Longtime WHA member Dr. Jeremy Johnston, the Hal and Naoma Tate Endowed Curator of the Buffalo Bill Museum and the Ernest J. Goppert Editor of the Papers of William F Cody, died in June 2024. A public obituary for Dr. Johnston is available on the Larkin Mortuary website. 

You can also read Lorena Chambers' letter of nomination for Dr. Johnston for the 2023 Gordon Bakken Award of Merit.

Dr. Johnston made several contributions to the field of western history and the WHA over the last several decades. He presented his work at conferences, served as chair and commentator of sessions, and lent much of his time to support and expand the WHA's commitment to Public History. In 2023 he was the recipient of the WHA Gordon Bakken Award of Merit. The WHA is a stronger organization because of Jeremy's energy and enthusiasm, and I am fortunate that I was able to work with him.

The Editorial Board of the peer-reviewed Metropolitan Museum Journal invites submissions of original research on works of art in the Museum’s collection.  

 

The Journal publishes Articles and Research Notes. Works of art from The Met collection should be central to the discussion. Articles contribute extensive and thoroughly argued scholarship—art historical, technical, and scientific—whereas Research Notes are narrower in scope, focusing on a specific aspect of new research or presenting a significant finding from technical analysis, for example. The maximum length for articles is 8,000 words (including endnotes) and 10–12 images, and for research notes 4,000 words (including endnotes) and 4–6 images. 

 

The process of peer review is double-anonymous. Manuscripts are reviewed by the Journal Editorial Board, composed of members of the curatorial, conserva­tion, and scientific departments, as well as scholars from the broader academic community.

 

Articles and Research Notes in the Journal appear in print and online, and are accessible in JStor on the University of Chicago Press website.

The deadline for submissions for Volume 60 (2025) is September 15, 2024.

 

Submission guidelines: www.journals.uchicago.edu/journals/met/instruct

 

Please send materials to: journalsubmissions@metmuseum.org

 

Questions? Write to Elizabeth.Block@metmuseum.org

 

Inspiration from the Collection: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection

View the Journal: http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/loi/met

NATIONAL COUNCIL ON PUBLIC HISTORY ANNUAL MEETING MONTRÉAL, QUÉBEC, CANADA | MARCH 26-29, 2025

The 2025 NCPH Annual Meeting will center around the theme Solidarity. Pondering the question—What does Solidarity mean in the field of public history?—leads us to consider what we collectively value in the field and how we progress together as public history workers. Amplifying voices, building connections, unifying our audiences, advocating for and revealing authentic histories, fostering and promoting safe spaces, and mirroring these values internally within our organizations are a few examples of how we realize Solidarity across the field.

While submissions on all topics are welcome, in exploring Solidarity, the Joint 2025 Program and Local Arrangements Committee co-chairs particularly encourage you to consider a few of the examples below:

PRESENTATION FORMATS MAY INCLUDE:

ROUNDTABLE (90 mins): Roundtables are typically about half presentation and half discussion among presenters and the audience. Presenters should bring targeted questions to pose to others at the table in order to learn from and with each other.

STRUCTURED CONVERSATION (90 mins): These facilitated, participant-driven discussions are designed to prioritize audience dialogue and may contain little or no formal presentation component.

TRADITIONAL PANEL (90 mins): At least three presenters, a chair, and optional commentator. While this is the most traditional format, we still highly discourage the reading of papers.

COMMUNITY VIEWPOINTS (90 mins): A showcase that features a variety of stakeholder and collaborator perspectives across stages of the project’s development, with a particular focus on community participants and grassroots collaborators.

INDIVIDUAL (~30 mins): While individual proposals are welcome, individual presentations will either be shorter than a full session or will be combined with similar proposals to make a full session. These should be presentations of your work and, like all other sessions, not a reading of a paper.

WORKING GROUP (2 hrs): Facilitators and up to 12 discussants grapple with a shared concern. Before and during the meeting, working groups articulate a purpose they are working toward or a problem they are actively trying to solve and aim to create an end product. Proposals are submitted by facilitators, who will seek discussants after acceptance.

WORKSHOP (4 or 8 hrs): A half- or full-day workshop is a more intensive and skills-based deep-dive into a topic that includes concrete practical tools and lessons for a smaller group of attendees (recommended 15-30 people).

