In my recent vlog on “Preserving the Year We’d Rather Forget,” I talked about the importance of taking a moment to pause and reflect on the last twelve months. As more people become vaccinated and begin resuming portions of their pre-pandemic lives, memories will fade. It’s vital that we take the time to document the highlights and lowlights for future generations — before we no longer remember the details.
Past Masters: Preserving the Year We Want to Forget
Past Masters is HistoryIT’s new vlog series created to offer a more visual and personal account of our history saving journeys. From the beginning, we wanted HistoryIT to be an organization that helped bridge the gap between past and present, by telling not just facts, but stories. Through our digital museums, we’ve been able to tap into the emotions of history, uncovering hidden moments that make for compelling narratives. Join us throughout the year for our behind-the-scenes look into historic preservation.
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Black Sororities and Fraternities Provide an Important Lens for U.S. History
Our newly appointed first African American and Asian American Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris, is also the first graduate of an HBCU (historically Black colleges and universities) and the first member of a Black Greek-letter organization (BGLO) to serve as Vice President. She talks often about the impact her membership in Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) sorority had on her life; it even affected her recent Vogue cover shoot.
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Ten years of entrepreneurial history saving
HistoryIT’s ten-year anniversary this month has given me cause to look back and reflect on how we got here. It’s not a typical entrepreneur story, for sure, but HistoryIT has become more than a typical company.
I never thought of myself as entrepreneurial, and I didn’t start off with any grand designs. I didn’t even have a business plan until 2013, two years after I founded the company.
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How to Plan and Celebrate Your Organization’s Milestones
On February 1st, HistoryIT will celebrate its ten-year anniversary, an achievement that got me thinking about how best to mark such an occasion.
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Hidden History: Mystery Photos
This blog post is part of a series exploring the surprising places that we discover history. We often think of museums, historical societies, and libraries as the sole repositories of our past. Yet, hidden histories are everywhere! Stories are often buried away in the least likely of places and we at HistoryIT love unearthing and saving them. In today’s post, we look at a beautiful story about some lost – and then rediscovered – photos.
Hidden History: Hog Island
This blog post is part of our Hidden History series, which explores the surprising places that we discover history. We often think of museums, historical societies, and libraries as the sole repositories of our past. Yet, hidden histories are everywhere! Stories are often buried away in the least likely of places and we at HistoryIT love unearthing and saving them. This week, we look at Hog Island Audubon Camp.
Hidden History: Tiffany Windows in Fraternity Memorial Headquarters
This blog is part of a series exploring the surprising places that we discover history. We often think of museums, historical societies, and libraries as the sole repositories of our past . Yet, they are everywhere! Stories are often buried away in the least likely of places and we at HistoryIT love unearthing and saving them. This week, we look at Tiffany windows.
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The 3 Fs Endangering Your History: Forgetting
This is the third in a three-part series focused on the most severe dangers to history (what HistoryIT calls the 3Fs – Fire, Flood, and Forgetting).
Fire and flood, whether natural disaster or human-made, pose great risks to our historical materials. However, the third F, forgetting, is the only fully preventable one. And if we fail to undertake this step, there is little point to saving the rest of it. An array of artifacts without any explanation or information pertaining to their purpose, background, use, etc. will do little to inform the future.
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The 3 Fs Endangering Your History: Flood
This is the second in a three-part series focused on the most severe dangers to history (what HistoryIT calls the 3Fs – Fire, Flood, and Forgetting).
Floods have caused trouble for centuries, but now we have tools that can help mitigate their destructive powers. And no, I don’t mean a good pair of waders, although those certainly come in handy.