I remember a very interesting discussion on MUSEUM-L several months ago on the value of history and wanted to make everyone aware that there will be a working group to discuss this topic hosted by AASLH at the NCPH meeting annual meeting in Providence, RI, April 2-5, 2009.   To be considered for this working group please submit a one-paragraph abstract indicating the working group of interest and describing the case you wish to raise with your peers, together with a one- or two-page resume or c.v. by October 31 to [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>.  More information on all 7 working groups that will meet at the 2009 annual meeting is available at www.ncph.org<http://www.ncph.org>

The Public Value of History
Facilitators:   Bob Beatty, American Association for State and Local History
                           Beverly Sheppard, Institute for Learning Innovation

This working group is part an ongoing initiative of the American Association for State and Local History to explore the value of the discipline and historical institutions. Fundamental to the work of all historians is the value that his or her work brings to the population as a whole. For historical institutions this value is their worth to the communities they serve. This is also true for the academy, as faculty try to attract undergraduate majors or cultivate a life-long interest in the discipline for non-majors. As well, history is losing ground in public school curricula due to state standardized tests and the federal No Child Left Behind act that fail to engage the richness of the discipline.  Making a case for the value of history is challenging and few historians take the time to make the discipline relevant or explain its public value. In many ways, the field is at a crossroads. We have to rethink and restate our purpose to ourselves and to the people we purport to serve. The facilitators welcome case statements that describe the need to  “make a case” for the civic value of history, present challenges institutions face as they attempt to instill value to local communities so that their loss would be deemed catastrophic, demonstrate the value of history to varied constituencies beyond traditional audiences, and examples of how public value can be measured.

Melissa Bingmann
Assistant Professor of History
Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis
425 University Boulevard
Indianapolis, IN 46202
(317) 278-9024

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