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

OPTIONAL EARLY TOPIC PROPOSALS: Consider submitting an optional early topic proposal by June 15, 2024 to gather suggestions on your topic, seek collaborators or co-presenters, and get feedback from the 2025 Program Committee and members of the NCPH community. Respondents will contact the original submitter directly with their ideas or offers, and the submitter may choose to select additional participants, refine the proposal, and complete a full proposal form online by the July deadline.

FINAL PROPOSALS: Submit your fully formed session, working group, or workshop proposal online by July 15, 2024 via https://ncph.org/conference/2025-annual-meeting/cfps/. (Please note that working group and workshop proposal forms are separate from the main session proposal form.)

When filling out your proposal, please let us know if your session will be in English or in French, as we are planning for a track of sessions in French with simultaneous translation. While individuals are not prohibited from presenting in consecutive years at the meeting, session proposals that include new voices will receive preference. Additionally, participants may be presenting members of only one session, but may also be discussants in Working Groups or serve as chair/facilitator on a second session.

QUESTIONS? Please email Program Manager Meghan Hillman at meghillm@iu.edu. The Call for Posters and Call for Working Group Discussants will come in spring 2024.

The WHA received news that Dr. John Monnett, Professor Emeritus of History at Metropolitan State University of Denver and a longtime WHA member, died last month.

Dr. Monnett made several contributions to the field of western history and WHA over the last nearly thirty years. He presented his work at conferences, served as chair and commentator of sessions, and lent his time to the Michael P. Malone Award Committee and multiple Local Arrangements Committees.

When an obituary is available, we will upload it here.

CALL FOR PAPERS

The Society for Applied Anthropology (SfAA) invites abstracts (sessions, papers, posters, and videos) for the Program of the 85th Annual Meeting in Portland, OR, March 25-29, 2025. The theme of the Program is “Revitalizing Applied Anthropology.”

The 2025 SfAA Annual Meeting offers researchers, practitioners, and students from diverse disciplines and organizations the opportunity to discuss their work and consider how it can contribute to a better future. SfAA members come from a host of disciplines -- anthropology, geography, sociology, economics, business, planning, medicine, nursing, law, and more. The annual meeting provides a fertile venue in which to trade ideas, methods, and practical solutions, as well as an opportunity to enter the lifeworlds of other professionals.

The deadline for abstract submission is October 15, 2024. For additional information on the theme, abstract size/format, and the meeting, please visit our web page www.appliedanthro.org and click on annual meeting.

If you have a webpage for links, please add the following:

The Society for Applied Anthropology is pleased to announce our 85th Annual Meeting in Portland, OR, March 25-29, 2025. 

For meeting information visit www.appliedanthro.org/annual-meeting

Call for Proposals: Western Historical Quarterly Institutional Host and Editor(s)

The Western History Association is seeking a new editor or editors and a new institutional home for its award-winning, flagship journal, the Western Historical Quarterly. Since 1970, the WHQ has had a significant and positive impact on recruitment and professional training of graduate students at both institutions -- Utah State University and University of Oklahoma -- that have hosted the journal to date. The WHA invites expressions of interest in this opportunity from potential editors and from history departments or comparable academic units in other closely related fields with a strong commitment to the field of Western history and the capacity to provide editorial leadership and institutional support for the WHQ. It is anticipated that the new editor(s) will be appointed for a renewable term of five years and that the new institutional home would agree to support the WHQ for a minimum of five years. Institutions may consider submitting an application that includes plans to hire an editor or editors provided the institution is prepared to provide support for the journal and the new hire(s)/editor(s).

The search committee encourages potential editors and institutional homes to contact the chair of the search committee as soon as possible about their interest in the WHQ so that the committee can assist in providing information about the journal and in helping them to craft formal proposals. The chair is Flannery Burke, Department of American Studies, Saint Louis University (Flannery.burke@slu.edu).

The deadline for proposals is August 15, 2024.

Print the full Call for Proposals here. 

The search committee has developed a rubric, outlined below, for evaluating proposals to host the WHQ. The rubric should therefore also be used by applicants as a checklist in framing their proposals. Proposals are due August 15 by email to the committee chair: Flannery.burke@slu.edu. Questions about each item in this checklist should be directed to Flannery.

