Catherine of Aragon

Since I wrote my post about which historical figures I'd like to meet, I've been thinking a lot about Catherine of Aragon. Like I said before, I want to know if she did consummate her marriage with Arthur and if so, did she feel she did right by lying to everybody all those years. Or if she did tell the truth, does she think it was worth it in the end?
Because of my never ending quest for knowledge, I decided to read about her. Most of the reading I have done has been on some website and some historical fiction. The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory is probably my favorite historical book I've read about the time period but again, it's fiction. Naturally, I started out my research by googling Catherine of Aragon and started with the wikipedia page. While wikipedia is not the most reliable source, it is a good place to start research because it can send you to other links. Because they are trying to make wikipedia more scholarly, it is better than when it initially started. That being said, I would never recommend it being used as a source in a paper. Again, it is a good place to start. After looking over the wiki site, I went to some other websites where I was able to read some of her actual words. I cannot imagine what it would have been like to be there in the 1500s when this was all taking place. To be a fly on that wall... The website I found to to be most interesting was PBS' website called "The Six Wives of Henry VIII." This website give information about each of his six wives. While I primarily focused my reading on Catherine of Aragon, I took a quiz to see what kind of Queen material I would make. The website works in conjunction with a mini-series of four episodes that aired on PBS. According to IMDb, the miniseries is from 2001 but from PBS' website it appear that it may have not aired in America until 2003. The website is extremely detailed and gave me more information than I had previously known.
Although I found PBS' website to be fascinating, I wanted to learn more. Naturally I logged on to my local library website to look for some books. Many of the books I encountered were about all Henry VIII's six wives. I found it to be a bit disheartening since she was the first wife but I had only just begun my investigation. One of my friend's had read my blog about meeting historical figures and recommend I read the book Catherine of Aragon: The Spanish Queen of Henry VIII by Giles Tremlett. This book is written from a Spaniard's perspective. I was excited about that because most history books I read are from American or British perspective's. I'm not very far by I'm really enjoying what I've read so far.
Are there any books about this time period that you feel is important to read? Have you ever become so enthralled in a subject or person that you decided to research them on your own? If so, what made you interested in the subject or person and how did you go about your research? And again, if you could meet any historical figure(s), who would it be and why? I love hearing other people's opinions because then it can lead me to other books or people to research.

Pawn Stars

Within the past few months, I have become obsessed with the television show Pawn Stars. For those of you who haven't seen it, Pawn Stars is a show about a pawn story in Las Vegas. People will bring in items to pawn them or to sell them. To pawn an item, the person puts their item as collateral to get a certain amount of money. They have 90 days to pay back the balance and the interest. If the balance is not played, the pawn shop is allowed to sell the item.
The main reason I love the show is the stories. People bring in these items and tell what each item means. Depending on the item, they may have to get an expert to come look over the items. That's when it gets really interesting. If there is a historical object, they have a museum expert come and determine if it is legitimate. If the object is real, one of the workers will negotiate a price with the person.
On the episode I watched recently, someone brought in a Civil War diary to sell. A Civil War diary! As a public historian I was enraged. First by the fact that they were handling the diaries with their bare hands. That is a bad thing to do because it will deteriorate. If I knew they had washed their hands before handling the diaries, I would have been less upset. The other thing is that the person wanted to sell a family heirloom. I do understand that times are tough but I am an advocate of donating that kind of stuff to museums or archives. For instant, Wright State University's  Special Collection and Archives is a place that takes those kinds of donations. This is my own personal opinion when it comes to artifacts. However I feel about what people do with their artifacts, I love watching Pawn Stars. It is a good way to see how people can make a living in history outside of the academic field.

If You Could Meet Any Historical Figure(s)...

