Historical Reminiscents: Recent Episodes
Krista McCracken
Historical Reminiscents is dedicated to discussing public history and archival practice. Created and produced by Krista McCracken this weekly podcast discusses archival impulses, shares insight into the world of public historians, and tackles historical interpretations in Canada.
In this episode of the Historical Reminiscents Podcast I’m talking about my decision to return to school and how saying no has played a part in this decision.
In this episode of the Historical Reminiscents Podcast I'm veering away from historical content and chatting about my experiences advocating for trans and gender diverse inclusion, with a focus on gender identity training
In this episode of the Historical Reminiscents Podcast I'm chatting about my recent experience using Omeka to develop online exhibitions to be used as educational outreach tools.
In this episode of the Historical Reminiscents Podcast I'm chatting about the transcription of archival videos and archival handwritten documents. I touch on some process for transcription and challenges associated with transcription.
In this episode of the Historical Reminiscents Podcast I'm talking about generative and caring online spaces. I reflect on some of my favourite parts of online communities and share space facilitation techniques I like.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Thinking Rock Community Arts
I'm back! It's a short one, but I have more podcast episodes planned for 2022. In today's episode I'm reflecting on my administrative secondment and lessons learned.
In today's episode I'm talking about archival pandemic backlogs and pressure points that COVID-19 have created in archival settings.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Samantha Thompson, "Why don't archivists digitize everything?"
In today's episode I'm talking about unfinished objects and that pile of unfinished writing projects so many of us have on our computers.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Thinking Rock Community Arts
In today’s episode I talk about the practice of having no meeting days and how that has helped with managing my workload. I also share some of my meeting pet peeves.
In today’s episode I talk about technology blips, technology fails, and recovering from these unexpected challenges. I draw on a couple of epic fail experiences recently and talk about getting through them.
In today’s episode I’m talking about Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion work, also known as EDI work, and protecting yourself from burning out while engaged in this work. This episode is based on my experience engaged in EDI work connected to gender and sexuality inclusion.
Mentioned in this episode:
-The Nap Ministry
-EP 72: Passion Project Space
In today's episode I'm talking about managing chronic pain, archival labour, and working from home. This episode is based on my experiences working from home since March 2020 and rooted in my pain realities, so your mileage with it may vary.
Also, part way through the episode one of my cats decided to chow down near where I was recording. If you hear a weird noise, that's what is causing it.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Sam Winn, "This Disabled Life: Academic Conferencing in COVID times"
In today's episode I'm talking all about book proposals. I reflect on the two book proposals I had accepted in 2020 and share some general tips I learned from that process.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Katie Linder, YGT Podcast "Writing and Pitching Book Proposals"
-Trans and Gender Diverse Voices in LIS
In today's episode I'm talking about making it through the dark days of winter, practicing kindness in my professional life, and that ever illusive work/life balance.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Feminist Ethics of Care
In today's episode I'm discussing my experiences attending three different virtual conference in October. I talk about online conference formats, recording and giving presentations, and interaction in online conference spaces.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Canadian Research Knowledge Network 2020 Conference
-TESS Online 2020: Humanizing Learning
-Ontario Museum Association Annual Conference
In today's episode I'm talking about peer review feedback and article revisions. I chat about some of the recent articles I have revised, handling negative feedback, and my process for doing revisions.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Jo VanEvery, Revision following peer review is a normal part of the scholarly writing process
- Melissa Dalgleish, Learning to Love Being Edited
How do you find time for the projects that you are invested in but aren't part of your job? In today's episode I'm talking about passion projects and the work that I do off the side of my desk that brings me a lot of joy.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Trans and Gender Diverse Voices in LIS book project
- Trans and Gender Non-Conforming Inclusion in Libraries webinar
In today's episode I'm chatting about boundaries between work and home life and the struggle to maintain those boundaries during the pandemic. I talk about my home office, strategies for disconnecting and challenges of the work at home life.
Mentioned in this episode:
- Wladislaw Rivkin, Working from home? Why detachment is crucial for mental health
Hi All! I'm back with a new podcast episode, it's a short one but in today's episode I'm discussing grant evaluation and sitting on the other side of the funding table. I talk about grant adjudication, collaboration, and grant writing.
It's been awhile, but I'm back with new podcast content. In today's episode I'm discussing problematic language in archival descriptions, approaches to handling racist depictions in records, and efforts to update archival practices.