1. The proposal should feature a strong editorial team eager to integrate the journal into a graduate program and to contribute to the professionalization of graduate students in the field. The proposal should outline the organizational structure applicants envision and the roles of graduate students in the program should be clearly outlined.

a)  The proposal should name and indicate the qualifications of team members OR outline editorial roles and a plan to fill them.

b)  The proposal should name the lead editor(s) and demonstrate their deep knowledge of the field of Western history and excellent scholarship in the field. The lead editor(s) should be tenured, preferably not newly so, and eager to work behind the scenes to advance the field and its scholars. S/he/they should have some editorial experience, either with another academic journal or other academic publication and experience with the ScholarOne platform or a willingness to learn its workings.

c)  The host institution should make provisions to ensure that the book review section of the journal is fully staffed and supported.

d)  The managing editor, if the proposal makes provisions for one, should have prior or parallel experience in this capacity. Editorial assistants should be competent in Word, Access, and Excel, and eager to learn or already familiar with the ScholarOne platform. If the plan is to use graduate students as editorial assistants, the proposal should specify how these students will be trained.

e)  Thus, at a minimum, a proposal should demonstrate an awareness of what the job editing the WHQ would entail and a clear plan for managing that work. The proposal should consider that editing the journal will require at least sixty hours per week of effort on the part of the editorial team.

2.  The proposal should guarantee adequate institutional support for a minimum of five years and preferably of ten. This support should include financial assistance for the editor(s) through course release(s), summer stipends, travel money, and the like, as well as journal infrastructure, such as housing, computer hardware and software, arrangements for tracking submissions, and office supplies.

3.  The proposal should include a brief acknowledgement of the editor’s or editors’ commitment to provide reports to the WHA Council and membership through the attendance of all WHA Council meetings and WHA Business meetings. According to the WHA Constitution and Bylaws, the WHQ editor serves as a non-voting, ex officio member of the WHA Council for the duration of their term(s).

4.  The proposal should offer a compelling vision for the future of the WHQ, one that shows a thoughtful grasp of the evolution of the field and considers new directions for both the field and the journal.

WHQ Institutional Host Search Committee

Flannery Burke, St. Louis University (Chair)

Boyd Cothran, York University

Rosina Lozano, Princeton University

Melody Miyamoto Walters, Collin College

David Wrobel, University of Oklahoma

State of Nevada Announces

An Open Competitive Recruitment for:

