The March issue of Perspectives on History, now available online, begins with AHA president Laurel Thatcher Ulrich’s column on the AHA gavel, which explores the gavel’s history and how it stands as a “reminder of the complexity of seemingly simple things.”

Advocacy
Then, Executive Director Arnita Jones takes a detailed look, in her article “Unfinished Business,” at programs within the federal government that historians have an interest in. While she applauds President Barack Obama’s quick action with the Executive Order on Presidential Records, she notes that there is still much to do. Historians must pay attention to what’s currently happening at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), Department of Education, Department of State, and elsewhere. Learn more in her article.

Lee White of the National Coalition for History also has his eye on the government. See his article “There’s a New Sheriff in Town” and keep up-to-date with his News Briefs.

AHA News
What’s the AHA up to? See the 2009 AHA Committee Structure and Council decisions from January. Then, read the final wrap-up of “Highlights from the 123rd Annual Meeting” and who received awards. And finally, find out AHA Members are getting into.

Timelines
Once you’re caught up with current AHA happenings, look to the past with the latest “Timelines” installment. In “123 in 125: A Brief History of AHA Annual Meetings,” David Darlington explores past AHA annual meetings.

More Articles
The March issue also contains:

• Advising Undergraduates about Career Opportunities in Public History
  Advice from Melissa Bingmann on how to help “an undergraduate develop a strategy for establishing a career in the public sector.”
• Forum on Assessment
  This collection of articles was “developed from a vigorous discussion on the AHA’s chairs listserv.” Norman Jones asks “Can we know our outcomes?”, James I. Matray takes a look at California State University at Chico’s assessment program, and Robert Griffith describes assessment at American University.
• Masters at the Movies, Take 9
  The Masters at the Movies series continues with Ellen Carol DuBois’s look at the remake of the film The Women.

Find all of this plus news from AHA affiliates and three In Memoriam articles in the March issue of Perspectives on History.

This post first appeared on AHA Today.