Going Digital: An Evaluation of the Role of the Digital World to the Public Historian

How do I see digital tools and approaches affecting my current and future practice of public history?

The question above was thrown out to my colleagues and I to ponder and post about on our various blogs. When I think about digital tools the first things that come to mind are the resources I used during my undergraduate degree. During the beginning of my university education, my digital resources were relatively minimal (I did not regularly bring a laptop to class until fourth year!). I was an avid user of the UWO library catalogue to find books, but that is where my use of the library’s resources ended. I was not aware that the library could provide me access to a variety of databases until the end of my second year (even then it took some time to learn how to use them correctly). By the end of my undergraduate degree I had learned to use online archives, online databases, library catalogues, etc.  

While I still regularly accessed the physical library, these resources proved invaluable and allowed me to conduct research from the comfort of my own home. They also allow historians in general the ability to conduct original research without having to go directly to an archive or library. This can prove handy when, for example, a Canadian historian is conducting research on medieval France. Digital archives save them the expense of making a lengthy overseas trip. In the future, I predict that such online resources will continue to be valuable to historical researchers and that the technology will improve, becoming more user friendly and easily accessible.

With that said, if a historian was to never leave their office again to conduct their research they would be missing out on an important opportunity. Handling materials in their physical forms is an experience every historian should have.

Due to being a public historian, I am constantly interacting with the digital tools of social media. From Facebook to Twitter, from blog sites to Tumblr, a knowledge of how to operate and maintain social media is a must for any public historian. As previously mentioned in my introductory post, it is the responsibility of the public historian to build bridges between the realm of academia and the general public. I believe that these social media sites not only make the construction of these bridges easier but allows a public historian access to a wider audience.

Take for example Twitter. This site, used by millions of people, allows for the transfer of snippets of information. This can be a great way to advertise events and introduce new ideas.

The above Twitter post is an example of how historians
can use social media to advertise historical events.

The 140 character maximum allows the site to distinguish itself from others while ensuring that all information is concise and pointed.

The digital world has become essential to public historians. Not only does it provide convenience when conducting historical research but it emphasizes the “public” part of “public historian”. I foresee the importance of digital technologies to the role of the public historian growing exponentially, providing new historical and social applications.

For additional reading on the role of the digital world please check out these links:

William Turkel's "Going Digital"
History of the Internet