August 30, 2004
What historians do
Goals of historians
To determine the truth about the past.
To use the past to illuminate the present and the future.
To use present knowledge and viewpoints to shed light on the past
To expand the body of knowledge.
To assuage their curiosity.
To provide infomration to others. students, the public, etc.
To understand and help others understand what is happening now.
How historians use the web to accomplish their goals
Search the web randomly, as if browsing in a library
Go to specific trusted web sites to find information such as libraries, government agencies universities, and the like
participate in discussions etc.
This is an edit added on Friday Sept 3
Historians can use new media, specifically the World Wide Web, to provide information to others. This medium runs the risk of becoming the message and the serious historian needs to be aware that a great deal of what makes a book worthwhile will not work on the Web. The Web is not an ideal place for reading material. The great advantage of the Web is the variety of types of material that can be made available.
LINKS
VIRGINIA FLAG
