Last week there was a flurry of Australian history tweeting emanating from Ballarat in Victoria. The 2016 annual conference of the Australian Historical Association was held in the old gold city and over three hundred presenters from universities, galleries, libraries, archives, museums and small businesses talked all things history. I have attended the last four conferences, … [Read more...] about Tweeting the 2016 Australian Historical Association Conference
How historians work
Searching Catalogues Effectively: National Archives of Australia
While in Hobart I have been spending a lot of time in the ‘History Room’ at the State Library. This is where researchers can retrieve items from the state and national archives that are held in Hobart. In my book I want to include stories of soldiers from each state in Australia and also look at their pre-war experiences, hence my Tasmanian research. As usual I am encountering … [Read more...] about Searching Catalogues Effectively: National Archives of Australia
Reflections on a Day at Digital Humanities Australasia 2016
The field of Digital Humanities has been a significant influence on the way I work. There are many debates about the nature of Digital Humanities is but very broadly it covers the work humanities researchers do when they study the use of digital technology in society, adopt research methods which draw heavily on digital technology and present their findings using digital … [Read more...] about Reflections on a Day at Digital Humanities Australasia 2016
Second-Hand Bookshopping in Brisbane
Hubble and I enjoy rummaging through second-hand bookshops. They are treasure troves. I buy some new books, but I am building up my Australian history collection by finding out of print, sometimes obscure gems in second-hand bookshops. Often these books are hard to find in a library near me - particularly if they solely relate to a state other than the state in which I live. I … [Read more...] about Second-Hand Bookshopping in Brisbane
Researching Across Borders
In the first three months of this year I have been researching in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. As readers of this blog will have noticed I often travel to research in the archives and libraries of other cities. I have lived in all four eastern states from Hobart in the south to Atherton in Far North Queensland. From a very young age I have moved around and consequently … [Read more...] about Researching Across Borders