If you could meet any historical figure(s), who would it be and why? This question is a fun icebreaker that will get people thinking. I would love to hear some responses!
My picks would be Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII. I have always found the Tudors to be truly fascinating. I loved The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory and the first two seasons of "The Tudors." Having read fictionalized versions and some historical books, I have always had so many questions for these three individuals. My main question for Catherine of Aragon would be about her marriage to Henry VIII's older brother Arthur. The grounds for Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII's divorce is that Katherine of Aragon's marriage to Arthur was consummated. Catherine said from the beginning that she had never had consummated her relationship. I would like to know what the truth was. Did Arthur tell her to lie? Catherine was a devout Catholic so it is possible that she was telling the truth, but on the other hand, by lying she would be able to stay in the country she called home since she was a girl.
Anne Boleyn is either portrayed as a good woman or an evil witch. There is really no in between. I would first like to know the truth about her personality. My belief is that she is something somewhere between the two. She lived in a time where men controlled women and I think she did the best she could do. There are many rumors that have swirled around her and I want to know if any of them are true. Did she really marry someone in secret that her parents had annulled? Did she really have an affair while she was married to Henry VIII?
Henry VIII is a figure larger than life. Because of his relationship Anne Boleyn, he changed the religion of England forever. Did he ever truly love any of his wife? Does he regret what he did? Was it worth it in the end?
These are questions I like to ponder from time to time. So, what historical figure(s) would you like to talk to and why? I would love to read some response.

J Edgar Hoover

The other night, I went with my family and a friend to see Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar. As a history lover, I enjoy going to see historical films. Now that I'm in my public history degree, I've started to look at those movies in a different way. A few things you need to know about the movie: it is over two hours and is very slow. The movie is well acted but there is not very much action. For general information on the movie, visit IMDb. If you are a movie fan, IMDb is the website for you.
Before seeing the movie, I did not know very much about J. Edgar Hoover. For instance, I have always heard the rumor that he was a gay/cross dresser but that was about it. As a side note, the movie discusses his homosexuality but this can neither be confirmed or denied because he was a very private man and he lived in a time where an open gay man would have had his career ruined. This is something that will be speculated for years to come and we will never know the true answer.
The movie focuses on Hoover's relationship with his mother, his second hand man Clyde Tolson, the presidents and his personal secretary Helen Gandy. Hoover had a very close relationship with all of these people. Helen Gandy was his personal secretary for his entire career and one of the only people she ever trusted. Throughout the movie, Hoover has his personal file. At the end of the movie, after he has passed, they showed Gandy shredding his personal files. I couldn't help but want to go through the screen to stop her. Those files would be so valuable to look at and to get an understanding of Hoover as a person. Also at the end of the film, there is a note about Hoover and Tolson but no note about what happened to Gandy after Hoover's death. As a viewer, I was intrigued by her story and was disappointed to not see anything about her.
As public historians, what is our role in these movies? Should we take them for what they are, entertainment? Or should we be there helping make the movie as accurate as possible? Or one last possibility, should we help make it somewhere in between? As a history lover and a movie lover, I continue to ponder these questions. I am willing to accept inaccuracies as long as the movie gets the theme correct. Also, I hope that people will be interested in the topic or person and pick up a book to learn more.
To learn more about J Edgar Hoover, visit the Wikipedia site or the Official FBI site. Remember, the more you read, the more you learn!
And to all of you out there, have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

