Learn how we're using the past to inform the present and prepare for the future.
By Margaret Long, Archivist Archives have long been a part of society’s infrastructure as they contain vital documents, objects, and information about various operations of organizations or even society as a whole. It is no surprise, then, that archives have …
By Mimi Eisen, Historian This blog was originally posted on July 16, 2020. Now, at the end of October, there have been more than 227,000 reported deaths from COVID-19. Lately, I’ve been thinking about the work data visualization can do …
By James McDonald, former HAI Research Historian, current Ph.D. candidate Travel has long incorporated some assessment of personal safety, but the mechanization of travel complicated this calculus. Concerns about safety have often conflicted with a desire to take advantage of …
By Scott Vierick, Historian This is the final installment in our three-part blog series about John Brown and his legacy. We recommend starting with parts one and two if you haven’t already. In 1861, less than two years after John …
By Scott Vierick, Historian This is part two of a three-part series on John Brown. If you haven’t already, read the first blog, describing the raid on Harpers Ferry, here. John Brown and other captured raiders would spend the rest …
By Scott Vierick, Historian This is the first of a three-part blog series in honor of the 161st anniversary of John Brown’s raid. Check back in next week for the second and third installments of this remarkable and fateful story. …
By Margaret Long, Archivist Since the founding of the nation, this United States has had a president in office. This fact has not changed over the years, but the campaign leading up to the election has. In the country’s formative …
By Megan Anderson, Manager of Exhibits & Interpretive Planning National Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated from September 15 to October 15, gives us a chance to reflect on and celebrate the social and cultural contributions of Americans with ancestral roots in …
By Jason H. Gart, PhD, Vice President and Director of Litigation Research In early April, approximately two weeks after state and local stay-at-home orders began going into effect due to the COVID-19 public health emergency, HAI began seeing disruptions to …
Guest post by Chris Cummings, Pass It Down Turn history into your greatest storyteller! Our favorite tips for optimizing online engagement with your digital assets. In the first post of our partner series on “Turning History Into Your Greatest Storyteller,” …
By Laura Starr, Certified Archivist, HAI Engagement Strategist & Account Manager This blog was created in conjunction with our friends at Pass It Down, a company with an award-winning digital exhibit builder platform that libraries, museums, universities, and brands have …
By Scott Vierick, Historian This is the second part of our exploration of the history of the United States Postal Service. You can read part one, which looks at the Postal Service’s early years, here. The Great Depression and World …
