The Posterity Project

Tennessee Archivist newsletter has arrived!

2012-01-27T06:00:00.000-06:00

The Society of Tennessee Archivists Winter 2012 newsletter, Tennessee Archivist, is published and now available on the STA website. Our editors, Chapel Cowden and Sarah Shippy Copeland, have done a great job bringing together new content for the newsletter, and highlighting our most recent annual meeting back in October. I encourage you to head over to the Society of Tennessee Archivists website and take a look at this latest edition of Tennessee Archivist, and if you're not yet a member of STA, I hope you'll take this opportunity to join us.

Too square for Foursquare...

2012-01-25T06:00:00.000-06:00

While I'm a big advocate for social media in archives, I have to admit that until recently, I have not been too impressed with one particular social media tool: Foursquare.

Foursquare is a location-based social networking service that encourages users to earn points and badges by "checking in" at locations through their smartphone with the Foursquare app. I'm most familiar with Foursquare through my Twitter followers who post updates on their current locations.

To be honest, my first impression of Foursquare was that it seemed to be a rather trivial use of social media. I really didn't think much of Foursquare as an outreach tool for archivists until I read an article entitled, "Archives on the Go" by Aimee Morgan, which was recently published in the Nov./Dec. 2011 issue of the Society of American Archivists Archival Outlook newsletter.

In the article (SAA member access only), Morgan highlights Stanford University Special Collections' outreach efforts on Foursquare. As Mattie Taormina, head of Special Collections at Stanford University, notes in the article:

"I worked with Foursquare staff to advertise limited-time 'specials' through their app." The 'specials' were one-on-one sessions with an archivist, who provided information about and opportunities to view some of the hidden gems of Stanford's collections."

It was an eye-opening article that is definitely worth a read. Inside this issue there is also an article entitled, "Facebook Me, Then Follow Me on Twitter: Documentation Strategies in a Social Media World," which offers strategies for archivists who want to capture and document social media activity in organizations, and utilize social media tools like Facebook and Twitter to make connections. If you're not a SAA member, beg or borrow a copy from a member and check it out.

But I digress... As computing becomes more mobile, I can see social media tools like Foursquare becoming more useful to archivists looking to expand their outreach beyond the box. Thinking more broadly, as smartphones become commonplace, archivists should consider the possibilities. Creating mobile apps for digital collections, and utilizing iTunes to share oral histories are just two mobile media applications that come to my mind as effective and informative outreach ideas.

So what do you think? Is Foursquare worth a try or just a passing fad? I'm curious to know what you think about this location-based social media tool and its potential for archival institutions.

Gordon Belt is an information professional, special collections librarian, archives advocate, public historian, research consultant, and founding editor of The Posterity Project. He is the current president of the Society of Tennessee Archivists, and serves as Treasurer of TSLAFriends, the friends organization of the Tennessee State Library and Archives. As an extension of The Posterity Project, Gordon also offers short-term, project-based historical research and social media consulting services to archives, museums, historical societies, cultural heritage organizations, small businesses, authors, and individuals. Contact Gordon to find out how he can help you "Document the links to your past."

Looking Back: The Civil War in Tullahoma...

2012-01-23T10:00:00.000-06:00

This photo of a confederate soldier
and many other Civil War artifacts
were digitally archived by TSLA
in Tullahoma on Friday.
Image credit: Tullahoma News

The Tullahoma News and The Shelbyville Times-Gazette both recently published stories covering the Tennessee State Library and Archives' recent visit to Tullahoma in support of their ongoing mission to digitally chronicle Tennessee's Civil War history.

To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the Tennessee State Library and Archives has been sending teams of professional archivists and conservators to communities across Tennessee. During these visits, digital copies of Civil War era manuscripts, artifacts, and photographs are created. These copies, representing the rich Civil War heritage of Tennessee families, will become a part of a virtual exhibit on TSLA's website.

Click here to see what they've "collected" so far and to learn how your institution can become involved in this exciting project.

RELATED LINKS:

Read more from "Display highlights local connection to Civil War," published in The Tullahoma News
Read more from "Project gives Civil War items new life," published in The Shelbyville Times-Gazette
Looking Back: The Civil War in Tennessee - Tennessee State Library and Archives

A Flickr of hope for Tennessee's archives...

2012-01-20T06:00:00.004-06:00

In recent weeks, I have highlighted some social media and digital archiving innovations by the Smithsonian, the National Archives, and the Library of Congress to illustrate a point: Connectivity and interactivity are critical components of any online outreach effort. These nationally-known cultural heritage institutions have been unafraid to experiment, allowing the end user to interact with content. Social media gives archivists an opportunity to step outside the box and into a new world, making their collections relevant to a whole new audience.

Today, I'd like to bring the focus back to my home state of Tennessee, where in my estimation social media use by archives is vastly underutilized. The image sharing site, Flickr, for example, shows great promise and potential, particularly for archival institutions with a limited budget. Yet, based on my own unscientific survey of Tennessee's cultural heritage organizations, Flickr is not widely used by Tennessee archivists. There is really no reason at all for archives not to have some social media presence on Flickr. It's free, it's easy to use, and for smaller institutions, Flickr is a great way to share your archives' collections with the public with very little expense.