Mentioned in this episode:
-University of Waterloo, Language in Archival Collections
-Archives for Black Lives in Philadelphia, Anti-Racist Description Resources (PDF)
- Gracen Brilmyer, Michelle Caswell, Identifying and Dismantling White Supremacy in Archives
Who needs a distraction? I do. I've been spending a lot of time reading recently. These days, reading is one of the few things that can help push my anxiety to the side and keep my mind busy. In today's episode I share what I've been reading recently and recommend some mind occupying reads.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Claire Hunter, Threads of Life
- Allison H. Fischer-Olson, Claire Perrott' s "The ONWARD Project and Native Voices Interventions in Biased 1930s Archival Collections"
-Jon D. Daehnke, . "A Heritage of Reciprocity: Canoe Revitalization, Cultural Resilience, and the Power of Protocol."
-Sue Ferentinos, Ways of Interpreting Queer Pasts
-Uncanny Magazine
In today's episode I reflect on the work that goes into organizing blog theme weeks or thematic digital series. I talk about my experiences pulling together theme weeks and provide a roadmap for those interested in organizing one.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Active History Material Culture Theme Week
-Edited with Andrea Eidinger, Beyond the Lecture and the Beyond the Lecture ebook
-Edited with Kristin O’Brassill-Kulfan and Nicole Belolan Archives Week on History@Work
-Edited with Carly Ciufo, Museums Theme Week on Active History
-Archives Theme Week on Active History
In today's episode I'm talking about digitization of VHS tapes, digital preservation, and my recent trials and tribulations of using VCRs. I chat about the labour intensive work behind digitization and the challenges of video preservation.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Samantha Thompson, "Why Don't Archivists Digitize Everything?"
-National Archives, Video Guidance: Playback and Digitization of Materials"
In today's episode I'm thinking about making space for new opportunities by letting go of old ones. I discuss balancing commitments, knowing when it is time to move on, and changing interests.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Thinking Rock Community Arts
-Erin Wunker, "Surthrival" on the Hook & Eye blog
I've been working at Algoma University, in the Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre, since 2010. That's a decade. In today's episode I'm talking about means to stay at one institution for a long period of time and how to grow within local opportunities.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Erin White, "What It Means to Stay"
How does food interest with your understanding of the past? In today's episode I'm talking about food in the archives, historical recipes, and teaching history through food. I'll also be talking about some of my favourite historical cookbook quirks.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Sophie Hicks, Active History posts on using food as historical narrative
-Madison Bifano, The Horrors of Salmon Pudding
- McGill Library Rare Books and Special Collections Cookbooks on the Internet Archive
New year, new podcast episode. I'm starting 2020 by talking about vicarious trauma in the archives and the impact of working with traumatic records on archival staff. I discuss emotional labour and strategies for coping with vicarious trauma in the archives.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Katie Sloan, Jennifer Vanderluit, and Jennifer Douglas "Not 'Just My Problem to Handle': Emerging Themes on Secondary Trauma and Archivists"
-Julia Holland, Danielle Robichaud, Anna St.Onge, "It's nothing, I'm fine. Acknowledging Emotion and Affect in Archival Practice."
For the last episode of 2019 I'm doing some reflecting, celebrating, and dreaming. I'm talking about some inspirational reads and folks who gave me strength in 2019. I also think a bit about what the upcoming year holds.
Mentioned in this episode:
-OE Fellows Program
-Amazing people: Andrea Eidinger, Skylee-Storm Hogan
-Inspiring Authors and Activists: Gwen Benaway, Alicia Elliott
-Podcast joy: Secret Feminist Agenda, Organizing Ideas Podcast
In today's episode I'm focusing on resilience. Resilience can be beautiful. It can be empowering. But it can also be co-opted and used as a systemic tool. Today I'm reflecting on how resilience is often used as a way to encourage productivity and shame those who don't overcome barriers. Can resilience be a bad thing?
Mentioned in this episode:
-Katie Aubrecht, "The New Vocabulary of Resilience and the Governance of University Student Life"
-How 'Resilience Is Misunderstood When Talking About Racism
Rapid Reads:
-CARL Digital Preservation Working Group, Final Report of the Survey on Digital Preservation Capacity and Needs at Canadian Memory Institutions, 2017-2018.
In today's episode I'm talking about the practice of radical vulnerability in professional spaces. I discuss the basics of radical vulnerability, provide examples of what this looks like, and reflect on spaces for safe vulnerability.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Karina Haglen on Twitter, also check out their awesome zines.
