This page is in development, it will be expanded and contextualized over time.
Fields
As a historian, I also must consider the context provided by the fields of sociology, political science, and religion for any people group as they establish the foundations of culture and understanding. At some future time, I would like to work on an advanced degree in political science and possibly return to theological studies. As a public historian there are also technical fields in materials preservation, conservation, and library sciences to consider. Cataloging is a significant sub-field for all archive types.
Periods & Locations
The overarching period of interest is the Industrial Revolution (IR) commonly considered as 1830 to 1940 roughly, in the United States and United Kingdom though there are variations in the periods to accommodate sociological and technological developments that need to be considered when discussing the IR in context. Most contextual development can be considered post-1790 in the U.S. and post-1770 in the U.K. The Gilded Age and Progressive Era (GAPE) should also be considered as these lie within the IR time period and focus primarily on the sociopolitical interactions of the IR.
Subjects
The subject matter is itself the Industrial Revolution, the sociological, political, and economic environments that gestated the IR/GAPE enabling it to occur, and the technologies in power, transportation, and communications that facilitated its development and growth. These subjects are inextricably intertwined in such a way that discussion in any one inevitably must include the others. The sociological and political effects of the IR are found in the study of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era.
Conservation & Preservation
Print materials
Thanks in great part to my grandmother I have a love of books and keeping them in serviceable condition. This translates to my interest in a wide range of print materials, documents, ships logs, journals, civil records, correspondence, etc. and their preservation.
Sites & Buildings
As a woodworker and maker I also have a love of hand tools and have spent many enjoyable hours restoring them to a useful state, repairing various wood objects, and building with wood and other materials. These skills, and many years of property management, maintenance, working in and with construction trades, and many years of study in alternative building systems have proven to be relevant in terms of site and building conservation and preservation.
Archives & Cataloging
The presence of objects, physical or digital, inevitably leads to archival processes. My attachment to the physicality of history does not preclude the benefits of digital access, in many ways it encourages me to want to make objects as available as possible for study and research. Expanding an objects presence in an archive may include photographic representation, 3D scans, video, audio, text transcriptions, documentary editing, and a host of other representations. A printed pamphlet might lead to a dozen representations all needing to be preserved, cataloged, archived, and made accessible. Each element of this process carries its own field of study and practice.