Here are a couple of examples where my fellow Tennessee archivists have taken advantage of what Flickr has to offer...

Friends of the Nashville Metro Archives

Images from Nashville's past come to life on the Friends of the Metro Archives Flickr photostream. There are 152 images in this online collection -- both black-and-white and color photographs of buildings, public places and even maps -- taken at various times in Nashville's history.

The images appear to have been uploaded from 2003-2005, yet despite the lack of recent activity the Friends of the Nashville Metro Archives have left a unique online record of Nashville's past.

Some of the images offer detailed descriptions while others have only an image number and location. Here is a wonderful opportunity for someone with a keen interest and expertise in Nashville history to contribute to the online narrative. Flickr offers users the opportunity to comment, share, or add images to your own list of favorites. A picture is worth a thousand words, but descriptions are priceless to historians and archivists looking to solve a mystery or identify an unknown location, building or person in a photograph.

The Nashville Flood Digital History Project (Nashville Public Library)

The Nashville Public Library's 2010 Flood Digital History Project was announced in October following the devastating floods in May of that year.

The project utilizes videos, photographs and personal accounts to record the May flood's aftermath. The Nashville Public Library and 11 other community agencies began interviewing first responders, business owners and residents who experienced the flood. Additionally, the NPL established a presence on Flickr where individuals could share their own personal photos from the flood.

History does not have to be in the distant past to be worth saving and sharing with others. The 2010 floods impacted thousands of lives in Middle Tennessee, and the effects are still lingering for many others to this very day. This outreach effort by the NPL illustrates how Flickr can connect a user with an institution in a very meaningful way, not just focusing on the history of our past, but also chronicling the history we are living today.

Where to go for more inspiration?

So Tennessee archivists, here's your call to action. If you're looking for more inspiration to get started using Flickr, I would encourage you to check out the Flickr Commons where you can access the hidden treasures of some of the world's greatest photography archives, including The Library of Congress, The Smithsonian, The New York Public Library and The U.S. National Archives.

You can easily connect to Flickr through other social media outposts such as Facebook, Twitter, and blogs, and you can give your images context by adding descriptions such as titles, tags, location, and names of people, making searches useful and dynamic. Through comments, favorites, tagging, and notes, Flickr also allows end users the ability to interact and participate with your collections, providing your archive with a powerful descriptive tool.

Be aware, however, that Flickr does have its weaknesses, as was recently pointed out in a very informative comment by Tom Wood on my previous blog post about NARA's "Citizen Archivist" initiative. Nevertheless, archivists should not be afraid to think outside the box and take a step or two outside our physical institutions to reach the public. Social media tools like Flickr are just one way to accomplish this.

King Center Imaging Project launched...

2012-01-17T12:00:00.000-06:00

Rev. Martin Luther King's papers — 200,000 documents in all — will be available online for the first time today, as the nation marks Martin Luther King Day.

The King Center Imaging Project, financed and overseen by JPMorgan Chase, offers free public access to the papers at www.TheKingCenter.org/archive...

About the Archive

The King Center Imaging Project brings the works and papers of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to a digital generation. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began the project in April of 2011 with the intent to preserve, digitize and make publically available some of the extensive holdings of The King Center Archive collection.

Through the JPMorgan Chase's Technology for Social Good program, a team of highly skilled individuals has been organized to help digitize more than 1 million documents. The team consists of imaging and archival experts, as well as students from Morehouse and Spelman Colleges, the King family's alma maters and US Veterans from the US Veterans Curation Program.

The digital archive is a dynamic collection. Visitors are encouraged to check back regularly, as new content is always being added to the site.

Click here to browse the King Center's Digital Archive.

RELATED LINK:

The King Center Digital Archive & Website Promo Video...

Experience your digital collections with Viewshare...

2012-01-17T06:00:00.001-06:00

Trevor Owens (@tjowens), a digital archivist with the Library of Congress National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (@ndiipp), recently brought to my attention a very interesting digital history project called Viewshare.

Viewshare is a free platform for generating and customizing views, including interactive maps (I'm a sucker for maps), timelines, facets, and tag clouds that allows users to experience digital collections in a highly interactive way. Using data from a simple spreadsheet or MODS records, Viewshare's open source software offers cultural heritage institutions the opportunity to create dynamic interfaces to digital collections. Data containing information about a digital collection can be turned into an interactive map, timeline, table, graph, or list, and it easily interfaces with your existing website. Viewshare is also compatible with Dublin Core data accessible via Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting. This means that hundreds if not thousands of digital cultural heritage collections can now be directly imported into the software.

Click here to watch a screencast for an overview of Viewshare's capabilities and potential for your own digital collections, and click here to learn how to start using Viewshare. You can also click here to see how other cultural heritage organizations are using Viewshare to enhance, interpret, and enable access to their digital collections.

