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An American Association for State and Local History Guide to Making Public History
Gain insight into history organizations of all shapes and sizes in this book, which addresses the opportunities and challenges of public historians’ work through the prism of the past, present, and future of our communities and institutions, as well as the public history field itself. Featuring essays from some of the leading thinkers in the profession, this book not only looks at major themes as they relate to historians’ work but also inspires creativity in how they approach their work in an institutional and personal sense.
The themes themselves are important, but even more important are the articles (presented here as chapters) that amplify the overarching themes. Chapters discuss in-depth and through real-world examples, the work of history organizations. They specifically focus on the challenges and opportunities that are important to any nonprofit (or small business)—entrepreneurship, change, transformation, possibility/opportunity, partnerships—but also those unique to history organizations, leverage the asset of history explore place, commemorate the past (and therefore better understand the present), demonstrate how it is people who make history, and discern how to use the past to chart the future.
Together, An American Association for State and Local History Guide to Making Public History provides a roadmap of the national discussions the field of history museums and organizations is having regarding its present and the future.
The themes themselves are important, but even more important are the articles (presented here as chapters) that amplify the overarching themes. Chapters discuss in-depth and through real-world examples, the work of history organizations. They specifically focus on the challenges and opportunities that are important to any nonprofit (or small business)—entrepreneurship, change, transformation, possibility/opportunity, partnerships—but also those unique to history organizations, leverage the asset of history explore place, commemorate the past (and therefore better understand the present), demonstrate how it is people who make history, and discern how to use the past to chart the future.
Together, An American Association for State and Local History Guide to Making Public History provides a roadmap of the national discussions the field of history museums and organizations is having regarding its present and the future.
- GenresMuseums
260 pages, Paperback
Published October 27, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 5, 2018
Bob Beatty’s AASLH Guide to Making Public History is a wide-ranging book, bringing together essays by important thinkers from between 2008-2017 on topics such as entrepreneurship, change management, relevance, partnerships, etc. Key themes in the book include financial and institutional stability, change and transformation, collections, diversity and inclusion, and the relevance of the history field as a whole. Each essay is introduced by Bob, who adds invaluable context and additional sources.
The book is a guide and includes checklists, inspirational quotes, and the occasional framework. It also links to work from other beyond the field, quoting Senge, Kotter, Weil, Drucker, and others and applying their thinking to history organizations. It thereby lives up to one of the contributor’s messages: “Go outside the field for relevant research and theory.” (Candace Tangorra Matelic)
More than a guide, however, it is a book about making (and managing) public history. The book presents public history as distinct from other types of history, in the sense that public historians always engage in collaborative work with community members and other stakeholders. Public history is inclusive in the sense that everyone contributes to history in one way or another. This point is brought home by a beautiful warming up exercise introduced by Dina A. Bailey, which asks participants in a project to reflect upon and share an example of how they are an important part of history.
The ‘public’ part of public history does not come easily. Barbara Franco and Laura B. Roberts echo the sentiment of many of the book’s contributors: “As a field, we continue to struggle to understand exactly what is relevant to our constituents and our communities.”
Although we rely on the past for context, our understanding of the past appears to be limited and often dwindling. Especially in times of social change, this may be an issue. (The essays cover the period between the great financial crisis of the late-00s and the inauguration of Donald Trump.) David A. Janssen adds that “A clear, reasoned understanding of historical context would seem most important as a stabilizing element during anxious debates about the future.”
This future and the uncertainties of recent years are central to each chapter. Both the field of public history and society at large are changing, and the book looks for the challenges and opportunities this brings.
Janssen continues: “As a nation, we too are constantly evolving, embracing new opportunities, and reacting to forces beyond our control. Understanding these contemporary challenges and facing an unpredictable future require periodically rethinking our direction. In doing so, we rely on the past for context. The role of a public historian is especially critical during times of transition.”
Kent Whitworth and Scott Alvey contend that “We have an opportunity to transform the profession if, collectively, we examine the impact that we could and should have on society. How we react or don’t react to this opportunity will in large part determine our relevance.”
