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ARTstor and The Museum of Modern Art have teamed up to make images from the MoMA’s collection available through the ARTstor database. Excellent news!!
As I’ve blogged about before, I’m not all that big into making New Year’s Resolutions on and around January 1st. For me — and for many other academics I know — it is the start of the academic year that gets me thinking about what I would like to do differently, areas I can improve in, etc. The fresh start of a new school year always seems to me like a much better time to make these sort of grand plans than the snowy, cold days of early January do.
As I take stock at the end of the summer I am, for the first time in my academic career, pleased with the amount of work I did over the past 4 months. Did I get everything crossed off the very ambitious list I made back in May? No, but I got quite a bit of it done. I finished up a couple of very big, daunting tasks that have been hanging over my head for…oh…well, quite some time. I also got some new writing done and have reconnected with the research I’ve been wanting to work on for a while. I took a couple of vacation-style trips (camping and hiking! yay!), but didn’t travel extensively for research this summer. I stayed home and processed/worked on the research I’ve collected from places like the British Library and Library and Archives Canada over the past few summers. One of the things that was giving me a considerable amount of angst over the last few years was that I’d gathered all this great stuff but have not found time to really work with it. It was really great to get in to this material in a meaningful way this summer. I was chatting with a friend and colleague about this a few weeks ago, and she said that she thinks this is pretty standard. That you either have to commit to travel and visiting archives/research sites in a summer OR commit to writing and processing the research previously gathered.
At any rate, I’ve begun working through the material I collected over the past few summers and am starting to see the work I want to do on this subject come together in ways that continue to excite me. My resolution for this academic new year, then, is a simple one — to keep this momentum going through the fall term. In order to do that I know I need to protect my research days with as much vigour as I can possibly muster. Term started this week and I’m happy to report that I stubbornly clung to this plan in spite of the whirlwind of meetings and back-to-class activities that are taking place right now. Let’s see if I can make it last right through until my sabbatical begins in January!
-Last night I watched the first two episodes of CBC’s The Great Food Revolution. I hadn’t intended to watch it, but the TV stayed on after Jeopardy and it only took me a few minutes to get hooked. In two hours this show covered many interesting topics — cooking schools, celebrity chefs, how sushi became popular in North America and the “behind the scenes” processes that go into the development of President’s Choice products. (and, yes, I’ll admit I’m a bit of a slave to the PC brand). Anyhow, this was a very interesting 2 hours of TV-watching and I’m looking forward to the remaining two episodes.
-I have finished the latest round of edits on a major research project that I’ve been working on for many, many years. I packaged it up and sent it off this morning. I’m still thinking of ways to celebrate the occasion. Suggestions welcome.
-I am supposed to be getting a new hot water tank today. Why does this fill me with dread? I think I’ve convinced myself that it will be more complicated that it is supposed to be. This aspect of home ownership (the upgrades and renovations that I can’t possibly fathom doing myself) freaks me out. Still, I want to avoid the situation that happened in the last rental house I lived in. In that house the bottom of the old hot water tank rusted right away and flooded the basement. It was an old house, so replacing the tank was not a straight-forward job (something about an old chimney and no chimney liner) and we were without hot water for days. I sincerely hope that I got all of my bad hot water tank karma out of the way that time and that things will be uneventful on this front today.
[Update: so, when the LivClean guy was out here setting up this whole new hot water tank dealio the other day I specifically asked him about the chimney liner, given the last experience I had with a hot water tank. He, apparently, checked and said I have a proper liner and everything would be fine. The technicians just stomped in and out of my house and couldn't do the install because, you guessed it, I didn't have a chimney liner. Whatever.]
The Brock Review is seeking submissions for an upcoming general issue (Volume 11, Number 1). Articles that focus on any research topic in the Humanities will be considered for publication, but articles addressing interdisciplinary topics are especially encouraged. Creative pieces will also be considered for publication in this issue. Deadline for submissions to this general issue is September 30, 2009.
Please visit the journal website for article guidelines and submission instructions.
The Brock Review is an online refereed journal published by the Humanities Research Institute at Brock University.
I woke up with some fresh ideas and a scary to do list this morning. I’m currently editing 2 manuscripts and, while both of those projects are going well, they are taking a bit longer than I’d like. (I actually spent over an hour on one footnote yesterday — not a simple citation, but a longer, explanatory note that was tricky to write). These are both projects that have been hanging around my life for many years. I am looking forward to moving them both out and on to the next step, whatever form that may be. I love these projects in the way one loves a cranky old relative. They are near and dear to me and I want the best for them, but sometimes they wear me down.
I realized the other day that I need to do even a little bit of work each week on my new research, generating new ideas even while I’m finishing up these older projects. It is that spark of imagination, excitement and creativity that goes with the brainstorming of a new project that I think makes academic work so addictive, what keeps us coming back and helps us to push through the bouts of writer’s block, the tedium of revisions and the sting of rejection letters.
