NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE (Vol. 12, #2; 13 JANUARY 2006) by Bruce Craig
2. FUNDING NEWS -- SOME GOOD, SOME BAD
3. AHA MEETS IN PHILADELPHIA
4. NATIONAL HISTORICAL PUBLICATIONS AND RECORDS COMMISSION SWITCHES
TO GRANTS.GOV
5. NEH TEACHER WORKSHOPS ANNOUNCED
6. BITS AND BYTES: National History Day Theme Set
7. ARTICLES OF INTEREST: "Libraries as Places to Linger and Mingle"
(Christian Science Monitor)
1. HUMANITIES ADVOCACY DAY PLANS ANNOUNCED Once again it is time for historians and archivists to make plans to advocate support for various history and humanities programs. Humanities Advocacy Day is an annual event organized by the National Humanities Alliance (NHA), a coalition of ninety non-profit organizations dedicated to the advancement of the humanities. The Advocacy Day event is sponsored by over thirty organizations (the National Coalition for History among them) that provides history and humanities grassroots advocates the opportunity to inform members of Congress about issues of concern to them and encourage federal support for research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities.
In previous years, participants have helped to secure significant increases in funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and, most recently, the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). In addition to advocating for enhanced NEH funding, participants will focus on the funding needs of the National Archives and the NHPRC, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Digital Opportunity Investment Trust, and the Department of Education's "Teaching American History" grants program. During this year's Hill visits (as was the case last year as well) participants will also be encouraging members of Congress to join the new House Humanities and Senate Cultural Caucuses which in time are expected to become especially important forums for humanities advocacy.
With rumored news that the president's FY 2007 spending blueprint is, in the words of Treasury Secretary John Snow, "a call for sacrifices" (according to informed sources the NHPRC is zeroed out again and there is insufficient funding for the Electronic Records Archive in the president's budget proposal for FY 2007), advocacy efforts by historians and archivists are especially needed this year if we are to sustain and hopefully increase financial support for the NEH, National Archives, NHPRC, and other federal history/archives programs.
Participation in Humanities Advocacy Day requires no prior knowledge or experience in advocacy.
Participants receive advocacy training as well as an in-depth briefing (including background material) on a variety of legislative and policy issues prior to making visits in small groups to members of Congress. Registration is free, and hotel rooms can be reserved at a discounted rate of $169 per night at the City Center Hotel (Dupont Circle/Foggy Bottom). The deadline to reserve a room at the conference rate is 30 January 2006.
Registration is available online at http://www.nhalliance.org/had/. To allow staff to fully coordinate advocacy visits, the deadline to register for Humanities Advocacy Day is 8 February 2006. For more information, please contact Erin Smith at (202) 296-4994 x150 or e-mail to: esmith@nhalliance.org.
2. FUNDING NEWS -- SOME GOOD, SOME BAD
Good news! For some time the National Coalition for History as well as other government openness organizations have been advocating funding for the Public Interest Declassification Board. The board is an advisory group that has the power to officially air concerns over classification and declassification policies and actions of the federal government. Itwas established by law six years ago and was recently reauthorized, but has yet to convene because of lack of funds. We now learn that in the enacted FY 2006 Defense Appropriation Act (H.R. 2863) Congress finally appropriated $1 million for the board. For PIDB membership and related information, see visit the webpage at: http://www.fas.org.
Now for the bad news. Last year the Senate Education and Early Childhood Development Subcommittee held hearings on the "American History Achievement Act" (S.
860) -- legislation that
sought to authorize a $7 million pilot program to require state academic assessment of student achievement in United States history and civics. Funding for the legislation was wrapped into the Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill (P.L.109-149).
We now learn that the expected funding was removed when the House and Senate managers conferenced the bill for what Hill insiders describe as "purely financial reasons." The conference report, however, does include a statement of support for the legislation but it does not earmark funding, thus leaving it to the Department of Education to try to find some discretionary funds to implement the program. Education department insiders report that the department is trying to identify some funding within their limited FY 2006 discretionary budget but with things so tight it is questionable whether funding will be forthcoming.
3. AHA MEETS IN PHILADELPHIA
The 120th Annual meeting of the American Historical Association took place 5-8 January in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In attendance were some 5,600 participants who had the opportunity to attend over 200 official AHA panels and some 110 others sponsored by affiliated history societies. The diverse panels included sessions on ancient, world, comparative, and American history. Over 150 private and non-profit companies, commercial, and university presses exhibited their wares in the exhibit hall. Several exhibitors donated books to the AHA which in turn is donating books to four history departments in New Orleans -- University of New Orleans, Tulane University, Loyola University at New Orleans, and Xavier University of Louisiana.
The highlight of the first day's events was the presentation of the AHA's Theodore Roosevelt- Woodrow Wilson Public Service Award that was presented to Steven Spielberg.
The prize was given to him for his founding of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. The noted director was not present to personally accept the award but on hand was Doug Greenberg of the Shoah Foundation Institute who accepted it on Spielberg's behalf. On the second day a rather large crowd was in attendance for the General Meeting where scholarly awards were handed out and Stanford University's James Sheehan delivered his presidential address, "The Problem of Sovereignty in European History."
On Saturday evening a gala event was held at the National Constitution Center. Conference attendees were provided an opportunity to have an exclusive, private viewing of the center's permanent exhibits about the Constitution and also could view a special exhibition (that runs though 30 April 2006) titled, "Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World." The exhibit features 250 artifacts and manuscript materials and many interactive interpretive devices that can engage both adults and younger attendees. The event was co-sponsored by Oxford University Press, Bedford/St. Martin's, the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, the National History Center and the AHA.
During the annual business meeting two resolutions were passed. The first put the AHA on record as opposing torture. A second motion was also approved, and, like the first, it was subsequently unanimously approved by the AHA Council the next day. The second resolution states the AHA opposes the "Academic Bill of Rights" (ABR), an effort by a faction of conservative activists who have long claimed that universities are dominated by left-wing professors and that all universities should be required to hire conservative scholars in order to achieve a "balance" of perspectives (for the resolution go to here.
Interestingly, the effort to have states adopt the ABR has evoked concern and opposition from conservative Christian colleges as well; they fear that if a state legislature adopts the ABR the colleges would be required to hire so-called left-wing instructors to balance the large number of conservative instructors that are often employed at such institutions.
4. NATIONAL HISTORICAL PUBLICATIONS AND RECORDS COMMISSION SWITCHES TO GRANTS.GOV On 4 January 2006 the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) announced that it has switched its application process to Grants.gov -- the Federal web site designed to accept online grant applications. In the past, the printed guidelines were distributed to potential applicants who then would mail in their completed forms. Now the process can be done completely online through the Grants.gov web site.
Here's how the new process works: All organizations that do business with the Federal government must have a DUNS number. Those unsure whether they have a DUNS number, can go to www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/grants_docs and follow the instructions. Once a DUNS number has been secured, register with Grants.gov by visiting the site at www.grants.gov and filling out a few simple forms. It may be necessary to download the PureEdge Viewer in order to fill out, save, and submit the application forms. Organizations interested in grant opportunities for preserving or publishing historical records can also search the site for current announcements and set up an e-mail notification for future opportunities as they are announced by NHPRC (and other Federal agencies). Once registered and the PureEdge Viewer program has been loaded one can search for grant opportunities for particular projects and grants funding. NHPRC officials suggest that applicants should check to see if their organization meets the specific eligibility requirements for each announcement.
The NHPRC has five new announcements online at Grants.gov: two for State Historical Records Advisory Boards; Publishing Historical Records of the Founding Era; and Electronic Records projects. Full descriptions of these grant opportunities are available on the National Archives web site by visiting www.archives.gov/nhprc/announcement, which also lists two pending announcements for Publishing Historical Records and Archival & Records projects. The latter two categories will be announced before 1 March 2006.
Applicants who cannot access Grants.gov, can download the forms and submit applications via e-mail directly to the NHPRC or by delivering completed printed applications. For additional information, visit the Commission's website at www.archives.gov/nhprc/ .
5. NEH TEACHER WORKSHOPS ANNOUNCED
On 11 January 2006 the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) announced that the 2006 "Landmarks of American History and Culture" teacher workshops will be held this summer at 26 historic and cultural sites across the United States, with 19 for K-12 teachers and seven for community college faculty. NEH established the grant program for "Landmarks of American History and Culture"
as part of the Endowment's "We the People" initiative to encourage and strengthen the teaching, study, and understanding of American history and culture.
These residence-based, week-long workshops will bring up to 1,935 school teachers and 350 community college teachers together with scholars for a week of intensive study on history and literature associated with each historic site.
"Amazing things happen when you bring teachers who love learning to historic places to work with some of the nation's finest scholars," said NEH Chairman Bruce Cole. "History becomes so much more than dates to memorize or pictures on a page; it takes on the sights, sounds, and images of what really happened. The experiences gained at these workshops will affect teachers for a lifetime and their students for years to come."
Teachers from across the U.S. may apply to participate in these academically rigorous workshops; those selected will receive a stipend of $500 each to help defray their transportation, books, and living expenses. The full text of the release, with complete lists of the 2006 Landmarks workshops for K_12 teachers and community college faculty is available online at:
http://www.neh.gov.
6. BITS AND BYTES
Item #1 -- National History Day Theme Set: During the 2006 school year, National History Day invites students to research topics related to the theme "Taking a Stand in History: People, Ideas, Events." The theme makes it possible for the investigation of topics ranging from local to world history, and from ancient times to the recent past; it also presents students with opportunities to explore history and to learn to use a wide range of primary and secondary sources. This year's theme also offers teachers an excellent entry into philosophical discussions about personal action and responsibility. For more information contact NHD at (301) 314-9739, by e-mail at info@nhd.org or vist the webpage at http://www.nhd.org .
7. ARTICLES OF INTEREST
One posting this week: In "Libraries as Places to Linger and Mingle"
(Christian Science Monitor) reporter Alex Wright suggests that the current vision of the digital library rests on a deeply flawed assumption "that the function of libraries is to connect solitary readers with isolated texts." For the thoughtful article, tap into:
http://www.csmonitor.com.