This past weekend, my boyfriend and I went to The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. It is located by Lake Erie and is open daily 10-5:30 and Wednesdays until 9 pm. Pictures are not permitted to be taken in the exhibits. Regular admission price is $22 for adults but there are different discounts available.  For more information, check out the website. http://rockhall.com/
Before you go to the museum, there are a few things you need to be aware of. First the museums is huge so prepare for a lot of walking and wear comfortable shoes. Depending on when you go, be prepared to be around crowds. I went on a Saturday and so it was busy. Also, each exhibit has a lot of reading. If you like to take your time and not deal with crowds, I would suggest going during the week.
The reason I wanted to go is because there is an exhibit called "Women Who Rock." The exhibit includes costumes from Madonna, Lady Gaga, Brittney Spears, Shakira and Joan Jett to name a few. For many people when you think of music, you don't always think of women. This exhibit lets the visitor see costumes from the early days of rock to costumes from today. The newest object to the exhibit is Lady Gaga's "meat dress" from the 2010 Video Music Awards. I do like some of Lady Gaga's music so I was curious to see what the dress looked like in person. It was smaller than I thought and it was disturbing. But, Lady Gaga does things like this to get noticed and she has made a huge impact on music. Some would even call her the modern Madonna.
In other exhibits, there were so many artifacts a music fan would be in love. There were many guitars throughout the museum and it interesting to see how they have changed since the 1950s. I was most awestruck by Kurt Cobain's guitar. Say what you will about him, but he was a true artist. I was humbled by everything I saw and couldn't help but wonder how music continues to evolve. Another thing I was thrilled to see was Michael Jackson's Thriller jacket and a Thriller mask he used on tour. I am such a huge fan of his music that I couldn't help but gasp when I saw the real jacket. Another thing that I found amazing was how many artist had handwritten lyrics to songs on display. It made me wonder what John Lennon or Jimi Hendrix had been thinking when they wrote their songs.
There are a few things I would like to change about the museum. First the museum is not very interactive. In my Public History course, we have learned about different ways to make museums interested. Because the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is so massive, I know it is hard to staff but I would have like to see more people roaming around so that patrons can ask questions if they would like. Also, there is an exhibit that shows how listening has changed where see items from different decades but you are not able to see how they work or how they sound. It would be beneficial to patrons to be able to touch and/or hear the differences. It would also be interesting to have an exhibit on different technology/instruments that could be interactive. For instance, I would put multiple guitars and lets visitors strum them to hear a difference in sounds. This would help patrons see how the different sounds led to different music. The other thing I would like to change is the set up of the exhibits. As I stated at the beginning of the blog, there is a lot of reading. It can be difficult for patrons to read everything because there is so much there. Right away I would want to change the font size of the signs. For as much reading as there is, the bigger size would make it easier for the patrons to read. Another thing I would like to add is some information about why the specific artifacts were chosen. Artists have donated many items and so the museum has a lot of items to chose from. While I know this could take up room, I would find it to be beneficial. If the museum does not want to add that information to the signs, they could put signs throughout the museums directing patrons to the website.
While there are some things I would change about the museum, I overall enjoyed the atmosphere. If you are a music lover, this museum is the place for you. When you are at the museum, you get a sense of how music has made an impact on your life and society.

Quarter's End

The Wednesday will be the close to my quarter as a graduate student in the public history department with Wright State University. I am thrilled with my decision to go back to school and am generally loving every minute of it. While I have struggled writing papers, I know that next quarter will be easier since I am back in the swing of things.
I wanted to say I have learned so much about the public history field this quarter and I am excited to learn more about it in the following quarters. Introduction to Archives and Introduction to Public History has given me a beginners knowledge that I will continue to use as I finish school and pursue my career. Before taking Intro to Archives, I would have never thought about being a corporate archivist but it sound interested. I believe I will end up going to the museum route but never say never.
And as for you dear readers, if you have any questions, ask them. Has my blog gotten you interested in the Public History program? If so, do you know where to look? I am more than willing to give information if anybody would like to know more. Until next time.

Work

I work at a surgeons office and can't help but notice how working in the file room is a lot like working in an archives.  While I have not worked in an archives, from what I've learned, we do many of the same things as archivists. For instance, a records manager has to keep track of all the laws for records. We have to follow laws about charts. We know that we are allowed to shred charts after ten years. Like archives, we have to go through documents and put them in an order. As I've been taking my archives class, I can't help but think of things we do and can do for our records. Public History is around everyone every day. You just have to know where to look.

Election Day

This is going to be a quick one. I've been very busy with school projects but I hope to post a little later in the week. I just want to reminded those of you out there that tomorrow is election day so you should get out and vote. For people who say it doesn't matter, it does matter. It is especially important when you are voting at the local level. Make sure you plan enough to get out and vote!

Corporate Archives

When you see the word corporate, what does it make you think of? It makes me think of a stuffy office and an organization focused only on a business and not the people. Would you be surprised to know there are corporate archivists? Today in my class, we had a speaker talk about working as a corporate archivists. When working as a corporate archivist, the archivist will focus on the corporate office they work for. For example, our speaker works for Nationwide Insurance so all of her work focuses on Nationwide. Through the archives, she is able to keep track of records from the beginning of the company. These records can include documents from company picnics to personal files to records. Because of all the archives, the archivists is able to create exhibits for the company. She set up an exhibit based off a facebook profile and used records from the 50s and 60s to set up the exhibit. This got her coworkers interested in the history of Nationwide and of Columbus, Ohio where headquarters is located. Along with creating exhibits, she has created an intra-office blog where she finds items from the archives that relate to events going on in the office. After listening to the speaker, it makes corporate archives sound interesting. Just another thing to consider as I work my way into a career.