In my estimation, Viewshare is just one more outstanding way that archivists are "thinking outside the box in the digital age." Kudos to Trevor Owens and the Library of Congress for making this amazing and interactive user interface available to a larger audience.

Onward Southern Soldiers January Book Tour...

2012-01-13T06:00:00.002-06:00

There are three opportunities in January to meet the authors (That's us!) of Onward Southern Soldiers: Religion and the Army of Tennessee in the Civil War. During these appearances, Traci and I talk about the book, and the importance of religion in the lives of those who fought and died in the field of battle. We also briefly explore how archives played an important role in the making of our book. Author-signed copies of our book will be available for purchase at each event.

Here is our event schedule for the month. I hope you'll pick a date and come out to see us!

Tuesday, January 17, 2012 @ 7:00 pm - Greenbrier Historical Society at the First Baptist Church – Fellowship Hall, Hwy 41-N., Greenbrier, TN
Saturday, January 21, 2012 @ 1:00 pm - Middle Tennessee Genealogical Society at the FiftyForward Knowles Center, 174 Rains Ave., Nashville, TN
Saturday, January 28, 2012 @ 2:00 pm - Williamson County Public Library, 1314 Columbia Avenue, Franklin, TN

Also, I'm pleased to share some exciting news about our book... The History Press recently notified us of their plans to release Onward Southern Soldiers in a series of e-books, which will be distributed through the most prominent e-book sales channels in the coming weeks. Look for an announcement on The Posterity Project when these plans are finalized and a release date is announced. In the meantime, be sure to get your hands on the real thing in bookstores, at most online book retailers, and here on The Posterity Project!

History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme...

2012-01-12T06:00:00.000-06:00

I recently penned a brief blog post for my employer's website, reflecting on Time magazine's choice of "The Protester" as it's "Person of the Year" for 2011. As I point out in the piece:

"While social media and the 24-hour cable news cycle have launched today’s “Occupy” protest movement into our immediate collective consciousness, we would do well to take a step back in time and “occupy” a history book, remembering those times when Americans tested the legal limits and sociopolitical boundaries imposed on the First Amendment. "

I've often found it amusing how the news media chooses to frame current events, as if the breaking news of the moment was the first time anything like this has ever happened, without any regard for historical context. Journalists and commentators tend to look back on the previous year's events with awe and wonder, but thankfully, most historians take the longer view.

I am fond of quoting a line from a poem often attributed to Mark Twain, but not found in his works which reads, "History never repeats itself but it rhymes." The "Occupy" protest movement is not a new phenomenon, in my opinion. We have seen many times in our nation's history when occupation was used as a form of protest, and when economic conditions fueled an organized movement.

Click here to read more from my article, "Time to 'Occupy' our history books." A disclaimer: I am not making any political statement in favor of or in opposition to the Occupy Protest Movement with this article. As I said when I created this blog in 2008, I do not engage in any divisive, partisan commentary on The Posterity Project. I simply saw an opportunity to draw attention to historical precedent.

The rhythmic pulse of history can be felt all around us. You just have to take the time to listen to its drum beat.

NARA launches Citizen Archivist Dashboard...

2012-01-10T06:00:00.002-06:00

Following up on my previous post about the Smithsonian Institution Archives, I'd like to direct your attention to another exciting social media initiative.

On December 23rd, the National Archives announced the launch of a new online project called the Citizen Archivist Dashboard. This forward-thinking initiative captures the "wisdom of the crowd" by making you -- the citizen -- an active participant in the digital archiving revolution. Through tagging, transcribing, editing, uploading, and sharing, you have the power to contribute to our nation's collective memory and history. While the Citizen Archivist Dashboard is fairly new, the National Archives has been encouraging user participation for some time. Here's a video which does a good job in describing their ongoing efforts...

Archivist of the United States, David Ferriero, deserves a lot of credit for delivering a fresh, new way of thinking to the National Archives. Think of it... through this new initiative, the National Archives is publicly stating that "All of our records will be online" and "You can help make it happen." This is a very bold and ambitious statement. By embracing social media and tapping into the dedicated passion of its users, Ferriero has successfully elevated the visibility of the National Archives, and has changed the image and culture of the nation's record keeping institution. By giving its audience a stake in its future, the National Archives is now in a much better position to preserve its past.

Click here to learn more about the Citizen Archivist Dashboard and start contributing to their effort to "document the links to our past."

Follow Friday: Documenting the links to our past in 140 characters or less...

2012-01-06T06:00:00.003-06:00

As I indicated in my "holiday hiatus" blog post, I'm planning to devote more time and attention on The Posterity Project to exploring the ways in which digital history and social media are driving archives to produce a rich online narrative of our cultural heritage. However, that does not mean that I have totally abandoned my mission to "document the links to our past."

For me, Twitter has become a great way to share links to interesting stories about archives and local history while also giving me more time to develop the blog and focus on writing more original stories and reviews. Twitter is also a great venue to connect with fellow archivists, public historians, authors, and other like-minded folks.

