Historical Reminiscents
88 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 2 years ago - ★★ - 1 ratingHistorical Reminiscents is dedicated to discussing public history and archival practice. Created and produced by Krista McCracken this weekly podcast discusses archival impulses, shares insight into the world of public historians, and tackles historical interpretations in Canada.
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Episodes
EP 38: Gender, Language, and Professional Life
September 18, 2018 22:54 - 11 minutes - 15.7 MBWith the start of the new school year I've been thinking a lot about the intersection of language, gender, and creating braver education spaces. How post-secondary educators and public history facilitators work to be more inclusive in their language, programming, and practices. In this episode I talk about the #nbdcampaign, pronouns, and small ways you can be more welcoming to folks of all gender identities in your work. I would love to hear about the ways you work to make your spaces mo...
EP 37: Practicing Open Access
September 06, 2018 00:00 - 11 minutes - 15.3 MBI've been thinking a lot about the implications of where I publish my work, the accessibility of my work to community members, and open access. In today's episode I talk about peer reviewed journals, popular publishing, and finding open access outlets. I would love to hear your thoughts on the intersection of history, publishing, and open access initiatives. Leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter. Mentioned in this episode: -"Doing the working: Editing Wikipedia as act of recon...
EP 36: Embroidery, History, and Resistance
August 30, 2018 13:11 - 9 minutes - 13.6 MBI recently started learning to embroider. My main reason for taking up embroidering was wanting to be stitch swear words radical sayings using a traditional feminine craft. I loved the idea of juxtaposing feminist praxis with a domestic art. In today's episode I talk about the history of embroidery and textile arts as a form of protest and activism. I would love to hear your thoughts on the intersection of history, fiber arts, and activism. Leave a comment or send me a message on Twitte...
EP 35: Approaching Collaboration
August 14, 2018 23:40 - 10 minutes - 14.8 MBCollaboration is becoming more and more common in the workplace and in academia. However, collaborative work practices aren't something that are typically emphasized in humanities graduate programming. In today's episode I talk about the impact of collaboration on scholarship and how to reach out to potential collaborators. I would love to hear other perspectives on the value of collaboration within academia and public history, leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter. Mentioned ...
EP 34: Pay People For Their Work
August 02, 2018 00:00 - 9 minutes - 12.7 MBTalking about money is hard but is an important part of maintaining a professional community. In today's episode I talk about fair pay, salary transparency, the underpayment of heritage professionals, and precarious labour. I would love to hear about other perspectives on the value of labour within the heritage field, leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter. Mentioned in this episode: -Stacie Williams, "Implications of Archival Labour" -Ashley Stevens, "Lessons Learned: This W...
EP 33: Practicing Kindness and Gratitude
July 12, 2018 00:00 - 10 minutes - 14.3 MBIf you've listened to me speak about emerging professionals and mentoring you probably know I have strong feels about creating space and how we as a profession should welcome new folks. Academic and heritage spaces can be intimidating for new professionals, first generation folks, and marginalized people. This episode tackles how we can take a more active approach to kindness and gratitude in our work. How can academic spaces be spaces of radical kindness? How can we do a better job of re...
EP 32: Confidence and Job Applications
June 27, 2018 22:14 - 8 minutes - 11.7 MBJob applications can be full of emotional labour, self-doubt, and stress. How do you know if you are qualified for a job? Should you take the time to apply? In this episode I talk about cover letters, equivalent experience, and putting yourself out there. I also discuss the intersection of gender, job applications, and impostor syndrome. I would love to hear job seeking advice from other folks, leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter. Mentioned in this episode: -Katty Kay and C...
EP 31: Spaces for Slow Scholarship
June 20, 2018 12:02 - 8 minutes - 11.5 MBLast week I participated in the Manitoulin Island Summer Historical Institute (MISHI), a week grounded in cultural and land based learning practice. Throughout the week I was struck by how the practice of slow scholarship and taking time to deeply engage with reflection can be used within historical thinking. In this episode I talk about how slow scholarship can exist in historical work and the value of fostering space for intellectual growth. I would love to hear how other folks practi...
EP 30: Podcasting As Scholarship
June 07, 2018 00:00 - 8 minutes - 11.9 MBWhile attending the Canadian Historical Association annual meeting in Regina I attended a meetup for the Secret Feminist Agenda podcast. Part of this meetup included a launch of the open peer review of the podcast. This experience got me thinking about the scholarship behind podcasting. Can podcasts count as academic work? Do they need to be peer reviewed? What are the logistics behind podcasts being accepted as work as part of tenure or promotion? I would love to hear how other peoples...