Although each chapter approaches public history from another angle, many authors share the same sentiment. Max A. van Balgoony even states that “When history organizations are unable or unwilling to make a difference in their communities, there are too many of them.” To him, “Practising history isn’t just collecting objects, verifying facts, and presenting anecdotes about the past. It’s an investigation to answer a question-an “inquiry” that cracks open the etymological nut at the source of the word “history.”
One does not expect a guidebook to be quite this explicit in the vision it prescribes. Unless, of course, the need for change is paramount.
The time for polite discussions about minutiae is over, according to Kent Whitworth and Scott Alvey. “Rather than spend our days debating issues such as why STEM gets all of the public’s attention and how to get people through our doors-saying the same things over and over again, just louder-we should instead be examining what we can do differently and more creatively in order to help address the needs of our audiences.”
Fortunately, the book is full of promising case studies of public history organizations that have tried to become relevant and sustainable again:
# The transformation of The Strong from a presentation of historical collections to a locally relevant museum dedicated to play, which substantially increased its attendance and impact. (“They transformed because IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.,” says Candace Tangorra Matelic)
# The Billings Farm & Museum, which has managed to balance the function of a fully operational farm and a heritage site, becoming the gateway to Vermont’s rural heritage while selling artisan cheese. (And challenging the dominant frame that all entrepreneurs look like the people on the cover of Inc. Magazine.)
# The Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts (MAC) that decided to purchase a franchise for a local tourist trolley as an opportunity to generate revenue but also to create a museum without walls, turning the entire city into a potential place to present history.
# Montpelier, where different historical sites have worked on creating a unified public program that creates value for all and where activities are complementing each other rather than competing.
Some chapters transcend the level of a guidebook and give directions on another level, most notably Edward T. Linenthal’s reflections on commemoration and David A. Janssen’s story about the rebirth of Detroit.
What these chapters and many of the case studies share is their belief in history and ‘history thinking’ as a tool for civic engagement, for the empowerment of communities, and as an alternative to existing modes of living together in a society in transition.
As Max A. van Balgoony implies, history organizations can play an influential role in the quest for these new ways of living together, especially when they adopt an aspirational vision for improving society.
The image of the sector Bob’s book paints is one of a sector that feels a strong need to play an important, relevant role in society, and one that feels empowered and enabled to do so. This confidence is rooted in research and best practice.
For me, this is the great strength of the book. It covers a formative period for many history (and other cultural heritage) organizations and by looking at many case studies at the same time, manages to give a convincing roadmap of possible futures for all of us.
(A version of this review appeared on my blog The Museum of the Future: http://themuseumofthefuture.com/2018/...)
The book is a guide and includes checklists, inspirational quotes, and the occasional framework. It also links to work from other beyond the field, quoting Senge, Kotter, Weil, Drucker, and others and applying their thinking to history organizations. It thereby lives up to one of the contributor’s messages: “Go outside the field for relevant research and theory.” (Candace Tangorra Matelic)
More than a guide, however, it is a book about making (and managing) public history. The book presents public history as distinct from other types of history, in the sense that public historians always engage in collaborative work with community members and other stakeholders. Public history is inclusive in the sense that everyone contributes to history in one way or another. This point is brought home by a beautiful warming up exercise introduced by Dina A. Bailey, which asks participants in a project to reflect upon and share an example of how they are an important part of history.
The ‘public’ part of public history does not come easily. Barbara Franco and Laura B. Roberts echo the sentiment of many of the book’s contributors: “As a field, we continue to struggle to understand exactly what is relevant to our constituents and our communities.”
Although we rely on the past for context, our understanding of the past appears to be limited and often dwindling. Especially in times of social change, this may be an issue. (The essays cover the period between the great financial crisis of the late-00s and the inauguration of Donald Trump.) David A. Janssen adds that “A clear, reasoned understanding of historical context would seem most important as a stabilizing element during anxious debates about the future.”