Technology

From the beginning of time, public historians have had to deal with ever changing technology.  Technology can be a good way to get new patrons to different public history events.  For instance, facebook and twitter is a great way for museums to get about information about special events.  Because of my facebook, I have learned that the Children's Museum of Indianapolis brought back the popular exhibit Barbie: The Fashion Experience. In a later blog, I will discuss that exhibit.  Had I not like the museum on facebook, I would not have learned the exhibit had come back.
Along with facebook, museums have started using the internet to get visitors thinking.  When I know I am visiting a museum, I like to see what kind of exhibits I can expect to see.  I also like to check hours and special events.  Once I'm at the museum, I will gather any kind of pamphlet I can to learn more about each exhibit.  While I'm there, I will look at each of the exhibits and will get online if I notice there is more information to be found.
These are just a few technologies that museums use.  There are many different types of technologies museums can use to keep relevant.  These technologies will continue to grow and museums will continue to grow with them.

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer

On Saturday, October 15, I participated in my 4th Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk.  Each year, thousands of people in Dayton participate in a three mile walk to raise money for breast cancer research.  This is an event that people participate in all over the country.
I have done the walk since 2008 and have been my group's team leader for the past two years.  I feel very passionate about this cause because my mother is a breast cancer survivor.  She was diagnosed my senior year of college. It was a difficult time for me because I was in my last semester and was not able to come home.  Because of this experience, I knew that I wanted to help raise money.  This is an even that I will attend yearly because I know that I am doing good.
The reason I'm blogging about the walk is that this is a public history event.  This event brings thousands of people together where they create a memory.  Any event that involves people and memories can be a public history event. When you are out in public, think about the difference places and events you attend.
P.S. If you would like to learn more about cancer research, please visit http://www.cancer.org/

Ohio Local History Alliance Annual Meeting & Conference

Today I went to the Ohio Local History Alliance (OLHA) conference in Worthington. It was such an amazing experience! The first session, This Magic Moment: Preserving Historic Photographic Materials, was presented by someone from Wright State on preservation of photographs. I never knew about the different kinds of pictures. It was so fascinating. I think if I am ever able to, I would like to take a class on preservation.
After that, I went to my first of three sessions about how to get students interacting in history. The first session, How to Start and Maintain a Young Historian's Program, was about getting younger students involved in the local historical society. This session was run by someone from the Clark County Historical Society. The biggest thing I learned from this session is it is not quantity but quality. The program director discussed how they might have seven students at each meeting but the students we actively involved. The students loved being involved. The other important thing I learned is that if you have students participate in a meeting like they did, then have lots of snacks.
Next, I went to a session called History is Not Boring! Reaching Out to Schools with Living History. I'm going to show some bias now, but this was by far my favorite session. It was run by a gentleman from the We've Know Rivers museum. His session was about getting students interested in history through living history. Throughout the presentation, he talked about what he did to prepare for his talks and then he gave us two examples. The first example was about a solider from the Civil War and the other was a slave. Listening to his presentation reminded me of what I love about history. I was so enthralled by his story that I wanted him to continue. After the conference, I thanked him for what he did and told him how inspired I felt after his presentation. I know he was excited to hear me tell him that.
Finally, my last session was run by someone from the Dennison Railroad Depot Museum. The session was titled How to Make History Cool: Engaging a Young Audience. When I read the title, I thought it sounded really cool. When I got there and they started explaining the about their history rally, I was apprehensive. Boy, was I wrong! The rally was at a local mall and contained multiple museums that had activities for the students. It was so popular that even the parents wanted to get involved. Because this was the first year they did this, they did not get as much support as the initially wanted. However, they should have an easier time getting involvement next year. An unexpected outcome of this was an economic boost. The mall had the largest crowd ever during the event. I was really excited listening to what they did during the rally that I could not wait to share it. I would love to do something like that around here. And before I forget, the woman from the museum said anybody was free to steal the idea but to let her know and her museum would come to your event also. If you are interested in contacting her, email me or leave a comment here.
This was a very good experience and I am so thankful I was able to attend the conference. I had been on the fence about join OLHA but after my experience, I signed up right before I left. Going to conferences is a good way to network and learn more about what is going on in the history community. I would recommend everyone who is a public historian to attend as many conferences as they can. I know I plan to now. Until next time.