EP 29: Representation and Making Space in Public History
May 23, 2018 22:32 - 6 minutes - 8.88 MBRepresentation matters. Seeing people like yourself within your profession, in leadership roles, and succeeding in their work can make a huge impact on the careers of new and emerging professionals. In today's episode I talk about the lack of diversity within public history, archives, and the heritage field more broadly. I also provide examples of ways to make space for marginalized folks in your work. I would love to hear how other people challenge the status quo within their field or w...
EP 28: Spring Cleaning Your Work Life
May 10, 2018 12:06 - 6 minutes - 9.57 MBIt is finally warm here! And flowers are starting to grow! As Spring rolls around I've been getting the urge to start Spring cleaning. What does Spring cleaning mean for folks working in academia and public history? How do you set yourself for success in the coming season? In this episode I chat about shaking up schedules, planning for the Summer, and getting the most out of Spring. I would love to hear about how your writing or professional routines change with the seasons, leave a comm...
EP 27: Diving Into Twitter for Canadian History
May 03, 2018 00:00 - 8 minutes - 11.1 MBI use Twitter a lot and believe it can be a fantastic resource of Canadian historians and public history practitioners. In this episode I discuss how to get the most of Twitter, the potential of Twitter for community building, and the conference applications of twitter. I would love to hear about your experience using Twitter as an academic or public historian, leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter. Mentioned in this episode: -Andrea Eidinger's, "The Canadian Historian's Guid...
EP 26: The Grant Writing Learning Curve
April 26, 2018 00:00 - 8 minutes - 12.1 MBIf you work in the heritage field or for a non-profit there is a good chance you've been involved in grants in some way shape or form. Despite the prevalence of grant writing in public history not all public history students are trained in how to apply for grants. In this episode I discuss what you need to know about grant guidelines, writing style, and crafting a grant application for the first time. I would love to hear about your experience writing grants, leave a comment or send me a m...
EP 25: Conference Season - Networking As An Introvert
April 17, 2018 14:00 - 7 minutes - 10.6 MBI'm currently at the National Council on Public History annual meeting (yay!) and with conference season ramping up I've been thinking a lot about networking. In this episode I discuss networking as an introvert, conference survival tips, and small steps to building a strong network. I also chat about asking for help and reaching out to people you don't know. I would love to hear about what other networking strategies folks rely on, leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter. Ment...
EP 24: Too Many Projects - Thanks, But No
April 12, 2018 00:00 - 8 minutes - 11.3 MBThis past month has been a bit of a whirlwind. Given the quick pace of things, I've been thinking about strategies for juggling multiple projects and handling moving deadlines. In this episode I discuss tips and tricks for managing workloads, staying on task, and doing all the things. I talk about saying no and how to decide what projects to prioritize. I would love to hear about what other strategies folks use when , leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter. Mentioned in this ep...
EP 23: Pretty Images With No Strings Attached
April 05, 2018 00:00 - 11 minutes - 15.9 MBImages have the power to act as click-bait - photographs can illustrate blog posts, make your professional website more attractive, and help illuminate a historical topic. In this episode I discuss using creative commons and public domain images as part of your online presence. I breakdown the types of image licenses and mention some of my favourite places for finding photographs. I would love to hear about where folks find public domain and creative commons images, leave a comment or se...
EP 22: Tools For Organizing Archival Research
March 29, 2018 00:00 - 11 minutes - 16.1 MBThinking about slogging through hundreds of archival research photographs? Dreading organizing all of your sources? In this episode I discuss digital tools for organizing archival research. I talk about ways to manage citations, archival images, transcription, and metadata. I would love to hear about what other strategies folks use to manage their archival research, leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter. Mentioned in this episode: -Tropy -Zotero -Evernote and OCR
EP 21: Building Collaborative Practices
March 21, 2018 22:39 - 10 minutes - 13.7 MBHow do you coordinate the work of a dozen people who live in geographically different spaces, across multiple time zones? In this week's podcast episode I discuss strategies for working on collaborative projects virtually. I draw on my experience participating in projects which include participation from individuals across Canada and abroad. I also share some of my favourite project management and team software. I would love to hear about what other strategies folks use when working colla...
EP 20: Open Source Public History
March 15, 2018 00:00 - 12 minutes - 16.6 MBThis week's podcast episode is all about the intersection of open source digital tools and public history. I talk about ways that digital history and open source communities can enhance public history practice. I also discuss my favorite open source public history tools. What open source tools or platforms do you use as part of your public history practice? I would love to hear about your success or challenges using open source software in the public history field, leave a comment or sen...
