Today’s roundup of interesting articles and links from around the web includes a look into an undergraduate project about the historical context  of 9/11, a manifesto on the vocation of public history, the Smithsonian’s Bigger Picture blog, and more.

News

• John Gray to lead Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History
  The former president of the Autry National Center of the American West will oversee a collection of 3 million objects and renovations of the museum’s west wing.

• ASU history professor at center of plagiarism debate

  The Arizona Republic reports that a plagiarism charge against one Arizona State University history professor prompted sharp divisions on the campus and in the department.

Digital Archiving

• History Flushed: The Digital Age Promised Vast Libraries, but They Remain Incomplete
  Noting large gaps in the preservation of digital materials, The Economist warns that large quantities of contemporary information will soon be consigned to the technological dust bin.

• Greetings from Anywhere
  The Smithsonian’s Bigger Picture blog reminds us that it’s National Postcard Week and posts a few cards from its collection in a celebration of deltiology.

Insights

• Historicizing 9/11
  Jim Downs describes an undergraduate history project to create a documentary and examine “the broader historical context in which 9/11 unfolded.” 

• On the Vocation of Public History<

  Suzanne Fischer, associate curator of technology at The Henry Ford, offers an excellent manifesto that encourages students to “Become a public historian because you love the potential of history to change, enrich and help make sense of people’s lives.”

Commentary

• When Was Professional History Not Boring?
  Responding to AHA President Bill Cronon’s recent essay on “Professional Boredom,” Darin Hayton of Haverford College reviews the seemingly perpetual anxieties on the issue in the discipline, and the hazards of impenetrable and esoteric prose.

• Discussion of the Chronicle’s “The PhD Now Comes with Food Stamps” article
  Reporter Stacey Patton talks about the growth in the number of people with advanced degrees who receive government aid. To help the conversation, Jim Grossman expands on his response to the Chronicle about PhDs on food stamps.

Contributors: Nike Nivar, Allen Mikaelian, and Robert B. Townsend

This post first appeared on AHA Today.