This future and the uncertainties of recent years are central to each chapter. Both the field of public history and society at large are changing, and the book looks for the challenges and opportunities this brings.
Janssen continues: “As a nation, we too are constantly evolving, embracing new opportunities, and reacting to forces beyond our control. Understanding these contemporary challenges and facing an unpredictable future require periodically rethinking our direction. In doing so, we rely on the past for context. The role of a public historian is especially critical during times of transition.”
Kent Whitworth and Scott Alvey contend that “We have an opportunity to transform the profession if, collectively, we examine the impact that we could and should have on society. How we react or don’t react to this opportunity will in large part determine our relevance.”
Although each chapter approaches public history from another angle, many authors share the same sentiment. Max A. van Balgoony even states that “When history organizations are unable or unwilling to make a difference in their communities, there are too many of them.” To him, “Practising history isn’t just collecting objects, verifying facts, and presenting anecdotes about the past. It’s an investigation to answer a question-an “inquiry” that cracks open the etymological nut at the source of the word “history.”
One does not expect a guidebook to be quite this explicit in the vision it prescribes. Unless, of course, the need for change is paramount.
The time for polite discussions about minutiae is over, according to Kent Whitworth and Scott Alvey. “Rather than spend our days debating issues such as why STEM gets all of the public’s attention and how to get people through our doors-saying the same things over and over again, just louder-we should instead be examining what we can do differently and more creatively in order to help address the needs of our audiences.”
Fortunately, the book is full of promising case studies of public history organizations that have tried to become relevant and sustainable again:
# The transformation of The Strong from a presentation of historical collections to a locally relevant museum dedicated to play, which substantially increased its attendance and impact. (“They transformed because IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.,” says Candace Tangorra Matelic)
# The Billings Farm & Museum, which has managed to balance the function of a fully operational farm and a heritage site, becoming the gateway to Vermont’s rural heritage while selling artisan cheese. (And challenging the dominant frame that all entrepreneurs look like the people on the cover of Inc. Magazine.)
# The Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts (MAC) that decided to purchase a franchise for a local tourist trolley as an opportunity to generate revenue but also to create a museum without walls, turning the entire city into a potential place to present history.
# Montpelier, where different historical sites have worked on creating a unified public program that creates value for all and where activities are complementing each other rather than competing.
Some chapters transcend the level of a guidebook and give directions on another level, most notably Edward T. Linenthal’s reflections on commemoration and David A. Janssen’s story about the rebirth of Detroit.
What these chapters and many of the case studies share is their belief in history and ‘history thinking’ as a tool for civic engagement, for the empowerment of communities, and as an alternative to existing modes of living together in a society in transition.
As Max A. van Balgoony implies, history organizations can play an influential role in the quest for these new ways of living together, especially when they adopt an aspirational vision for improving society.
The image of the sector Bob’s book paints is one of a sector that feels a strong need to play an important, relevant role in society, and one that feels empowered and enabled to do so. This confidence is rooted in research and best practice.
For me, this is the great strength of the book. It covers a formative period for many history (and other cultural heritage) organizations and by looking at many case studies at the same time, manages to give a convincing roadmap of possible futures for all of us.
(A version of this review appeared on my blog The Museum of the Future: http://themuseumofthefuture.com/2018/...)
May 9, 2018
It's like a greatest hits compilation for all of my favorite AASLH friends. Anthologies can be challenging, but Bob wove them together well. Lots of food for thought, and definitely something I think I'll be sharing with staff as we go through some deep thinking about our own organization.
Confession: Know Bob and quite a few of the authors well. It's always a little weird to review books of people you've had few beverages with.
Confession: Know Bob and quite a few of the authors well. It's always a little weird to review books of people you've had few beverages with.
August 4, 2019
The chapters in the book are repetitive, largely anecdotal, and often lack a clear thesis. Most address the museum crisis in the post-2008 economy. Chapter 1 on new approaches to management and Chapter 6 on entrepreneurial possibilities for museum directors are worthwhile. Recommend for those directing or managing museums.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews