Publications & Resources

The Public Historian The Public Historian Cover
Published for the National Council on Public History at the University of California, Santa Barbara, TPH is the voice of the public history profession. The Public Historian provides the results of research and case studies, and addresses the broad substantive and theoretical issues in the field.

Public History News
Public History News is the quarterly newsletter for members of the NCPH. It offers updates on NCPH activities, news on developments in the field, and timely information on upcoming conferences, fellowships, meetings, and position vacancies. (A complete set of all the back issues is online.)

Critical reviews of history exhibit practice in an age of ubiquitous display.

This guide is a free, international resource for prospective students, public history faculty, and anyone interested in the shape of public history education today. It offers basic information, in a standardized format, about the growing number of public history programs for graduate and undergraduate students. It is meant to be a starting point for comparing programs.

Other NCPH Publications and Reports

Careers for Students of History is a must read for any student interested in working as a historian. Sponsored by the American Historical Association and NCPH and authored by faculty and students in the Public History Program at the University of South Carolina, the 2002 edition discusses numerous career possibilities. It includes interviews with prominent historians, ranging from those in academic and publishing areas, to public and consulting.

Best Practices
The NCPH Curriculum and Training Committee is developing
“best practices” documents for several key aspects of public history curriculum and program development. Recognizing that each graduate or undergraduate program has its own goals, resources, and needs, we hope these documents will highlight some of the core elements to which every program should aspire. Three best practices documents are finished and have been officially adopted by the NCPH, a fourth is nearly finished:

Graduate Programs
Undergraduate Programs
Public History Internships
Graduate Certificates related to Public History – Coming Soon!

Bylaws and Ethics

The NCPH Code of Bylaws are the rules governing our membership organization and for the regulation of its affairs.

The The NCPH Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct was adopted in 2007 to replace a version from 1986, this code sets forth guidelines of professional conduct expected of all members of the NCPH.

Ethics and Public History: An Anthology is a collection of essays addressing ethical issues in the practice of history.

Tenure, Promotion, and the Publicly Engaged Academic Historian (Report)
Tenure, Promotion, and the Publicly Engaged Academic Historian (White Paper)

More Resources
The NCPH list of Consultants, documents for public history educators, and other NCPH resources for the study and practice of public history are available at the Resources page.

Jobs – NCPH regularly updates a list of open positions in the field of public history.

H-Public – An electronic mailing list of international scope to which subscribers and a list editor can post announcements or pose questions and offer comments for discussion. H-Public is a good way to stay current with happenings in public history. It also is a convenient way to draw on the experience and wisdom of others interested in the field.

News Archives (from the homepage)

2012 Election Closes 1/15
See candidate bios here.

Advocating for Open Records
NCPH has joined the National Coalition for History, OpenTheGovernment.org, and 30 other organizations in support of H.R. 3071, which would establish procedures for the consideration of claims of constitutionally based privilege against disclosure of Presidential records. The aim is to prevent each new president resetting the rules every time the White House changes hands. More

Call for 2012 Awards
NCPH invites nominations this fall for next spring’s awards program. (Books due Nov. 1; other awards due Dec. 1)

September Newsletter
See the current issue of Public History News.

Watch Tony Horwitz’s Plenary Address from Pensacola
It’s posted in two parts, so be sure to watch both.

What’s Worth Another Look?
It’s a snapshot of noteworthy public history news that swirled through blogs and listservs recently. It’s also a new feature of NCPH’s newsletter.

International Federation for Public History is Born
Organizing meeting was held in Pensacola on April 8.

Pensacola — What a Conference!
Check out coverage of the 2011 annual meeting in Pensacola on the NCPH blog.

More pictures and comments are at NCPH’s Facebook page.

History Channel logo Thank you, History Channel, for sponsoring the Opening Reception!

The Entrepreneurial Historian
What’s the buzz about the new NCPH workshop on Entrepreneurship and the Practice of History?

Careers in Administration, Management, and Public Service
A new ACLS Public Fellows program will place eight recent PhDs in staff positions at partnering agencies in government and the nonprofit sector for two years. Apply by May 16.

2011 Election has Begun
If you are a member and have not received an email with voting instructions, contact the NCPH office. Election ends on Feb. 15.

Journal Migrates to New Platform
Members will need to create a new online account in January to access The Public Historian. more>

Is Your School Represented?
The Guide to Public History Programs has completed entries for about 60 colleges & universities. Find out if yours is here.

December’s Public History News
The latest issue of the newsletter is now available.

The 2010 Book Award winner is Ronald Rudin’s Remembering and Forgetting in Acadie: A Historian’s Journey through Public Memory. Visit the companion website.

Careers in History Symposium
With our partners at IUPUI, we’ve set aside a day (Nov 12) for students to talk about jobs. Space is available. You may register onsite.

British Issue of the Journal
The August special issue of The Public Historian examines public history in Britain.

Promotion & Tenure Guidelines
NCPH, AHA, and OAH issued the report, “Tenure, Promotion, and the Publicly Engaged Academic Historian.” See coverage and comments at Inside Higher Ed.

Best Practices in Teaching Public History
Pointers for faculty appear here.

NCPH Joins Effort to Preserve K-12 History Ed Funding
On July 29, NCPH and 20 history and education organizations endorsed recommendations for how the federal government can better support core subjects beyond reading and math.

The Guide to Public History Programs is now online.

History “Off the Wall”
Check out NCPH’s new exhibit review blog. Catch up with the expanding universe of history-related display.

June issue of Public History News

New Head of NPS Cultural Resources
Stephanie Toothman has been named a new Associate Director at the National Park Service.

History for Dollars — Uncloistered
New York Times columnist David Brooks defends history and the humanities.

NCPH Keynoter on C-SPAN
Adam Hochschild’s Public Plenary address aired on C-SPAN and streams online here.

Washington Post article quotes The Public Historian

Be part of the Conversation
on H-Public and Facebook, and join the NCPH group on LinkedIn.

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