What is Copyright?
Still, to this day, Copyright and the Internet are still in a state of flux due to many issues not being resolved.
According to George Mason's University's Website , Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States (title 17, U.S. Code) to the authors of "original works of authorship" including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, architectural and certain other intellectual works. This protection is available to both published and unpublished works.
As a historian, this becomes very gray and slightly confusing due to the face that material in the public domain is intellectual property. Before I proceed, the public domain refers to the creative materials that are not protected by intellectual property laws such as copyright, trademark, or patent laws. The public owns the work NOT any individuals. The problem is that anyone can use a public domain work without obtaining permission, but no one can ever own it. I know it is confusing - welcome to the historian life. Especially since a lot of work before the 20th century isn't copyrighted until around 1945 (everything is copyrighted so beware my fellow historians!).
Always be sure to add links if you are using another person's work so, the individual can see the other individuals website that you used as a reference! Don't be a moron.
American Battlefield Trust is a prime example for historians! The ABT has copyrighted all of their animated maps so whenever one wants to use this map, you must provide credit to the American Battlefield Trust! Besides, they would love to have their foundation promoted so it is a win-win for everyone!
Another example would be a fellow historian creating a research blog such as this by fellow historian Chrisptoher Fennell. He has all the rights and copyrights reserved for his research so, no one can claim his study as their own for his research on James Monroe's Land Holdings.
I hope someone learned something today!
Wednesday, June 5, 2019
Thursday, May 30, 2019
Historians Connecting to Social Media:
On the Right hand side of my blog, underneath my personal story, you will see that I have added a few history pages that I follow daily:
1. Ask Historians
https://www.facebook.com/pg/askhistorians/about/?ref=page_internal
Ask Historians is a community of professional and independent historians who answer the public's questions in an "academically satisfying yet accessible fashion" to please its audiences. They have around 4,000 people following them and these geniuses know how to keep history entertaining so anyone could follow them! Take a peak!
2. BBC Archive
https://www.facebook.com/BBCArchive
The BBC Archive takes you down memory lane by displaying its collective past by discovering themed collections as far back to the 1930s! Their Facebook page displays different collections of radio and TV, documents, and photographs of literally everything and anything. I found their Facebook page interesting because they have a segment everyday called "Today in history.." where they will discuss a photo or newspaper article from the current date back to the 1930s!
Extra Credit:
1. journey_into_the_past (Instagram Account)
I am seriously obsessed with my Instagram account and following my friends and other local historians in the area. In this particular account, she is both my fellow friend and local historian, Sarah! She blogs about all museums and historic sites that she has visited and discusses the historical context within each property. Definitely worth checking out!
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
Historical Sites
Hi Everyone!
I have included two historical sites that one could use to look around through Northern Virginia history!
Fairfax County in Virginia created a website for one to experience the history around NOVA while proving you the locations! They even discuss George Washington's Mount Vernon, and the famous Battle of Bull Run in Manassas.
https://www.fxva.com/things-to-do/attractions/historic-sites/
This article examines museums within the Northern Virginia region. This article looks in each county and discusses the different historical museums and historical preservation centers to peak a historian's interest! They also provide contact and address information!
https://www.northernvirginiamag.com/guides-museums-and-history/
I have included two historical sites that one could use to look around through Northern Virginia history!
Fairfax County in Virginia created a website for one to experience the history around NOVA while proving you the locations! They even discuss George Washington's Mount Vernon, and the famous Battle of Bull Run in Manassas.
https://www.fxva.com/things-to-do/attractions/historic-sites/
This article examines museums within the Northern Virginia region. This article looks in each county and discusses the different historical museums and historical preservation centers to peak a historian's interest! They also provide contact and address information!
https://www.northernvirginiamag.com/guides-museums-and-history/
Sunday, May 26, 2019
Commentary of the Local Area (Northern Virginia) on Libraries and Universities
Luckily, in my region, digital collections and exhibits are extremely serious by the public and private sector. We are going to discuss five different libraries within the region: Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax County, Prince William County, and Leesburg.
Alexandria - The collection overview resources include birth and death certificates, church and cemetery information (very growing collection), and information on local archaeological projects within the area. One of the biggest collections that the Alexandria library has to offer is the Genealogy sector for Virginia families which includes microfilm and dozens of genealogical journals. They also have online exhibits too!
Arlington - According to their website, they have a decent collection of maps and local newspaper on microfilm. Unfortunately, I never had the chance to visit this library however, this website is not user friendly like Alexandria's and Fairfax County's. On their website it states "... Some of the collection is kept at a repository off-site, please phone or email ahead to assure that material you wish to use will be available when you arrive" so, you better know what you are looking for!