-Alaina Leary, "Here's Why You Need to Practice Radical Vulnerability Online"
Rapid Reads:
-Chelsea Miller, From Me Too to systemic cultural change: a public historian's call to action
In today's episode I'm talking about the work that goes into writing conference presentation proposals and journal article proposals. I dive into my experiences writing proposals and talk about best practices.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Jo Van Every, Why Writing an abstract is so hard
-Catherine Baker, How To Write A Conference Abstract: A Five Part Plan for Pitching Your Research At Almost Anything
Rapid Reads:
-Organizing Ideas podcast by Allison Jones and Karen Ng.
In today's episode I'm talking about Ignite presentations, lightening talks, and Pecha Kucha presentations. How do you prep for these fast paced presentations? I also chat about where these short presentation formats fit within the conference landscape.
Mentioned in this episode:
-The Secret Underground World of Lego Ignite Talk
-Fighting Dirty in Scrabble Ignite Talk
-About Ignite Talks
Rapid Reads:
-"Home Isn't Home" by Makayla Webkamigad
In honour of Orange Shirt Day today's episode is dedicated to Residential School Survivors all across the land and to those who didn't return home from their time at Residential School. In today's episode I discuss the TRC's Calls to Action and their relationship to archival practice.
In this episode I discuss the recent conclusion of the "Healing and Education Through Digital Access" project undertaken by the Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre. I talk about community engagement, how not all information wants to be free, and online access.
I would love to hear about your experiences working with community to undertake a digitization project. Leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Press release for the Digitized Shingwauk Letter Books
-Archival listing of Letter Books
-OCAP Principals
Tara Robertson, "Not All Information Wants to be Free: The Case Study of On Our Backs"
A huge thank you to my colleague Jenna Lemay who did much of the heavy lifting on this project and who was responsible for developing the metadata for the Letter Books.
Recently I've had the opportunity to virtually participate in a couple of roundtables and to provide virtual lectures. In this episode I reflect on the how virtual lectures work, tech challenges, and distance engagement. I also discuss the real costs and privilege of academic travel.
I would love to hear about your experience giving or listening to a virtual lecture. Leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-2020 Visions for Environmental History series
-Jaymie Heilman, "Grounded: Academic Flying in the Time of Climate Emergency"
-CFP for Canadian Historical Association 2020 Annual Meeting
Rapid Reads:
- Katherine Roscoe, "Is Digital Crime History Too White? Representation in Australian Archives"
In this episode I reflect on the first few months of my eCampus Ontario Open Education Fellows appointment. I talk about the open community, Canadian history and open, and the intersection of Indigenous knowledge and open educational resources.
I would love to hear about your experiences with open education and open practice. Leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Whose Voices Get To Be Heard? A Reflection on History and Open Education
-Great Lakes Research Alliance for the Study of Aboriginal Arts and Culture
In this episode I talk about recovering from conferences. How do you process all that information you learned? How do you get back into the swing of work? And how do you find time to rest?
I would love to hear about what your conference follow-up looks like and how you give yourself space to recover from a conference. Leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Katie Linder, Tips Before You Travel
Rapid Reads:
-Pam Palmater, Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples in Universities and Colleges
In this episode I talk about the politics of citation and developing a more pro-active and critical approach to thinking about citations.
I would love to hear about your citation practices and how you approach citation in the classroom and in your scholarship. Leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Hannah McGregor, Secret Feminist Agenda, Citing Your Sources
-Miyra Homan's pre-submission checklist
- Jane’s gender balance checker
-Victor Ray, "The Racial Politics of Citation"
-Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman, Shine Theory
In this episode I’m talking my recent experience creating the Beyond the Lecture Open Educational Resource (OER) alongside my fantastic collaborator Andrea Eidinger. I discuss the work that went into this edited ebook, decisions about open access, and broader OER work happening in Canada history.
I would love to hear about your experiences using or creating OER. Leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Ten Facts About Open Educational Resources
-Confronting Canadian Migration History
-Canada History Open Textbook
-Open History Seminar: Canadian History
Rapid Reads:
-Sharon Leon, "Getting Tenure in Digital and Public History, as a Non-Man"
-Secret Feminist Agenda, Episode 3.26 Master of Text with Ames Hawkins
In this episode I'm talking about conference and event codes of conduct, what they should include, what a good code looks like and why they are important.
I would love to hear about your experiences writing, using, or enforcing a code of conduct. Leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-NCPH Events Code of Conduct
-"Your Science Conference Should Have a Code of Conduct"
-Kelly J. Baker, "Should Academic Conferences Have Codes of Conduct?"