EP 19: Program Evaluation and GLAMs
March 08, 2018 01:00 - 8 minutes - 11.9 MBThis week's podcast episode is focused on program and project evaluation at Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums (GLAM). I discuss the importance of having programming goals, the range of ways success can be measured, and different evaluation types. Do you have experience of evaluating programming at a public history site? I would love to hear about it, leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter. Mentioned in this episode: -Visitor Studies Association -AASLH resource - "Ge...
EP 18: Using Wikipedia As A Teaching Tool
February 22, 2018 01:00 - 8 minutes - 11.7 MBNew podcast episode! In this week's episode the potential ways Wikipedia can be used in the classroom and other educational settings. I discuss what skills can be learned from editing Wikipedia and I dive into what support is available to instructors wishing to create Wikipedia focused assignments. Do you have experience using Wikipedia in a public history, GLAM, or classroom setting? I would love to hear about it, leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter. Mentioned in this episo...
EP 17: Leadership, Admin, And The Things They Didn't Teach You in Grad School
February 22, 2018 01:00 - 9 minutes - 13.2 MBIn this week's episode I discuss building admin and leadership skills within public history. I talk about education gaps, how to gain hands on experience, and the importance of mentorship. How have you worked to build admin or management skills within public history? Leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter. Mentioned in this episode: -Developing History Leaders -Archives Leadership Institute
EP 16: Building Moderation Skills
February 15, 2018 01:00 - 9 minutes - 13.4 MBIn this week's episode I discuss effective moderation techniques and the role of a good moderator. I try to answer the questions: How do you become a moderator? What does a moderator actually do? What skills do you need to bring to the table as a moderator? Do you have good or horrible moderation experiences to share? Leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter. Mentioned in this episode: -Moderating a conference session YouTube video -Linda K. Kerber, "Everything You Need to Know...
EP 15: Ableism and Accessibility in Public History
February 07, 2018 23:33 - 8 minutes - 11.8 MBNew podcast episode! Some of the core facets behind public history practice are accessibility and community access. And preserved heritage should be accessible to all. In this week's episode I talk about ableism in public history and heritage sites. I discuss job descriptions that include lifting requirements, inaccessible heritage sites, and digital accessibility. As a note, I do realize the irony of talking about accessibility on a podcast for which transcripts are not available. I'm cu...
EP 14: All The Memes
February 01, 2018 01:00 - 12 minutes - 17 MBAnd now for something completely different...in this episode and talk about some of my favourite public history and archives focused web comics and memes. I discuss using memes in the classroom and as educational tools. I also tackle the question of meme preservation and copyright. Mentioned in this episode: -Remember | Resist | Redraw: A Radical History Project -Public History Ryan Gosling -Derangement and Description -Beyond the Elevator
EP 13: Fostering Meaningful Student Work Experiences
January 25, 2018 01:00 - 9 minutes - 12.8 MBSince starting at the Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre in 2010 I have worked with a lot of students and new professionals. Over time I've developed really strong feels about the important of building meaningful placement, co-op, and work experiences for students. This episode dives into student mentorship and the importance of creating skill building opportunities within the archival and public history profession.
EP 12: The Myth of Neutrality in Description
January 17, 2018 14:25 - 9 minutes - 13.4 MBThis episode was inspired by Colleen Burgess' and Thomas Peace's recent Active History post "19th Century Legacies in 21st Century Historical Research Practice." Using their work as a jumping off point I talk about descriptive practices within in archives and museums and discuss standard vocabularies, hegemony, and the challenges of organizational schemes. Mentioned in this episode: 19th Century Legacies in 21st Century Historical Research Practice by Colleen Burgess and Thomas Peace. ...
EP 11: Healthy Writing Practices
January 12, 2018 00:16 - 10 minutes - 14 MBI write a lot. My writing comes in numerous shapes: work related, academic publishing, and personal or reflective writing. In this episode I talk about building a healthy writing practice and some of my favourite tips for developing a writing routine. I discuss the idea of moving beyond word counts and looking at writing in a holistic way. Mentioned in this episode: A Meeting With Your Writing
EP 10: Goal Setting and Building Communities of Care
January 04, 2018 01:00 - 9 minutes - 12.5 MBNew year! New podcast episode! In this episode I talk about establishing goals, setting yourself up for success and some of the problems with recent self-care rhetoric. I also discuss communities of care and creating supportive spaces within the profession where we can lift each other up. Mentioned in this episode: Things you should know about intersectionality and self-care Beyond Self-Care Bubble Baths: A Vision for Community Care by Abeni Jones Academic Sharing Circle started by J...