I spotted a number of interesting stories over my winter break, so I want to use this opportunity to share a few of them here and encourage you to follow me on Twitter for more updates. Here's a sampling of the stories that you'll find there:

MT @SecTreHargett Tennessee State Library & #Archives to Visit Tullahoma in Search of #CivilWar Memorabilia tnsos.org/Press/story.ph…
— (@gordonbelt) January 5, 2012

Sunday is the best day of the year to visit to The Hermitage @7thpresident tennessean.com/article/201201… h/t @Ms_Cheap
— (@gordonbelt) January 5, 2012

Some good coverage from @Tennessean about the Sumner County Archives: Historical treasures plentiful in local #archives tennessean.com/article/201201…
— (@gordonbelt) January 5, 2012

MT @Tennessean Preserving #archives a family affair; Volunteer work helps preserve documents and launch family business tennessean.com/article/201112…
— (@gordonbelt) December 31, 2011

Look for these stories in the January issue of The Nashville Retrospect: facebook.com/permalink.php?…
— (@gordonbelt) December 30, 2011

Thanks @JeffieLibrarian: Tennessee State #Library and #Archives recovers family's long lost WWII diary: bit.ly/tcKw8I
— (@gordonbelt) December 30, 2011

@AuntB shows the Tennessee State #Library and #Archives some love: tinycatpants.wordpress.com/2011/12/29/the…
— (@gordonbelt) December 30, 2011

My article about #BannedBooksWeek is a "must read" for 2011! Here's the best of the rest: firstamendmentcenter.org/must-reads-our…
— (@gordonbelt) December 28, 2011

"If you like #genealogy and old cemeteries, you’ll love this." MT @gailkerr Exhibit brings Tennessee's dead to life tnne.ws/uoMCui
— (@gordonbelt) December 28, 2011

States' #cw150 Sesquicentennial Efforts Uncover #CivilWar Antiques [TSLA efforts mentioned] fxn.ws/tbAhnj h/t @JeffieLibrarian
— (@gordonbelt) December 27, 2011

RT @knoxnews: Special 125th Anniversary of the News Sentinel - Invention, expansion, violence marked early years knoxnews.com/news/2011/dec/…
— (@gordonbelt) December 24, 2011

Fascinating: MT @frkwriter: #CivilWar soldier's teeth point to Native American ancestry tnne.ws/tnsktx h/t @JeffieLibrarian
— (@gordonbelt) December 23, 2011

Letter: Sevier residents should know truth about history bit.ly/sRs7qS For some, the truth hurts: posterityproject.blogspot.com/2011/07/john-s…
— (@gordonbelt) December 22, 2011

@archivesinfo Thanks for the mention! MT The top ten stories that influenced #archives profession this year bit.ly/rKkl57
— (@gordonbelt) December 21, 2011

Wonderful story @WPLN about TN State #Library & #Archives Veterans History Project: wpln.org/?p=31963 Updates: posterityproject.blogspot.com/2011/11/tennes…
— (@gordonbelt) December 19, 2011

Smithsonian Archives' new website is "seriously amazing."

2012-01-03T06:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome back to The Posterity Project! I hope you've enjoyed your own holiday hiatus as much as I have.

The Smithsonian Institution Archives new website is "seriously amazing!"

I'd like to begin the new year by revisiting my previous blog post about the role of social media in archives. In "Thinking outside the box in the digital age," I noted that archivists need to recognize that more people expect to access our collections remotely, and we must not be afraid to step outside of the stacks and utilize social media and blogging to share our collections with the public.

In that same blog post I also briefly highlighted efforts by the National Archives to embrace social media to connect with their audience. Today, I'd like to show you another example of an institution that has made effective use of social media.

The National Council on Public History recently highlighted on their blog, Off the Wall, the work of the Smithsonian Institution Archives, which recently launched a new website, and has done a remarkable job of making the archives accessible and engaging to its online audience.

As Off the Wall points out, "the Smithsonian's new website is geared towards engaging a broad audience of online users with its content..."

On the homepage are links to a blog, discussion forum, featured exhibits, and a section called "Today in Smithsonian History." Perhaps most interesting is the extent to which the institution has embraced the interactive web in creating this site. For example, the current front page features a link to the Smithsonian's photostream on Flickr, which displays rare photographs from the Scopes trial. (These photos were discovered by a volunteer researcher at the archives in the records of the Science Service and published in Reframing Scopes: Journalists, Scientists, and Lost Photographs from the Trial of the Century.)

And from a social media perspective, the website is a gold mine, with lots of fascinating things to tweet and post to Facebook. Given the prominent social media logos on the homepage, this was clearly a major topic of discussion in the development process.

The Smithsonian has also launched a new branding campaign, shedding its image as the "Nation's Attic" and embracing a new emphasis on the visitor with customized experiences and a more direct delivery of information through social media. For those of you who are looking for a template for how to utilize social media in your own archives, I'd encourage you to read more from the NCPH Off the Wall blog, and visit the Smithsonian Institution Archives website for ideas and inspiration. It's "Seriously Amazing."

Look what Santa put in my stocking!

2011-12-26T07:00:00.000-06:00

Yeah, I know... I was hoping for the Steampunk Laptop, but I have to say that this gift is far more useful to me than a computer that you have to hand crank. I'm looking forward to getting this little gizmo out of the box. A review of the Flip-Pal on The Posterity Project is forthcoming...

TSLAFriends Winter Newsletter...

2011-12-23T08:30:00.000-06:00

I'm taking a brief break from my holiday hiatus to share with you the latest edition of the TSLAFriends Newsletter. This Winter Edition highlights several stories, including updates on two major projects that TSLAFriends funds -- Tennessee Supreme Court Records and Union Burial Sheets -- as well as a Q&A with yours truly!

If you have not yet done so, please consider a year-end donation to TSLAFriends, and become a member today! Your contribution helps the Tennessee State Library and Archives protect and preserve the documentary heritage of our great state.

Read more from the TSLAFriends Winter Newsletter at: http://myemail.constantcontact.com/TSLAFriends-Winter-Newsletter.html?soid=1105924771795&aid=yPBTiGG5Zw4

A look back, and the road ahead...

2011-12-16T10:00:00.000-06:00

As each new year approaches, I generally take a few moments to reflect on the previous year and plan for the next. As I reflect on 2011, I realize what an incredibly busy and productive year it has been here on The Posterity Project...

I planned and organized STA2011, the Society of Tennessee Archivists annual meeting, and was elected President of the Society of Tennessee Archivists for the 2011-2012 term.

I helped my wife publish and promote our first book-length work of scholarship, Onward Southern Soldiers: Religion and the Army of Tennessee in the Civil War.

I launched a research and social media consulting service.

As I focus on the road ahead, I plan to devote more of my time and attention on the ways in which digital history and social media are driving archives to produce a rich online narrative of our cultural heritage. I also want to write more broadly about the themes that drive this blog -- archives, memory, and local history here in Tennessee. The new year is full of promise, and I look forward to exploring these topics with you in 2012.

In the meantime, I'm taking a few days off from the blog over the holiday season to recharge my batteries and to spend more time with my family. While you can still catch me "documenting the links to our past" in 140 characters or less on Twitter, expect a return to regular blogging on The Posterity Project in January.

I want to thank you -- my readers -- for your continued loyalty and readership. I hope you have a Merry Chrismas, and a very Happy New Year!

Celebrating 220 years of freedom...

2011-12-14T15:00:00.000-06:00

My friends and colleagues at the First Amendment Center are getting ready to celebrate 220 years of freedom with a new online civic education initiative called "Free to Tweet." I hope you'll spread the word and #freetotweet your support of the First Amendment on December 15th...

It will be a daylong online celebration of First Amendment rights, and high school and college students nationwide can win one of 22 $5,000 scholarships through “Free to Tweet” on Dec. 15, the 220th anniversary of our right to free expression.

Beginning at midnight on Dec. 15, students ages 14 to 22 can tweet their support for the First Amendment with the hash tag #freetotweet, which will enter them in the “Free to Tweet” scholarship competition. Students are encouraged to freely express themselves in their entries, which can be posted on any publicly viewable social media platform, including blogs.

The Free to Tweet contest takes place throughout the day, Dec. 15, 2011, on National Bill of Rights Day.

The First Amendment was born in the 18th century but it’s your ticket to expressing yourself in 21st century ways. It guarantees your right to write, tweet, blog, read, sing and perform. It protects you at school and in church, allowing you to be you.

What’s the point? To help spread the word about the importance of the First Amendment. In a digital world, free speech is more important than ever.

Go to Twitter and use the hashtag #FreeToTweet. It’s really simple. So tweet away, and encourage others to do the same. Read more, and if you’d like a reminder to tweet on Dec. 15, sign up for an e-mail reminder here.

RELATED LINKS:

Onward Southern Soldiers marches to Bellevue...

2011-12-13T07:00:00.000-06:00

Speaking to the Middle Tennessee Civil War Round Table in November.

Here's one last opportunity before Christmas to hear Traci and I talk about Onward Southern Soldiers: Religion and the Army of Tennessee in the Civil War.

We'll be speaking to the Bellevue History and Genealogy Group on Friday, Dec. 16 at 9:00 am. This event is located at the Bellevue Y / FiftyForward Turner Center at 8101 Highway 100, in Nashville, Tennessee.

Using primary source material such as diaries, letters, journals and sermons from members of the Army of Tennessee, C.S.A., Onward Southern Soldiers is a scholarly work that examines how religion influenced the lives of those who served in the Civil War, from the political leaders in government, to the elite clergy, to the chaplains, and finally to the lives of the common soldiers.

We'll discuss the book, and we will have time for questions and a book signing at the end of our talk for those who wish to purchase a copy. I hope you'll make plans to join us!