Rapid Reads:
-Emily Lonie, "To Charge or Not to Charge: Use Fees in Archives"
In this episode I discuss reimbursement culture, the unacknowledged costs of academic travel, and the burden of out of pocket travel.
I would love to hear about your experiences and suggestions for tackling reimbursement culture. Leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Pamela L. Gay, "The unacknowledged costs of academic travel"
-Melonie Fullick, "It's time to rethink academic conference funding"
-Jessica Sagers, "Reimbursement policies make academia less inclusive"
Rapid Reads:
-NCPH, Best practices in job postings
I'm currently sitting on the Boards of Directors of two organizations I care about - the National Council on Public History and the Sault Ste. Marie City Museum. I am still relatively new to both boards and I'm continuing to learn about board governance structures and procedures. In this episode I discuss the financial and in-kind costs associated with board participation, board diversity with in the heritage field, and recognition for service to the profession.
I would love to hear about your experiences serving on organizational boards. Leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-"Leading With Intent: 2017 National Index of Nonprofit Board Practices" (US data)
-"Diversity in Governance: A Toolkit for Nonprofit Boards" (Canadian)
Conference season is quickly approaching for many Canadian academics and with all of this travel comes conversations about professional development. In this episode, I discuss the differences between professional development and professional learning. I also tackle questions of ongoing career development, active learning, and the funding of professional growth opportunities.
I would love to hear your thoughts on professional development and professional learning. Leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-David Porter Explains a Couple Things Video, Ontario Extend mOOC
-Linda Darling-Hammond, Maria E. Hyler, Madelyn Gardner, Danny Espinoza, "Effective Teacher Professional Development" (PDF)
-Ann Webster-Wright, "Reframing Professional Development Through Understanding Authentic Professional Learning"
Rapid Reads:
-"Feeling Grief: On Emotions in the Archive of Enslavement", Nathan Dize
Who else hates writing bios for things? In this episode, I talk about best practices for crafting effective bio statements and the challenges associated with describing your professional life succinctly.
I would love to hear your tricks for creating compelling bios. Leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Deidra Faye Jackson, "So, Tell Me About Yourself: Winning the Bio Game"
-How to Write an Academic Conference Bio
Welcome back to season two of the Historical Reminiscents podcast. In this episode, I talk about safe spaces, braver spaces, and building welcoming physical and digital spaces for dialogue. I also introduce the new Rapid Reads segment to the podcast.
I would love to hear your thoughts on the terms brave space and safe space. Leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Brian Arao and Kristi Clemens, "From Safe Spaces to Brave Spaces: A New Way to Frame Dialogue Around Diversity and Social Justice." (PDF)
-Alison Cook-Sather, "Creating Brave Spaces within and through Student-Faculty Pedagogical Partnerships" (PDF)
Rapid Reads:
-Lady Science, Libraries and Tech Series
The Historical Reminiscents podcast is celebrating its one year anniversary! Given the occasion I thought it would be a great idea to talk about celebrating milestones in your work. In this episode, I talk about honouring milestones of all sizes and making space for celebration. I also talk about what I've learned during the first year of creating a podcast, future plans, and upcoming episode ideas.
I would love to hear any feedback you have on the first year of the Historical Reminiscents podcast. Leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Tenure, She Wrote "Always rushing, never celebrating"
-Susan Lucas, "How to celebrate success at work"
Your team has completed a fantastic project and you're considering submitting it for an award but are unsure of how to do so. In this episode I talk about award nominations, building a project portfolio to support a nomination, and how to build compelling award narratives.
I would love to hear your suggestions for writing successful award nominations. Leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Anna Tomakh, How to Write an Award Nomination
-Trinity College Dublin, Tips for Writing A Nomination
Meetings and committees are part of professional life, more so if you happen to be spending your time inside academia. Despite the role meetings play in professional settings very few public history programs or history graduate training contains information on how to run an effective meeting, building agendas, and facilitating interdepartmental discussion. In this episode I talk about agenda creation, my favourite kinds of meetings (yes, meetings can actually be enjoyable!), and tips for surviving meeting chaos.
I would love to hear your thoughts about the necessary evil that is meetings. Leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Jennifer Lundquist and Joya Misra, "Making Meetings Less Miserable"
-Robert's Rules of Order
Last week I spent time with undergraduate students from Huron University College's history program. As part of the "Documenting early residential schools" a SSHRC Partnership Engage project between Huron University College, the Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre, and the Woodland Cultural Centre students were able to visit the Shingwauk site to learn about the early history and work with some of the archival records documenting the Shingwauk School. In this episode I talk about the power of place based learning, experiential learning, and the role of archives in teaching history.