CURATOR 3

APPROXIMATE ANNUAL SALARY -  $58,025.52 to  $86,150.88  PAY GRADE: 35 For more information on benefit and retirement programs, please see the sections below. In order to receive consideration, applicants must indicate their availability for any work type, travel, and location requirements listed. JOB INFORMATION Work Type: A Permanent, full time vacancy Department: Department of Tourism & Cultural Affairs Division: Museums & History Location: Carson, Minden, Gardnerville, Genoa Job Class Code: 07.823 RECRUITMENT INFORMATION Announcement Number: 47005 Open to all qualified persons. Posted 04/10/2024 Close Date: 04/25/2024 Recruiter:    ADRIAN FOSTER    Phone: (702)486-2911    Email: adrian@admin.nv.gov Applications accepted for another 8 Days 2 Hrs 36 Mins The Position Curators perform a broad range of professional and technical museum work involving, but not limited to, assessment, evaluation, survey, inventory, preservation, research, education and planning for a specific collection and/or program area within a museum. Incumbents function as first-line supervisors who train, supervise and evaluate the performance of assigned staff; assign and review work; and initiate disciplinary action. The Nevada State Museum (NSM) in the Division of Museums and History within the Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs is seeking a qualified candidate for the position of Curator III of History. The Nevada State Museum's Curator III of History is responsible for providing leadership, vision, access, planning and management for the museum's History Department. The NSM was founded in honor of the History of the State of Nevada. Much of the original collection is historical in nature. The collection includes all historical periods from the pioneer period through the most recent pages of history. The Curator of History oversees the Curator of Textiles and eventually a Collections Manager. History collections are dispersed across three separate facilities which fall under the responsibility of the Curator of History. This position will work closely with the Curator III Registrar of the Museum. This position reports to the NSM Director. The duties include processing; arrangement; cataloging; description; inventories; preservation; updating and maintaining procedures and policies; managing and maintaining relevant databases; strategic planning; budget management; personnel and volunteer supervision; project fundraising; procuring external funding for research; participation in public programs; assessing user experience and use statistics; and providing information for reports to the Board of Museums and History. In addition to management and planning functions, the position plays an active role in the day-to-day operations of the NSM. The State of Nevada is an equal opportunity employer dedicated to building diverse, inclusive, and innovative work environments with employees who reflect our communities and enthusiastically serve them. All applicants are considered without regard to race, color, national origin, religion or belief, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, domestic partnership, genetic information (GINA), or compensation and/or wages. *** THIS RECRUITMENT MAY CLOSE WITHOUT FURTHER NOTICE DEPENDING ON THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS RECEIVED. APPLICANTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE*** To see full Class Specifications visit: http://hr.nv.gov/Resources/ClassSpecs/Class_Specifications-7_0/ To Qualify: In order to be qualified, you must meet the following requirements: Education and Experience (Minimum Qualifications)     Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in history, prehistory, natural history, museum studies, education, or closely related field plus three years of professional experience in a museum. This experience must have included direct responsibility for museum collections involving the preparation of exhibit text regarding complex technical information, and/or developing, promoting, executing and evaluating educational programming; OR one year of experience as a Curator II in Nevada State service; OR an equivalent combination of education and experience as described above. Special Requirements     Statewide travel is required.     A State of Nevada/FBI background check will be required of the selected applicant.     This position has a 25 % travel requirement. The Examination Application Evaluation Exam The exam will consist of an application evaluation. It is essential that applications include detailed information with time frames regarding education and experience. The most qualified applicants will be contacted by the hiring agency for interview. The hiring agency may require specific skills related testing as part of the interviewing process. INFORMATIONAL LINKS For more information about state employment, visit the following: Division of Human Resource Management: http://hr.nv.gov Public Employees Retirement System: http://www.nvpers.org Public Employees Benefits Program: http://pebp.state.nv.us More Benefits Information: http://nvjobs.nv.gov/Applicants/EB REFER A FRIEND Help us reach qualified candidates! Refer a friend by clicking here: Email

Direct Inquiries or Correspondence to:

Division of Human Resource Management Northern Nevada 515 East Musser Street, First Floor Carson City, Nevada 89701-4204 TDD for the Hearing Impaired (800) 326-6868 Division of Human Resource Management Southern Nevada 7251 Amigo St, Suite 120 Las Vegas, NV 89119 TDD for the Hearing Impaired (800) 326-6868

TSLAC RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP IN TEXAS HISTORY

The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) offers each year the Research Fellowship in Texas History for the best research proposal utilizing collections of the State Archives in Austin or the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center in Liberty, Texas. Research topics should be significant to Texas history, with preference given to fresh areas of study and/or under-sourced archival collections. Interested researchers may search the library catalog and explore descriptive guides and finding aids online at the links below. Finding aids represent a portion of the collections available for research at TSLAC. Applicants may contact ref@tsl.texas.gov for more information about collections.

Descriptive Guides

• TSLAC Austin: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/arc/index.html#Guides
• Sam Houston Center, Liberty: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/shc#collections
• TSLAC library catalog: www.tsl.texas.gov/catalog

Fellowship Award

Funded by the Texas Library and Archives Foundation, the fellowship awards recipients a $2000 stipend for research support. The stipend is subject to the following award and payment requirements:

• Research must take place between May 15 and December 6, 2024.
• Fellows are required to make a presentation of the results of their research at a TSLAC event within 12 months of the award. 
• Awarded funds are payable upon presentation of applicable receipts.  
• Applications must be received by March 31,2024.