EP 09: Demystifying Archival Labour – Access
December 20, 2017 18:39 - 10 minutes - 14.3 MBIn the final episode of my mini-series on “Demystifying Archival Labour” I talk about all the access and archival labour feels. I reflect on why access is at the core of what archivists do, why we don't 'just digitize everything', and the challenges of managing researcher expectations. Missed part one of this series? Listen to it here. Mentioned in this episode: Samantha Thompson, Peel Archives, "Why don't archivists just digitize everything?" Stacie Williams, "Implications of Archival ...
EP 08: Demystifying Archival Labour – Preservation
December 14, 2017 01:00 - 12 minutes - 16.6 MBIn part four of the mini-series on “Demystifying Archival Labour” I discuss preservation best practices and why preservation is a fundamental part of making archival records accessible. I chat about my favourite resources and tools for teaching about preservation. Missed part one of this series? Listen to it here. Mentioned in this episode: Jessica Dunkin, "The Home Archivist - Dust, Mold, and Adhesives Part I" and Part II The AABC Archivist's Toolkit: Preservation and Emergency Planni...
EP 07: Demystifying Archival Labour - Description
December 07, 2017 01:00 - 11 minutes - 15.7 MBIn part three of the mini-series on “Demystifying Archival Labour” I tackle the work of archival description and talk about the intellectual work goes into descriptive practices. I also discuss my favourite strategies for teaching about description and the inherent challenges of describing records using RAD. Missed part one of this series? Listen to it here. Mentioned in this episode: Archives@Pama, "How Do Archivists Describe Collections (Or, How To Read A Finding Aid)" Danielle Robic...
EP 06: Demystifying Archival Labour - Arrangement
November 30, 2017 01:00 - 11 minutes - 15.2 MBIn part two of the mini-series on "Demystifying Archival Labour" Krista McCracken tackles the work of archival arrangement. She talks about how archives are organized, archival arrangement principles and how to teach about arrangement in the classroom. Krista also discusses the idea of alternative arrangements as a means of shifting away from colonial perspectives. Mentioned in this episode: -How Do Archivists Organize Collections? -Dalhousie LibGuide: Differences Between Archives and Li...
EP 05: Demystifying Archival Labour - Acquisitions and Appraisal
November 24, 2017 01:01 - 10 minutes - 14.8 MBIn this episode Krista McCracken introduces a mini-series of podcast episodes on "Demystifying Archival Labour." This mini-series will talk openly and frankly about the work that takes place in archives and provide resources for teaching about archival practice. This first mini-series episode dives into acquisitions and appraisals. Mentioned in this episode: -Archives Theme Week on Active History -Sara Janes, "Archives Constructed and Incomplete" -Roger Gillis, What makes for an archiv...
EP 04: The Intersecting Worlds of Public History and Archives
November 16, 2017 01:57 - 11 minutes - 15.2 MBPublic History and archives, oh my! In this episode of Historical Reminiscents Krista McCracken discusses the intersection of public history and archives. She talks about common goals between the two fields and highlights the overlapping skill sets of the professions. Mentioned in this episode: -Tweet by Myron Groover that partially inspired this topic.
EP 03: Snow, Heritage Sites and Walking Tours
November 16, 2017 01:50 - 8 minutes - 12.3 MBWinter is coming...or depending on where you live it is already here in full force. In this episode of Historical Reminiscents Krista McCracken talks through some of the challenges of doing outdoor historical interpretation in the winter. Bring on the snow, alternative tour strategies, and multi-media approaches.
EP 02: Being an Active History Editor
November 13, 2017 01:41 - 9 minutes - 13.6 MBIn this episode of Historical Reminiscents Krista McCracken talks about her role as one of the members of the Activehistory.ca editorial collective. She discusses how the site's editorial collective works, how folks end up writing for the site, and what type of work an editor actually does. Mentioned in this episode: - Active History Website - About Active History page with details about the editors.
EP 01: Digitization, Decolonization and Archival Access
November 09, 2017 14:15 - 7 minutes - 5.55 MBIn this episode of Historical Reminiscents Krista McCracken talks about why digitization is not always the answer when thinking about decolonizing archives. Mentioned: - "Learning to Listen: Archival Sound Records and Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property" by Allison Mills