I would love to hear your thoughts about experiential learning as a tool for teaching history. Leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Hay T. Johnson, "Place-based learning and knowing: critical pedagogies grounded in Indigeneity"
-Ryerson University, Best Practices in Experiential Learning
This ~~week, month,~~ year has been hella hard for a lot of folks, with the news cycle making it extremely difficult to function 'normally.' What do you do when you are facing creative blocks, an inability to write, or feelings that whatever you are creating doesn't matter? In this episode I talk about finding positive work spaces, sources of inspiration, and overcoming creative/intellectual hurdles.
I would love to hear about your sources of support and inspiration. Leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Andrea Eidinger, "Historical Writing as a Creative Endeavour"
-Jonathan Malesic, "The 40-Year-Old Burnout"
-Pat Thomson, "Creativity and academic writing - an oxymoron?"
With the start of the new school year I've been thinking a lot about the intersection of language, gender, and creating braver education spaces. How post-secondary educators and public history facilitators work to be more inclusive in their language, programming, and practices. In this episode I talk about the #nbdcampaign, pronouns, and small ways you can be more welcoming to folks of all gender identities in your work.
I would love to hear about the ways you work to make your spaces more inclusive, braver, and welcoming. Leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-NCPH consultation on including pronouns on conference badges
-No big deal campaign
-Brielle Harbin, Vanderbilt University, "Teaching Beyond the Gender Binary in the University Classroom."
I've been thinking a lot about the implications of where I publish my work, the accessibility of my work to community members, and open access. In today's episode I talk about peer reviewed journals, popular publishing, and finding open access outlets.
I would love to hear your thoughts on the intersection of history, publishing, and open access initiatives. Leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-"Doing the working: Editing Wikipedia as act of reconciliation."
-Outrage over University's $999 online textbook
-Thomas Peace, "Open Pedagogy: The Time is Now"
I recently started learning to embroider. My main reason for taking up embroidering was wanting to be stitch ~~swear words~~ radical sayings using a traditional feminine craft. I loved the idea of juxtaposing feminist praxis with a domestic art. In today's episode I talk about the history of embroidery and textile arts as a form of protest and activism.
I would love to hear your thoughts on the intersection of history, fiber arts, and activism. Leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Elizabeth Parker's Life Story Embroidery Sampler
-Katherine Brooks, "Feminist Embroidery Artist Heather Marie Scholl Explains Why It's Hard To Be A Woman"
-Rozskia Parker, "The Subversive Stitch"
Collaboration is becoming more and more common in the workplace and in academia. However, collaborative work practices aren't something that are typically emphasized in humanities graduate programming. In today's episode I talk about the impact of collaboration on scholarship and how to reach out to potential collaborators.
I would love to hear other perspectives on the value of collaboration within academia and public history, leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Lynne Siemens, "More Hands Means More Ideas: Collaboration in the Humanities"
-Seth Denbo, "Whose Work Is It Really?"
- Christine Saidi, Catherine Cymone Fourshey, and Rhonda M. Gonzales "When Historians Collaborate, Scholarship Benefits"
Talking about money is hard but is an important part of maintaining a professional community. In today's episode I talk about fair pay, salary transparency, the underpayment of heritage professionals, and precarious labour.
I would love to hear about other perspectives on the value of labour within the heritage field, leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Stacie Williams, "Implications of Archival Labour"
-Ashley Stevens, "Lessons Learned: This Whole Salary Jazz"
-Zoe Todd, Twitter Thread on Salary Negotiation in Academia
-Fobazi Ettarh, "Vocational Awe and Librarianship: The Lies We Tell Ourselves"
If you've listened to me speak about emerging professionals and mentoring you probably know I have strong feels about creating space and how we as a profession should welcome new folks. Academic and heritage spaces can be intimidating for new professionals, first generation folks, and marginalized people. This episode tackles how we can take a more active approach to kindness and gratitude in our work. How can academic spaces be spaces of radical kindness? How can we do a better job of recognizing and supporting the work of others? How can we be kinder to ourselves?
I would love to hear how other folks practice gratitude and kindness in their work, leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Anna St.Onge tweet on acknowledging archival labour
-You've Got This Podcast Episode 71: Expressing Gratitude
-Kelly J. Baker, "Cruelty and Kindness in Academia"
-Academic Kindness Postcard Exchange
Job applications can be full of emotional labour, self-doubt, and stress. How do you know if you are qualified for a job? Should you take the time to apply? In this episode I talk about cover letters, equivalent experience, and putting yourself out there. I also discuss the intersection of gender, job applications, and impostor syndrome.
I would love to hear job seeking advice from other folks, leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Katty Kay and Claire Shipman, "The Confidence Gap'
-Iva Petkovic, "The complicated gender politics of impostor syndrome"
-Andrea Eidinger, "We Regret To Inform You: The Emotional Labour of Job Applications."
Last week I participated in the Manitoulin Island Summer Historical Institute (MISHI), a week grounded in cultural and land based learning practice. Throughout the week I was struck by how the practice of slow scholarship and taking time to deeply engage with reflection can be used within historical thinking. In this episode I talk about how slow scholarship can exist in historical work and the value of fostering space for intellectual growth.
I would love to hear how other folks practice forms of slow scholarship their work, leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-John Lutz, "Slow Scholarship"
-Alison Mountz et al., "For Slow Scholarship: A Feminist Politics of Resistance through Collective Action in the Neoliberal University."
-Beth A. Robertson, "Slow Scholarship as Political Action: The Culture of Speed and the Challenge of Inclusion within the Academy"
While attending the Canadian Historical Association annual meeting in Regina I attended a meetup for the Secret Feminist Agenda podcast. Part of this meetup included a launch of the open peer review of the podcast. This experience got me thinking about the scholarship behind podcasting. Can podcasts count as academic work? Do they need to be peer reviewed? What are the logistics behind podcasts being accepted as work as part of tenure or promotion?
I would love to hear how other peoples thoughts on podcasts as scholarship, do they count? Leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Open Peer Review of the Secret Feminist Agenda
-NCPH launches review of podcasts and blogs
-Tenure and Promotion and the Publicly Engaged Academic Historian (PDF)
-The Henceforward
Representation matters. Seeing people like yourself within your profession, in leadership roles, and succeeding in their work can make a huge impact on the careers of new and emerging professionals. In today's episode I talk about the lack of diversity within public history, archives, and the heritage field more broadly. I also provide examples of ways to make space for marginalized folks in your work.
I would love to hear how other people challenge the status quo within their field or workplace, leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-NCPH So White?
-Gregory Rosenthal, Roanoke made me queer again
-Radiah Harper, 25 Ways to See and Act on Decentering Whiteness in Museums
-Michelle Caswell and Gracen Brilmyer, "Identifying and Dismantling White Supremacy in Archives" poster.
It is finally warm here! And flowers are starting to grow! As Spring rolls around I've been getting the urge to start Spring cleaning. What does Spring cleaning mean for folks working in academia and public history? How do you set yourself for success in the coming season? In this episode I chat about shaking up schedules, planning for the Summer, and getting the most out of Spring.
I would love to hear about how your writing or professional routines change with the seasons, leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-"A Semester Needs A Plan"
I use Twitter a lot and believe it can be a fantastic resource of Canadian historians and public history practitioners. In this episode I discuss how to get the most of Twitter, the potential of Twitter for community building, and the conference applications of twitter.
I would love to hear about your experience using Twitter as an academic or public historian, leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Andrea Eidinger's, "The Canadian Historian's Guide to Twitter"
-Beyond 150 Twitter Conference
If you work in the heritage field or for a non-profit there is a good chance you've been involved in grants in some way shape or form. Despite the prevalence of grant writing in public history not all public history students are trained in how to apply for grants. In this episode I discuss what you need to know about grant guidelines, writing style, and crafting a grant application for the first time.
I would love to hear about your experience writing grants, leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
This podcast was inspired by a listener suggestion! Are there other topics you think I should cover? Please let me know.
Other Resources:
-Katie Linder, Research in Action Podcast on Grant Writing Basics
I'm currently at the National Council on Public History annual meeting (yay!) and with conference season ramping up I've been thinking a lot about networking. In this episode I discuss networking as an introvert, conference survival tips, and small steps to building a strong network. I also chat about asking for help and reaching out to people you don't know.
I would love to hear about what other networking strategies folks rely on, leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Katie Linder, "How to Meet Really Cool People"
-Andrea Eidinger, "A Beginner's Guide to CHA"
This past month has been a bit of a whirlwind. Given the quick pace of things, I've been thinking about strategies for juggling multiple projects and handling moving deadlines. In this episode I discuss tips and tricks for managing workloads, staying on task, and doing all the things. I talk about saying no and how to decide what projects to prioritize.
I would love to hear about what other strategies folks use when , leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Action Journal
Images have the power to act as click-bait - photographs can illustrate blog posts, make your professional website more attractive, and help illuminate a historical topic. In this episode I discuss using creative commons and public domain images as part of your online presence. I breakdown the types of image licenses and mention some of my favourite places for finding photographs.
I would love to hear about where folks find public domain and creative commons images, leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Creative Commons Summary
-Europeana Collections
-The Met open access policy
-Library and Archives Canada on Flickr
-SFU Library guide to finding and using online images
Thinking about slogging through hundreds of archival research photographs? Dreading organizing all of your sources? In this episode I discuss digital tools for organizing archival research. I talk about ways to manage citations, archival images, transcription, and metadata.
I would love to hear about what other strategies folks use to manage their archival research, leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Tropy
-Zotero
-Evernote and OCR
How do you coordinate the work of a dozen people who live in geographically different spaces, across multiple time zones? In this week's podcast episode I discuss strategies for working on collaborative projects virtually. I draw on my experience participating in projects which include participation from individuals across Canada and abroad. I also share some of my favourite project management and team software.
I would love to hear about what other strategies folks use when working collaboratively, leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
This week's podcast episode is all about the intersection of open source digital tools and public history. I talk about ways that digital history and open source communities can enhance public history practice. I also discuss my favorite open source public history tools.
What open source tools or platforms do you use as part of your public history practice? I would love to hear about your success or challenges using open source software in the public history field, leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-OMEKA
-Audacity
-Daniel Ross' Active History post on using History Pin in the classroom.
-Voyant
This week's podcast episode is focused on program and project evaluation at Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums (GLAM). I discuss the importance of having programming goals, the range of ways success can be measured, and different evaluation types.
Do you have experience of evaluating programming at a public history site? I would love to hear about it, leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Visitor Studies Association
-AASLH resource - "Get Your Feet Wet With Visitor Surveys" (This includes templates!)
New podcast episode! In this week's episode the potential ways Wikipedia can be used in the classroom and other educational settings. I discuss what skills can be learned from editing Wikipedia and I dive into what support is available to instructors wishing to create Wikipedia focused assignments.
Do you have experience using Wikipedia in a public history, GLAM, or classroom setting? I would love to hear about it, leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-How to Use Wikipedia as a Teaching Tool (PDF)
-Wiki Education Dashboard
-Outreach Dashboard
In this week's episode I discuss building admin and leadership skills within public history. I talk about education gaps, how to gain hands on experience, and the importance of mentorship.
How have you worked to build admin or management skills within public history? Leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Developing History Leaders
-Archives Leadership Institute
In this week's episode I discuss effective moderation techniques and the role of a good moderator. I try to answer the questions: How do you become a moderator? What does a moderator actually do? What skills do you need to bring to the table as a moderator?
Do you have good or horrible moderation experiences to share? Leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Moderating a conference session YouTube video
-Linda K. Kerber, "Everything You Need to Know about Introducing Speakers and Running a Panel Discussion," American Historical Association
New podcast episode! Some of the core facets behind public history practice are accessibility and community access. And preserved heritage should be accessible to all. In this week's episode I talk about ableism in public history and heritage sites. I discuss job descriptions that include lifting requirements, inaccessible heritage sites, and digital accessibility.
As a note, I do realize the irony of talking about accessibility on a podcast for which transcripts are not available. I'm currently thinking about transcription options for the audio.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Accessible Heritage Initiative
-MUSEUM NOTE: Accessibility (PDF)
Download or listen now.
And now for something completely different...in this episode and talk about some of my favourite public history and archives focused web comics and memes. I discuss using memes in the classroom and as educational tools. I also tackle the question of meme preservation and copyright.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Remember | Resist | Redraw: A Radical History Project
-Public History Ryan Gosling
-Derangement and Description
-Beyond the Elevator
Since starting at the Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre in 2010 I have worked with a lot of students and new professionals. Over time I've developed really strong feels about the important of building meaningful placement, co-op, and work experiences for students. This episode dives into student mentorship and the importance of creating skill building opportunities within the archival and public history profession.
This episode was inspired by Colleen Burgess' and Thomas Peace's recent Active History post "19th Century Legacies in 21st Century Historical Research Practice." Using their work as a jumping off point I talk about descriptive practices within in archives and museums and discuss standard vocabularies, hegemony, and the challenges of organizational schemes.
Mentioned in this episode:
- 19th Century Legacies in 21st Century Historical Research Practice by Colleen Burgess and Thomas Peace.
- Confronting Our Failures of Care Around the Legacies of Marginalized People in the Archives by Bergis Jules.
- RadTech Meets RadArch: Towards A New Principle for Archives an Archival Description by Jarrett M. Drake
I write a lot. My writing comes in numerous shapes: work related, academic publishing, and personal or reflective writing. In this episode I talk about building a healthy writing practice and some of my favourite tips for developing a writing routine. I discuss the idea of moving beyond word counts and looking at writing in a holistic way.
Mentioned in this episode:
- A Meeting With Your Writing
New year! New podcast episode! In this episode I talk about establishing goals, setting yourself up for success and some of the problems with recent self-care rhetoric. I also discuss communities of care and creating supportive spaces within the profession where we can lift each other up.
Mentioned in this episode:
- Things you should know about intersectionality and self-care
- Beyond Self-Care Bubble Baths: A Vision for Community Care by Abeni Jones
- Academic Sharing Circle started by Jessica Dewitt
In the final episode of my mini-series on “Demystifying Archival Labour” I talk about all the access and archival labour feels. I reflect on why access is at the core of what archivists do, why we don't 'just digitize everything', and the challenges of managing researcher expectations. Missed part one of this series? Listen to it here.
Mentioned in this episode:
- Samantha Thompson, Peel Archives, "Why don't archivists just digitize everything?"
- Stacie Williams, "Implications of Archival Labor"
- Anna St.Onge "Collaboration between archivists and historians: finding a middle ground"
In part four of the mini-series on “Demystifying Archival Labour” I discuss preservation best practices and why preservation is a fundamental part of making archival records accessible. I chat about my favourite resources and tools for teaching about preservation. Missed part one of this series? Listen to it here.
Mentioned in this episode:
- Jessica Dunkin, "The Home Archivist - Dust, Mold, and Adhesives Part I" and Part II
- The AABC Archivist's Toolkit: Preservation and Emergency Planning
- Digital POWRR Webinar Series
- "Detachment" art project created using fasteners that were removed from archival documents.
In part three of the mini-series on “Demystifying Archival Labour” I tackle the work of archival description and talk about the intellectual work goes into descriptive practices. I also discuss my favourite strategies for teaching about description and the inherent challenges of describing records using RAD. Missed part one of this series? Listen to it here.
Mentioned in this episode:
- Archives@Pama, "How Do Archivists Describe Collections (Or, How To Read A Finding Aid)"
- Danielle Robichaud, "Missed connections: looking for everything in the archives"
- "Four Views on Archival Decolonization Inspired by the TRC's Calls to Action"
In part two of the mini-series on "Demystifying Archival Labour" Krista McCracken tackles the work of archival arrangement. She talks about how archives are organized, archival arrangement principles and how to teach about arrangement in the classroom. Krista also discusses the idea of alternative arrangements as a means of shifting away from colonial perspectives.
Mentioned in this episode:
-How Do Archivists Organize Collections?
-Dalhousie LibGuide: Differences Between Archives and Libraries
-Dalhouse LibGuide: How is Archival Material Organized?
-Kimberly Christen, "Tribal Archives, Traditional Knowledge, and Local Contexts: Why the “s” Matters"
In this episode Krista McCracken introduces a mini-series of podcast episodes on "Demystifying Archival Labour." This mini-series will talk openly and frankly about the work that takes place in archives and provide resources for teaching about archival practice. This first mini-series episode dives into acquisitions and appraisals.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Archives Theme Week on Active History
-Sara Janes, "Archives Constructed and Incomplete"
-Roger Gillis, What makes for an archives? A look at the core archival functions
Public History and archives, oh my! In this episode of Historical Reminiscents Krista McCracken discusses the intersection of public history and archives. She talks about common goals between the two fields and highlights the overlapping skill sets of the professions.
Mentioned in this episode:
-Tweet by Myron Groover that partially inspired this topic.
Winter is coming...or depending on where you live it is already here in full force. In this episode of Historical Reminiscents Krista McCracken talks through some of the challenges of doing outdoor historical interpretation in the winter. Bring on the snow, alternative tour strategies, and multi-media approaches.
In this episode of Historical Reminiscents Krista McCracken talks about her role as one of the members of the Activehistory.ca editorial collective. She discusses how the site's editorial collective works, how folks end up writing for the site, and what type of work an editor actually does.
Mentioned in this episode:
-
Active History Website
-
About Active History page with details about the editors.
In this episode of Historical Reminiscents Krista McCracken talks about why digitization is not always the answer when thinking about decolonizing archives.
Mentioned:
- "Learning to Listen: Archival Sound Records and Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property" by Allison Mills