Appraisal

A few weeks ago in my Introduction to Archives class, we learned about appraisal. Appraisal is when an archivist will get a collection from a perspective donor and determine whether the collection is valuable. By determining value, it means whether the collection would be beneficial to the archives. Appraisal can also be done for museums.
While we were learning about this, I couldn't help but think of the TV show Pawn Stars. The show takes place at a Las Vegas pawn shop. Throughout the show, people bring items that they think are valuable and the workers then appraise the items to determine if they are worth anything. While archivists are not allowed to determine if an item is worth a monetary value, they still can determine the item's worth.
From learning about appraisal, I have realized that public history is everywhere. Not just archivists can appraise things but anybody can appraise things. In your life you can appraise your own items.
That's it for now. Until next time.

What is Public History?

Since starting my program, everybody has asked the same question. What is public history? There is not a clear and easy answer because it encompasses so many different things. Generally when people ask me, I tell them that it involves museums and archives along with public history events such as the Renaissance Festival.
To go in more depth, a public historian can do many things with their degree. For starters, there is the archives section. With archives, you can work with old documents and 3D objects. These items will be divided into collection. While many people think archives are related to just historical events, such as the Civil War, they can relate to many different events or groups. Many big companies will have a collection of archives that they keep about their company. There are special corporate archivists who work with these specific archives. Also, there are collections from average people. Many ways we learn about the past are through diaries that have been donated. Along with working on collections, archivists are also there to answer any research questions people may have regarding specific collections.
With museums there are also numerous opportunities. For starters, at the basic level is a volunteer. Museums and archives would not survive without volunteers. Volunteers can help with anything from giving tours to answer questions. There are also people who are interpreters and help with tours. Some museums have museum educators who work with teachers to create lessons to make the students think. There is also somebody who designs the exhibit and a curator who runs the overall area.
This is just a small portion of things people can do with public history. By being a public historian, you are able to interact with the public and hopefully both entertain and education them. Both archives and museums are great options. Some archives, such as Wright State's Archives and Special Collections, get phone call all over the world for help with research. Some museums are small where it is run by only volunteers. While archives and museums may be different, they have the same goal of getting their knowledge out to the public.
I am very excited to share all my knowledge and I look forward to class each week. More to come. Until next time.

About Me

Since I was a little girl, I have always loved history. Along with a love of history, I have enjoyed helping my fellow classmates and teaching. I got my undergraduate degree in Education with an emphasis on Social Studies grades 7-12. Since graduating, I have looked for a teaching job and have not had any luck. At Wright State University's grad fair, I met with the head of the Public History department and fell in love. I knew that this would be the perfect thing for me. By being a public historian, I would be able to share my love of history with the world.
Because of my program, I decided to blog about my experiences while I go through school and beyond. I hope people will enjoy reading this and that I will only continue to grow into a job I know that I will love.
To finish out this first post, I wanted to set some goals for myself. 1. I will graduate in 2 years like the program is set up. 2. I will have an internship that I will learn a lot from. 3. For my summer internship, I will apply for opportunities in Washington D.C. 4. I will volunteer to gain some experience in the museum field. 5. Once I graduate, I will look for a job that I will love. 6. Should it take me a while to find a job, I will continue to volunteer. 7. I will take as many classes as I can so that I can have experience in a little of everything. 8. I will go to museums in my free time to see the different ways museums work. 9. I will apply for a "spring break" internship at the Smithsonian Museum. 10. No matter what happens, I will continue to work to the best of my abilities.
That is all for now. I will continue to update the blog periodically. I have a few projects due in the next few weeks that I will blog about. I'm so excited to be in school and am loving every minute I am there! Until next time...