Digging Into Historical Theory
Posted February 20, 2025 by Aurora Daniel
If last semester was my dream Library Science course schedule, then this is my History one. I should start by explaining that I want to complete my dual degree as quickly as possible, just to save some money and to get into my career sooner, and I need to take summer courses to do that. However, as only Library Science courses are offered during the summer session, there had to be a semester where I took two History seminars to get this done. Since there were so many classes offered I was interested in, I made this that semester. I managed to decide on HIST 560: Seminar in the History of Women and Gender 1790-1920: Queer Histories and HIST 554: Behind the Veil: Simmons Black Oral History Project.
Coming into grad school I had a lot of professional experience but lagged behind some of my peers in historical training. I was an art history major in undergrad, which I have no regrets about, as the program focused on working with primary sources, how to craft exhibits, public programs, and engaging materials, and provided exposure to a wide range of institutions that I could work at. Yet, it meant that often historical theory fell to the side in favor of projects that bridged academia and public-facing institutions. This gap in my skill set inspired me to pursue the dual degree as opposed to just the MLIS. I believe academic training is one piece of the broader career development puzzle instead of something to slog through to get to my career.
While I recognize day to day archival work has no reflection papers, end of semester presentations, or networking events with an unlimited supply of seltzer water (really bummed about that last omission), there is a need to approach primary sources with a base of historical knowledge and theory in order to contextualize them properly. So, naturally I’d choose two courses that are more theory-based yet still have a practical element to them. Queer Histories digs into both primary sources and queer archives, as well as the literature behind queering archives. While in many respects it resembles other history seminars, I find that I can apply the discussions to my work in archives management. As for Behind the Veil, it requires students to conduct an oral history interview with a Simmons alum.
As we’ve discussed in the latter course, oral history has often felt like something that isn’t taken seriously as a primary or secondary source nor does it appear much in our coursework beyond offering students a “multi-media” way of engaging with a particular topic. Yet, most oral history projects are ultimately stored and stewarded by libraries and archives with the notion that they are to be used in research.
I find myself chewing on this for multiple reasons. First, what is my role as an archivist in both the creation and care of oral histories? Second, what is it that I should be doing to make sure that these oral histories are receiving the attention, respect, and engagement they deserve by users and researchers? Finally, how do I strike the balance between outreach and letting the people whose stories and lives are captured in these projects speak for themselves? It’s a fun series of conundrums that I hope to explore at some point in my career.
Although I’m enjoying these classes and I’m preoccupied with them for the most part, I can’t forget that I’m also taking a library science course. In fact, it’s one of the more pressing ones for an archives management concentration student. It’s LIS 438: Introduction to Archival Theory & Practice. I look forward to sharing more about that course, as well as my field placement,