archives, as I minored in Art History. And have always followed theater arts, movies and broadcasting closely (including reading bios and memoirs written about or by various TV executives, reporters, actors, ballet dancers, etc.) However, I'm clearly a liberal arts major. If I had applied for work at an archives focused on scientific or technical issuses, I would have had to do some reading to bring myself up to speed on some of the issues, research methodologies, etc. Coming to GAO as Historian, I immediately immersed myself in reading not only its history, but also the Government Auditing Standards. The standards turned out to have a lot of resonance for an historian! (To see how similar the work of historians and auditors is, consider especially http://shrinkster.com/coi and http://shrinkster.com/coh ) And I've really benefited from talking to a lot of the auditors here over the years. I REALLY respect them. It's been fascinating learning how they do their jobs. One of GAO auditors, a retiree from GAO, is my boyfriend now! :-) Maarja -----Original Message----- From: [log in to unmask] To: [log in to unmask] Sent: Tue, 7 Mar 2006 10:11:41 -0500 Subject: Re: How to interest young people in history... 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 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 *or*: UNSUB ARCHIVES To post a message, send e-mail to [log in to unmask] Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html Problems? Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <[log in to unmask]> 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 *or*: UNSUB ARCHIVES To post a message, send e-mail to [log in to unmask] Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html Problems? Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <[log in to unmask]> 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 *or*: UNSUB ARCHIVES To post a message, send e-mail to [log in to unmask] Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html Problems? Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <[log in to unmask]>