What do historians do with all of the information they collect when they research?
How do they access their research in a way that allows them to find the information they need to write the books and articles we enjoy reading?
Billy Smith, a Professor of History at Montana State University, joins us as part of our “Doing History: How Historians Work” series to lead us on an exploration of how historians organize and access their research.
About the Series
Doing History episodes will introduce you to historians who will tell you what they know about the past and reveal how they came to their knowledge.
Each episode will air on the last Tuesday of each month in 2016.
This series is part of a partnership between Ben Franklin’s World and the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture.
About the Show
Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.
It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.
Each episode features a conversation with a historian who helps us shed light on important people and events in early American history.
Episode Summary
In this episode, Billy Smith, a Professor of History at Montana State University, leads us on an exploration of how historians organize and access their research.
During our exploration, Billy reveals information about his research into the lives of 70,000 people, who lived in Philadelphia during the late 18th century; How he collected, organized, and accesses his research about those early Philadelphians; And, how historians’ research organizational methods have changed over the last 30 years.
What You’ll Discover
- Quantitative history and historians
- Different historical records where you can find women, the poor, and African Americans
- Types of data Billy records when he examines tax lists, census reports, city directories
- Types of information contained in early American city directories, censuses, & tax lists
- What mapping the demographic details of 70,000 early Philadelphians reveals about early American history
- How Billy organizes data for 70,000 early Philadelphians
- How historians’ research organizational methods have changed over the last 30 years
- Overview of Fleeing Slavery digital project and runaway slave ads
- Runaway slave newspaper ads
- Data management systems
- The need to preserve and keep accessible the digital data we collect
- MEAD: Magazine of Early American Datasets
- How research organizational methods differ between book and digital projects
- Verbal note-taking strategies for organizing your research
Links to People, Places, and Publications
- Billy Smith
- Billy’s Montana State University webpage
- Ship of Death: A Voyage That Changed the Atlantic World
- Mapping Historic Philadelphia digital project
- MEAD: Magazine of Early American Datasets
Research Software & Apps
Archives & Institutions
- American Antiquarian Society
- Library Company of Philadelphia
- Library of Congress
- McNeil Center of Early American History
Complementary Episodes
- Episode 001: James Green, The Library Company of Philadelphia
- Episode 058: Andrew Schocket, Fighting Over the Founders
- Episode 066: Simon Newman, How Historians Choose a Research Topic
- Episode 075: Peter Drummey, How Archives Work
- Episode 084: Zara Anishanslin, How Historians Read Historical Source
Resources
- How to Organize Your Research Companion Resource
- Doing History series
- Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture
Time Warp Question
Technology changes quickly, as do the things we can do with it. In your opinion, how will historians conduct research and organize their information in the future?
Questions, Comments, Suggestions
Do you have a question, comment, or suggestion?
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