Fairfax County - The Fairfax County Regional Library (Virginia Room) has beautifully preserved and collected local historic resources for the public. On their website, "Researchers can find historical information on Fairfax County individuals, locations, and events." Luckily, I have been to this site and the staff is more than eager to help and assist! They also have local history library events for anyone to join.
Leesburg - The Thomas Balch Library's special collections promote archives and manuscripts along with cemetery records, and census records to have a wide variety of rare and unique materials. Again, this website seems not user-friendly so, be warned. They are a lot of PDF files for each sub section in the Special Collections Page to show their historical research.
Prince William County - This website claims that it provides free access to thousands of online and digital resources however, again, this is probably the most confused website to look for historic data and research. You must have a library card to even access any historical research!
Any Comments or Questions? Just ask! Thanks for viewing!
Alexandria - The collection overview resources include birth and death certificates, church and cemetery information (very growing collection), and information on local archaeological projects within the area. One of the biggest collections that the Alexandria library has to offer is the Genealogy sector for Virginia families which includes microfilm and dozens of genealogical journals. They also have online exhibits too!
Arlington - According to their website, they have a decent collection of maps and local newspaper on microfilm. Unfortunately, I never had the chance to visit this library however, this website is not user friendly like Alexandria's and Fairfax County's. On their website it states "... Some of the collection is kept at a repository off-site, please phone or email ahead to assure that material you wish to use will be available when you arrive" so, you better know what you are looking for!
Fairfax County - The Fairfax County Regional Library (Virginia Room) has beautifully preserved and collected local historic resources for the public. On their website, "Researchers can find historical information on Fairfax County individuals, locations, and events." Luckily, I have been to this site and the staff is more than eager to help and assist! They also have local history library events for anyone to join.
Leesburg - The Thomas Balch Library's special collections promote archives and manuscripts along with cemetery records, and census records to have a wide variety of rare and unique materials. Again, this website seems not user-friendly so, be warned. They are a lot of PDF files for each sub section in the Special Collections Page to show their historical research.
Prince William County - This website claims that it provides free access to thousands of online and digital resources however, again, this is probably the most confused website to look for historic data and research. You must have a library card to even access any historical research!
Any Comments or Questions? Just ask! Thanks for viewing!
Final Project for HIS 218
As for my final project, I will be creating a story board map of Brentsville, VA. Along with this class, I will be also interning at the Brentsville Courthouse Historic Center in Virginia. I would be conducting a brief history for each building within the property. I will also share photos inside the buildings to provide a "virtual tour". Wish me luck!
The Coming of Digital Era for Historians
For many people, like myself, the internet seems pretty daunting. You can find literally anything on the internet from cooking recipes to how to play an instrument, and connect with friends via social media, and even find the most interesting archives from the Library of Congress.
I was reading an excerpt from Daniel J Cohen and Roy Rosenzweig, as they are discussing the importance of digital media for today's historian. The internet (no one calls it the World Wide Web anymore) is so accessible to anyone which is inevitable to a historian especially upon receiving and transcribing information. On the other hand, the internet even allows historians to expand their audiences to teachers, students, or the general public instead of other fellow historians. For example, teachers could use an educational curriculum from a local historian to create discussions with the students on local history within their community. On the other hand, this information can also create interactivity between the two parties for a two-way medium to provide feedback. Many historic websites offer dialogue and welcome suggestions on how to create their platform more "consumer-friendly". Unfortunately, we all can find plenty of inaccurate information especially for history. Luckily, most of our history surpasses the web hence, the web or website will offer crucial evidence to the source of the inaccuracy. This article is about understanding why a historian would want to build a historic blog or website with the points of discussion that I made in the beginning of this post.
http://chnm.gmu.edu/digitalhistory/introduction/
I was reading an excerpt from Daniel J Cohen and Roy Rosenzweig, as they are discussing the importance of digital media for today's historian. The internet (no one calls it the World Wide Web anymore) is so accessible to anyone which is inevitable to a historian especially upon receiving and transcribing information. On the other hand, the internet even allows historians to expand their audiences to teachers, students, or the general public instead of other fellow historians. For example, teachers could use an educational curriculum from a local historian to create discussions with the students on local history within their community. On the other hand, this information can also create interactivity between the two parties for a two-way medium to provide feedback. Many historic websites offer dialogue and welcome suggestions on how to create their platform more "consumer-friendly". Unfortunately, we all can find plenty of inaccurate information especially for history. Luckily, most of our history surpasses the web hence, the web or website will offer crucial evidence to the source of the inaccuracy. This article is about understanding why a historian would want to build a historic blog or website with the points of discussion that I made in the beginning of this post.
http://chnm.gmu.edu/digitalhistory/introduction/
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