In this post, I reflect on a recent community presentation I was invited to give and how it reminded me of the important for archival outreach and community engagement beyond the research room #ArchivalOutreach #ArchivesMatter #WorldWarIIHistory #PublicHistory #CommunityEngagement

In my latest blog post, I review David Zucchino’s Wilmington’s Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy and reflect on what this history means for archivists, educators, and citizens today.

Lines, Laws, and Lost Votes: A Review of One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy

Carol Anderson’s 2018 work, One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy stands as one of the most forceful and clarifying examinations of the long American…

What We Don’t Keep: Loss, Discard, and Archival Judgment

When visitors walk into an archives for the first time, they often imagine a pristine and complete record of the past, every important letter, photograph, and document neatly preserved, awaiting discovery. The reality is far more…

Things People Get Wrong About Archives

If you have worked in an archive, you eventually get used to the inevitable questions that you will eventually be asked at some point in your career. “Have you read everything in here?” “Isn’t it all online by now?” “Do people really use this stuff?” At the…

Holding the Unthinkable: An Archivist’s Reflection on Megan Rosenbloom’s Dark Archives

Working in archives, I have handled my share of of historic materials that makes one pause and evaluate the item and story behind it. But Megan Rosenbloom’s Dark Archives: A Librarian’s Investigation into the…

Revisiting the American Frontier: A Review of MeatEater’s American History: The Long Hunters (1761–1775)

For many books, the ability to achieve a balance between entertainment and education is a task too difficult to accomplish. This however, is not the case for MeatEater’s American History: The…

In the Quiet of the Stacks: Personal Reflections on Archival Work

Archival work carries a quiet intimacy often unnoticed by those outside the profession. A diary whose final entry was penned decades ago. A bundle of letters almost lost to history. A poem scribbled on what others might call scrap…

History Rides Again: A Review of Red Dead’s History by Tore Olsson

As a public historian who is interested in the ways that people encounter and engage with history beyond the walls of academia, as well as someone who likes to escape into occasional immersive video game, I approached Tore C.…

Essential Tools for Archivists: What I Use Every Day in My Work There is a quiet rhythm to archival work. It is steady, methodical, and often invisible to the public eye. However, the tools that archivists such as myself use daily to complete our work are anyth…

Essential Tools for Archivists: What I Use Every Day in My Work theprocessedpast.wordpress.com/2025/06/18/e...

National Park signage encourages the public to help erase negative stories at its sites The Department of the Interior is requiring the National Park Service to post signs nationwide by June 13 asking visitors for feedback on any information they feel misrepresents American history.

www.npr.org/2025/06/10/n...

The Processed Past: Reflections on History and Archives The Processed Past: Reflections on History and Archives explores the intersections of archival work, historical research, and public memory. Curated by archivist and historian Patrick Cash, this sp…

Check out my new venture, theprocessedpast.wordpress.com

#SNCA2025 at @eastcarolinauniv.bsky.social is off to a great start with our keynote speaker @ensleyg.bsky.social

Honored to meet the USS STERETT Association historian today. Grateful for the chance to help preserve the ship’s legacy—and touched to receive a challenge coin in thanks. It’s humbling to support those who served.
#ArchivistLife #ArchivesMatter

The Measles Epidemic and Quarantine Procedures in North Carolina in the 1930s - Joyner Library Special Collections During the 1930s, North Carolina, like much of the United States, grappled with recurring outbreaks of measles, a highly contagious viral disease. The lack of widespread vaccination and limited medica...

In my latest blog post, read more about the 1930s measles epidemic and the response from North Carolina. #ArchivesMatter #historymatters

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It's all about wealth inequality. Trump's Tariff Sales Tax hits the middle & working classes, and the poor. The rich hate income tax b/c it moved the burden of paying for govt. from ordinary people (via tariffs) to the wealthy (via progressive tax brackets).

#taxwealthnotwork #econsky #taxtherich

Making WAVES: Pioneering Women in the U.S. Navy During World War II - Joyner Library Special Collections Over the next year, in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, Joyner Library Special Collections will be highlighting items from the East Carolina Manuscripts Collection tha...

library.ecu.edu/specialcolle...

SPARs: The Women Who Served in the U.S. Coast Guard During World War II - Joyner Library Special Collections Over the next year, in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, Joyner Library Special Collections will be highlighting items from the East Carolina Manuscripts Collection tha...

During World War II, thousands of women served in #WAVES and #SPARs, helping future generations of women servicemembers. Read more about the roles and impacts these women had in the latest entries in our WWII blog series. #ArchivesMatter #historymatters #WWII

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Daylight Savings Time and North Carolina’s Path to Adoption - Joyner Library Special Collections Twice a year, Americans adjust their clocks—springing forward an hour in March and falling back an hour in November. Daylight Saving Time (DST) has long been a topic of debate, with proponents arguing...

Did you change your clocks this weekend? Learn more about North Carolina adopting DST in my latest blog entry.

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The B-1 Navy Band: A Symphony of Courage and Change - Joyner Library Special Collections Over the next year, in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, Joyner Library Special Collections will be highlighting items from the East Carolina Manuscripts Collection tha...

As the first all-Black band in the modern U.S. Navy, the B-1 Navy Band made history during WWII, challenging segregation and inspiring change.

Read more about their legacy in our latest blog post. #ArchivesMatter #HistoryMatters #WWII #BlackHistoryMonth

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Victory Mail: The Lifeline of Communication in World War II - Joyner Library Special Collections Over the next year, in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, Joyner Library Special Collections will be highlighting items from the East Carolina Manuscripts Collection tha...

During World War II, V-Mail revolutionized how service members kept in touch with loved ones, vitally maintaining morale and strengthening connections worldwide.

Our latest blog post explores the history of V-Mail. #ArchivesMatter #HistoryMatters #WWII

library.ecu.edu/specialcolle...

Some folks wonder what is the right thing to do in these unprecedented times. Turns out there are a couple of solid choices.

Raising the Flag, Defining a Legacy: The Battle of Iwo Jima and the Fight for Victory - Joyner Library Special Collections Over the next year, in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, Joyner Library Special Collections will be highlighting items from the East Carolina Manuscripts Collection tha...

The latest entry in our blog series Remembrance and Records: World War II Through Archival Collections, explores the defining Battle of Iwo Jima and the iconic flag-raising on Mount Suribachi. #ArchivesMatter #HistoryMatters #WWII #IwoJima

library.ecu.edu/specialcolle...

The latest entry in our blog series honors International Holocaust Remembrance Day by sharing the powerful story of Helen Kahan, a Holocaust survivor who endured unimaginable horrors, yet emerged as a beacon of hope.

#HolocaustRemembranceDay #ArchivesMatter

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