Emancipation Proclamation on display at Tennessee State Museum

2011-12-12T16:30:00.000-06:00

Here's something that I'm looking forward to seeing here in Tennessee, even if for only 72 hours...

The Emancipation Proclamation - NARA

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today announced the Tennessee State Museum will be the only stop in the Southeast of an unprecedented tour and display of the Emancipation Proclamation, the document that altered the course of U.S. history and dramatically changed the lives of African-Americans by proclaiming freedom for millions of slaves.

The fragile manuscript signed by Pres. Abraham Lincoln in 1863 can only be exposed to light for 72 hours while in Tennessee. The document will be displayed at intervals during a to-be-determined six-day period in 2013 marking the 150th anniversary of its signing.

The tour of the historic decree, which rarely leaves the National Archives in Washington D.C., is taking place in conjunction with the acclaimed National Archives multimedia exhibit Discovering the Civil War, which will open at the state museum on Feb. 12, 2013 – Lincoln’s birthday – and continue through Sept. 2, 2013.

“It is an incredible honor for Tennessee to host the Emancipation Proclamation, a document whose significance to the history of this country, and this region in particular, cannot be overstated,” Haslam said. “This delicate manuscript represents America’s recognition that all are entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and we invite people from across the Southeast and the nation to see and celebrate with us the moment our country officially became the land of the free.”

Click here to read more details from Gov. Haslam's press release.

RELATED LINKS:

TN to host rare, free viewing of Emancipation Proclamation for 6 days in 2013 - The Tennessean
State to Display Original Emancipation Proclamation in 2013 - WPLN.org

A season of giving...

2011-12-09T07:00:00.000-06:00

With the holiday season and new year fast approaching, I hope my readers will consider making a year-end contribution to TSLAFriends.

Established in 2010, TSLAFriends is a non-profit charitable organization which serves to help fund and promote the work of the Tennessee State Library and Archives. Members of TSLAFriends share a belief that Tennessee's history is worth preserving and access to information is essential for thriving community.

Through the generosity of our members, TSLAFriends funds a number of projects including preserving the historic records of the State Supreme Court, and assisting with research on the soldiers buried at the Nashville National Cemetery. As treasurer of TSLAFriends, I can tell you first-hand that your money is making a significant difference in "documenting the links to our past."

As you consider year-end giving this holiday season, won't you consider joining TSLAFriends today? Your gift to this fine organization is tax-deductible, and enables significant donations of time, talent and resources to assist the Tennessee State Library and Archives with a number of worthwhile projects.

Click here to learn more about TSLAFriends and join us in "Preserving the Past, and Informing the Future."

Join us at TSLA on Saturday!

2011-12-07T11:00:00.000-06:00

Just a friendly reminder... It's not too late to register for the Tennessee State Library and Archives' lecture and book signing for Onward Southern Soldiers on Saturday, Dec. 10th at 9:30 am. I'd like to encourage you to come out and see us! Here are the details...

The Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) will host two free lectures Dec. 10, one by a Fulbright scholar from Canada who has spent months digging in the archives in Nashville and the other by a local couple who recently co-authored a book.

The first lecture will be conducted by Traci Nichols-Belt and Gordon Belt, authors of the book, “Onward Southern Soldiers: Religion and the Army of Tennessee in the Civil War.” They will discuss the role of religion in sustaining and unifying troops. The event will be held in the TSLA auditorium from 9:30 a.m. until 11 a.m. The authors will use primary source material such as diaries, letters, journals and sermons from members of the Army of Tennessee to illustrate how important religious practices were in the lives of enlisted men.

The second lecture will take place in the TSLA auditorium from 2 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. The speaker will be Dr. Nelson Ouellet, an associate professor at the University of Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada and a Fulbright Visiting Research Chair at Vanderbilt University.

The State Library and Archives building is located at 403 Seventh Avenue North, just west of the State Capitol in downtown Nashville. Parking is available around the building.

Because seating in the auditorium is limited, those wishing to attend these workshops must contact TSLA to make reservations. Reservations can be made via e-mail at workshop.tsla@tn.us or via telephone by calling (615)741-2764. There is no registration fee.

We hope to see you there on Saturday!

Documents chronicle the horror of Pearl Harbor...

2011-12-07T08:30:00.000-06:00

This morning, the National Archives shared two very fascinating documents related to the attack on Pearl Harbor which occurred on this date in history, December 7, 1941.

NARA's Today's Document Tumblr blog features a first-hand account of the moment immediately following the attack...

And on YouTube, NARA's "Inside the Vaults" video features the "deck logs" of Record Group 24, a record of the daily activities of Navy vessels from 1941-1950...

This kind of social media effort inspires learning and discovery, and preserves the memory of this important event for generations to come. Kudos to the National Archives for sharing this incredibly moving record of "a date which will live in infamy."

Santa arrives early at the Chattanooga History Center...

2011-12-07T07:00:00.001-06:00

The Chattanoogan reports...