APPLICATION PACKET

TSLAC Research Fellowship in Texas History application form (PDF)
Please complete the application form and submit together via email with the project description and curriculum vitae by March 31, 2024

Project Description: 
Applicants will submit a detailed project description of proposed study, research, or project in a maximum of 1,500 words. The application should address the following elements:

• A statement that outlines the major question, problem or themes being explored. 
• Methodology, estimated timeline, and relevant collections to be consulted.
• How this proposal intersects with applicant’s work and area of expertise.
• Discussion of how this study, project, creation, or research will contribute to a greater understanding of Texas history.
• Description of how this study, project, and new knowledge or expression will be disseminated, such as: plans for publication, lectures, exhibitions, teaching, etc.
• Estimated resources and funds that are needed to complete the final project.
   

Contact:
Send an email with attached application form, project description, and curriculum vitae to statearchives@tsl.texas.gov.

Deadline: 
March 31,2024

The Helmerich Center for American Research at Gilcrease Museum and the University of Tulsa has postdoctoral and short-term research fellowships, as well as travel grant opportunities available. HCAR houses the Gilcrease library and archives, which holds significant collections in Native American history, Latin American history, and the American West. Applications are due by March 31, 2024. Learn more and apply here: https://gilcrease.org/helmerich-center/.

The Nevada State Railroad Museum, Carson City, is now accepting applications for the Museum Director III position. Applications are due by March 8, 2024.

APPROXIMATE ANNUAL SALARY -  $75,376.80 to  $113,294.88  PAY GRADE: 41 For more information on benefit and retirement programs, please see the sections below. In order to receive consideration, applicants must indicate their availability for any work type, travel, and location requirements listed.

JOB INFORMATION Work Type: A Permanent, full time vacancy Department: Department of Tourism & Cultural Affairs Division: Museums & History Location: Carson, Minden, Gardnerville, Genoa Job Class Code: 07.801

The Position

Museum Directors are responsible for the overall leadership, operation, planning, and management of a State museum in conformance with professionally accepted museum practices and standards for the management of collections held in the public trust and interpretation of those collections through research, exhibitions, education, and public programs.

Incumbents function as first-line supervisors who train, supervise and evaluate the performance of assigned staff; assign and review work; and initiate disciplinary action.

This is for a Museum Director III located in Carson City, NV. Museum Directors are responsible for the overall leadership, operation, planning, and management of a state museum in conformance with professionally accepted museum practices and standards. Incumbents function as first-line supervisors who train, supervise, and evaluate the performance of assigned staff; assign and review work; and initiate disciplinary action. The railroad museums collect and display rolling stock, artifacts, memorabilia, photographs, records, and hardware. The Carson City and Boulder City museums run weekend train operations seasonally. In addition to serving as the day-to-day leader of the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City, NV, the Director supervises the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Boulder City, NV and the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Ely, NV. The State of Nevada is committed to Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action in recruitment of its employees and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion or belief, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, domestic partnership, genetic information (GINA), or compensation and/or wages. *** THIS RECRUITMENT MAY CLOSE WITHOUT FURTHER NOTICE DEPENDING ON THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS RECEIVED. APPLICANTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE***

To see full Class Specifications visit: http://hr.nv.gov/Resources/ClassSpecs/Class_Specifications-7_0/

To Qualify:

In order to be qualified, you must meet the following requirements:

Education and Experience (Minimum Qualifications)

Master's degree from an accredited college or university in museum studies, public history, anthropology, history, art, or related field and five years of progressively responsible museum management experience which included developing and implementing marketing, publicity, merchandising, public relations, collections development and management, audience development strategies, and preparing and implementing long-range plans, setting goals, and assessing outcomes in a museum environment. Two years of this experience must have included supervising museum volunteers or staff; OR one year as a Museum Director II in Nevada State service; OR an equivalent combination of experience or education above the Bachelor's degree level as described above.

The Examination

Application Evaluation Exam

The exam will consist of an application evaluation. It is essential that applications include detailed information with time frames regarding education and experience. The most qualified applicants will be contacted by the hiring agency for interview. The hiring agency may require specific skills related testing as part of the interviewing process.

The following additional questions are part of this Recruitment

1) Describe your supervisory experience.

2) Describe your experience in overseeing museum collections.

3) Describe your budgeting experience.

4) Describe your experience in working with outside non-profit organizations.

5) Describe your experience operating/managing a tourist railroad or other general railroad operating institution. Please detail this experience to include where you received it, including any certifications you may hold from the Federal Railroad Administration and any mechanical knowledge you possess in railroad equipment maintenance.