Attending a tour in Ottawa? Tell us what you see.
For the past few years, reviews of the tours and excursions planned by the city hosting the annual NCPH meeting have been published in the November issue of The Public Historian. The purpose of the reviews is to assess these activities from a public historian’s point-of-view – for the strengths of their historical interpretation or innovation, rather than solely for their entertainment value.
We’re launching something new for Ottawa
With this year’s annual meeting we hope to generate more timely coverage, additional insights, and a lively conversation about these activities. Here’s the plan: A handful of (P)reviews (reviews in advance) of Ottawa historic attractions, written by local historians, will be posted prior to the conference here in the Public History Commons. The first one is on the Rideau Street Convent Chapel in the National Gallery of Canada by David Dean of Carleton University – and others will be posted before the conference convenes. These will be followed in a few weeks by post-event reviews.
Starting NOW
We invite you to read these thoughtful, critical reviews prior to the Ottawa meeting and encourage you to post your own thoughts after you have visited these sites on your own or with a tour. Traditional post-event reviews are slated to appear within three weeks of the meeting and we encourage you to read them here (reviews will not be published in the print version of The Public Historian).
As to the lively conversation… that is up to you. Just click “leave a reply” at the end of individual reviews. Tell us what you see!
(For information about how to get a conference city review assignment for The Public Historian contact Jill Dolan, Assistant Reviews Editor).