This holiday season, The Coca-Cola Foundation spreads more than $4.8 million worth of cheer – in the form of its fourth-quarter grants – to 29 organizations across the U.S. and Canada.

The Chattanooga History Center will receive $250,000 to support the organization's “Let’s Make History” Capital Campaign.

The $4.8 million awarded in the fourth quarter includes more than $2.7 million for community, arts and culture organizations; $867,133 million for active, healthy living initiatives; $590,000 to support diversity and inclusion; $274,000 for education programs; $250,000 for community recycling efforts; and $150,000 for water stewardship projects.

Click here to read more in The Chattanoogan.

UPDATE 12-8-2011: Speaking of the Chattanooga History Center, WDEF-TV12 had this brief update on progress being made on construction of the new Chattanooga History Center on the Aquarium Plaza...

RELATED LINKS:

A must have for any Civil War scholar...

2011-12-06T14:00:00.000-06:00

As Traci and I began our book tour in support of Onward Southern Soldiers, we had no idea how our book would be received by the public. At each stop, we've met many folks who were interested in the subject of religion and the Civil War in the Army of Tennessee, and have received many positive comments. We're very grateful for everyone who has attended a book signing, expressed an interest in our book, and especially to those who purchased a copy.

One of the most satisfying things about this experience has been tracking the number of libraries across the country that have purchased a copy for their own collections. In this time of tight budgets, we know that libraries have to be very selective in choosing titles for their collections, so we're very humbled and honored to see librarians step forward to purchase a copy of Onward Southern Soldiers for their patrons.

Last week, Traci and I read a wonderful review of our book published on the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Special Collections blog. As a UTC alumnus, this review was especially meaningful to me, so I wanted to share an excerpt from their blog here on The Posterity Project:

Onward Southern Soldiers: Religion and the Army of Tennessee in the Civil War

Onward Southern Soldiers is a must have for any Civil War scholar worth his/her salt. This book explores the role of religion in the lives of soldiers in the Army of Tennessee during the war. Well researched and with a wealth of images, this volume was written by Traci Nichols-Belt with her husband, Gordon Belt (an alumnus of UTC).

Thanks to Chapel Cowden for this great review, and thanks to the UTC Special Collections Library and the other libraries that have purchased Onward Southern Soldiers for their book shelves. It's an honor for us to have our book included among your collections. Thank you so much!

Thinking outside the box in the digital age...

2011-12-05T08:30:00.000-06:00

As recently-elected president of the Society of Tennessee Archivists, I have given a lot of thought on the state of archives in Tennessee, and the need for archivists to think outside of the box in the digital age. While there are many individual archivists doing outstanding work in productively applying social media in the workplace, as a whole our profession is very far behind our colleagues in the library community.

As a member of the Special Libraries Association, I see first-hand the efforts made by that organization to embrace technology, and the initiative among special collections librarians to be "future ready" in the information age. But what are archivists doing in a collective way to prepare for work that is increasingly being done in "The Cloud?"

Here are a few of my thoughts, for what they're worth, on how archivists should approach our work in the 21st century...

We must actively engage and interact with the public.

I really do not like to speak in generalities, but I will in this case to make a point. Archivists, in general, tend to be a very introverted group. We love our collections and we take great pride in being gatekeepers to the past, but we cannot bury ourselves in our records. We must be advocates for the important work that we do, and we must be public servants if we want our work to have any value to those outside of our profession.

In his book, Personal Archives and a New Archival Calling: Readings, Reflections and Ruminations, Professor Richard J. Cox argues that "archivists need to develop a new partnership with the public, and the public needs to learn from the archivists the essentials of preserving documentary materials." According to Cox, "We are on the cusp of seeing a new kind of archival future, and whether this is good or bad depends on how well archivists equip citizen archivists."

The term "citizen archivist" has become a popular catchphrase in archival circles, but to put the term into practice in an effective and meaningful way requires a commitment and a vision for the future, and building a relationship with the public. Archivists need to be actively engaged with the public -- both in person and online -- whether they be a researcher, genealogist, historian, student, or simply someone with a curiosity about the past.

We must embrace digital technologies and social media.

Social media is as ubiquitous as the telephone, and archivists need to recognize that more people expect to access our collections remotely. Yet, too many archivists are slow to embrace the digital communication tools of the information age.

While we should continue to provide quality service and attention to visitors in our physical buildings, archivists must be willing to go where the users are, both online and in physical spaces. This means we cannot be afraid to step outside of the stacks and utilize social media and blogging to share our collections with the public.

Under the leadership of David Ferriero, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has embraced this social media strategy on a number of fronts. I see these efforts as an effective example and guide for what archivists throughout Tennessee should be doing in their own social media efforts.

We must develop partnerships and encourage collaboration.

In these times of constricting budgets, we must not be afraid to develop partnerships with the corporate world to get our collections out in front of the public while also being mindful of the fact that we are caretakers of the public record. We need to look for ways in which we can work together with the business community while not selling out our own stake in protecting and preserving the past for future generations.

The Tennessee State Library and Archives is doing exactly this kind of work in its effort to preserve the records of the State Supreme Court. It is an important project that recently gained some long-overdue recognition by the media, and is just one example here in my home state of Tennessee where private and public enterprise can work together for the common good. Archivists need to build on successful partnerships like the one that TSLA has built with Ancestry.com, and work wherever possible to build relationships with other entities to make more of our material easily accessible to the public.

Partnerships must also extend beyond the corporate world. For our profession to remain relevant, archivists must also claim their place along side academic historians as an important partner in interpreting the past. All of us participate in making history and everyone interprets and narrates the past in some way, but when archivists do not effectively participate in the scholarly process, myths and falsehoods go unchallenged and occasionally become part of the historical narrative.

Dr. Mark Cheathem recently wrote an excellent essay on the value of librarians and archivists to the scholarly community. His thoughts are spot-on and should be echoed in quarters well beyond the world of academia.

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

Archivists need to look and listen for new ways of doing our work in the 21st century. Leaders in the archival profession must encourage ideas and participation from every level, reward those who take initiative, and share ideas on how we can better serve the public.

I often look to quotes from historical figures for inspiration. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's famous quote from his First Inaugural Address is particularly relevant here:

"...the only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

As archivists, we must not be afraid to take risks and experiment with new ways of working and thinking. Too often, we get stuck in a rut, become complacent, and are too eager to do what is comfortable rather than responding to our clients needs and expectations.

Needs and expectations are radically changing in the digital climate in which we live. Archivists need to respond to those changes or our profession risks becoming a footnote in our own history books.

Southern Baptists, slavery and the Civil War...

2011-12-04T16:30:00.000-06:00

Readers of The Posterity Project will recall my visit back in May to the Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives and my tour of their new Civil War exhibit. Following up on that story, The Tennessean recently published an interesting article about the role of slavery in the Civil War, and how that singular issue caused a major split in the Baptist denomination that exists to this very day. Here's an excerpt...

Artifacts on display at the SBHLA Civil War Exhibit

Southerners still argue the cause of the Civil War on the 150th anniversary of its start.

Some call it the War of the Northern Aggression, a battle that pitted patriots defending states’ rights against a tyrannical federal government. Others blame economics — regional tensions between the industrialized North and the rural South.

But at the Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives in downtown Nashville, what the Baptists of that era thought becomes clear.

The cause was slavery. They never even mentioned anything else.

Today, as Tennessee observes the war’s sesquicentennial, Southern Baptist historians hope to remind their fellow Baptists about why the war started and its long-term consequences on their Nashville-based denomination.

Only 3,236 of the 40,648-plus Southern Baptist congregations are predominantly African-American, although the number is growing — there were only 1,907 just over a decade ago. The lingering image of fighting on the wrong side of the Civil War was cited during recent calls to drop the word Southern from the denomination’s name.

Other denominations — such as Methodists, Presbyterians and Episcopalians — split during the war but eventually reunited.

Southern Baptists and other Baptists remain at arm’s length from one another over the conflict: Northerners believed God wanted them to eradicate slavery. Southerners believed God wanted them to own slaves — and that the Yankees had become heretics for trying to free them.

This later point is something that my wife, Traci, writes about in our new book, Onward Southern Soldiers: Religion and the Army of Tennessee in the Civil War. Slavery was the overriding issue that caused the Civil War, and religious institutions in the Confederacy saw slavery as Biblically-ordained, using scripture to justify its practice. The religious hierarchy fiercely debated different interpretations of the scriptures where it concerns slavery, both before, and during the war.

The Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives provided Traci and I with a wealth of archival research material in support of Onward Southern Soldiers, and has done an outstanding job of preserving the historical record of the Southern Baptist denomination, telling the story of how slavery divided a faith and our nation.

Click here to read more from The Tennessean story.

RELATED LINKS:

Baptists and the Civil War: An exhibit review - The Posterity Project
Onward Southern Soldiers: Religion and the Army of Tennessee in the Civil War

"Grandpa's Road" lecture at Nashville Metro Archives...

2011-12-02T08:00:00.000-06:00

My friend, Ken Fieth, at the Nashville Metro Archives is hosting another great "First Tuesday" lecture on Tuesday, December 6th, from 2:30-3:30. The Guest speaker, Terry L. Coats, will be discussing his book, “Last Stop on Grandpa’s Road, Railroads in Tennessee,” revealing the history and architecture of depots and stations along the Nashville Chattanooga & St. Louis Railroad. This hardbound, 324-page book contains more nearly 600 photos and illustrations, and will be available for purchase at the event.

The Archives is located at 3801 Green Hills Village Drive, Nashville, TN 37215. Phone 615-862-5880. The lecture will be held in the Archives' Conference Room.

If you're in the area, I encourage you to make plans to attend.

RELATED LINKS:

Next Stop On Grandpa's Road, new book by Terry L Coats - Nashville Past and Present
NC&St.L Depots: History & Architecture of NC&St.L Depots & Terminals