This is why, then, I found myself brainstorming about a new piece of writing this morning even as the two aged manuscripts were sitting on the corner of my desk, giving me the evil eye. A call for papers grabbed my attention and as I was going through my morning routine of making tea, showering, etc. I couldn’t stop thinking about that CFP. A proposal must surely be written, but what form will it take, what research will it draw on? I turned to my newest favorite thing in writing productivity, Dr. Wicked’s Write or Die and hashed out a few rough thoughts. Much more work needs to be done, of course, but it is a start. I’ll keep mulling it over in the back of my head as I return to my two old friends.
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In my academic work I focus on a range of topics, but, in general, the historical period that interests me the most is the end of the 19th century and the first few decades of the 20th. I often find myself in archives, reading letters and diaries of historical figures who are significant to whatever research project I am working on at the time. This process of discovery through the day-to-day writings of my research subjects is, perhaps, one of my favourite things about doing academic work. These brittle and stained pages contain so much information and tell stories in a way that official history textbooks can not.
I wonder what will become of our day-to-day archives. It is rare that I sit down and compose a letter on paper (with a pen!) these days. Correspondence happens by email or by IM. Sure, we can save copies of emails in folders, but what happens when the current software and operating systems we use become obsolete? How many personal stories will be lost from our generation? What kind of archive will we leave for those curious about the world in the early decades of the 21st century?
In a few hours I will be participating on a panel with 3 other Brock faculty members as part of the new faculty orientation events that are going on this week. The theme of the panel is “What I Wish I’d Known” and we each have 10 minutes to talk about things we know now that we wish we’d known when we first started at Brock. It is meant to be conversational, but I thought I’d take the time to write out some of these ideas here as it will help me organize my thoughts.
1)I’ve learned how important collaboration is. Academic life can sometimes be a solitary one — sure, you are among other human beings when you are in front of a large lecture hall, but the bare bones material of academia comes from hours of research, reading and writing which are largely solitary activities. I’m an introvert and I find these quiet activities quite soothing and enjoyable, but since arriving at Brock I’ve also learned that it is really important to collaborate with others on some of this type of work. There are a number of benefits, including getting to know your colleagues and being able to approach a research question or classroom material from different perspectives. Some examples of collaborative projects I’ve undertaken at Brock include:
-collaborating with the liaison librarian for our Department in the planning of my classes, particularly the large first year “Intro to Visual Culture” class. Together we have developed assignments and assessment methods to help students improve on existing research competencies. We each have different academic backgrounds and areas of expertise and by combining these we have been able to come up with approaches that neither one of us would likely have done if we’d been working on our own. I’ve certainly seen the difference that having this included in my course makes in terms of student writing and research skills.
-collaborating with three other faculty members to plan and host Greenscapes, an interdisciplinary conference on how gardens have functioned (and continue to function) in human societies. Again, we each came to the project with different areas of expertise and, as a result, worked very well together as a team. The original conference was held in October 2007 and we are in the midst of planning for the October 2009 conference — look for the CFP to go out soon!
2)I’ve learned that it is really tough to maintain the 40-40-20 balance. (*note: at Brock, like most universities, our contract stipulates that 40% of our professional time should be spent on teaching, 40% on research and 20% on admin/service to the university). In my experience it has been more like 70-10-20, with 70% of my time being taken up by teaching. I’ve discovered that teaching will expand to fill as much time as you allow it. I suppose it is natural to focus on teaching because the rewards/repercussions are so immediate (i.e.: “I have class tomorrow and haven’t finished putting my slides together!”), whereas we all know how long it takes to get something written and published, so it is easy to fall into the “what’s one more day?” trap. What happens, of course, is that one more day turns into one more week which turns into one more month, and before we know it the term is wrapped up and very little time has been spent on research.
I expected to struggle with this in my first year as I’d been warned about how long it takes just to settle in to a new city, a new job and a new university. Also, of course, you are typically prepping new classes in the first year of a new job and those do tend to take a bit more energy and time. I was not, however, expecting the pattern to continue in my second year, but it did. I’m beginning my third year at Brock and will have to make a conscious effort to stick to the 40-40-20 allocation of my time. I have a number of strategies that I am employing to do this:
-First of all, I’ve found some colleagues who are struggling with the same issues and we’ve agreed to check in on each other on a regular basis. Perhaps we’ll meet for coffee to discuss our research or maybe if our schedules are too hectic we can check-in over email. The point is to be externally accountable to someone, to have someone ask things like — “hey, did you finish those manuscript edits yet?”
-I’ve also started a private WordPress blog that I use to track daily goals and progress. This is a modified idea I got from reading Paul de Silva’s How to Write a Lot, a book Katharine recommended to me. One of his suggestions was to keep a spreadsheet where you track your progress. I have tried this (and will probably continue to try this), but I found it too constrained for my liking. I wanted more room for narrative and felt myself thinking, “I’m in the arts, I’m not an accountant” as I entered in my numbers on the Excel columns. So I’ve supplemented the spreadsheet with the blog where I can freewrite (a tip I learned in grad school when the guru of dissertation writing, Joan Bolker, did a workshop at Queen’s), keep lists and track what I’ve done and what needs doing for the variety of projects I’ve got on the go.
3)I’ve also learned how important it is to find activities outside of work and to take the time to get to know the area in which you live, especially if you’ve moved to a new city/region to begin working. I know that the “to do” lists seem a mile high, but things will still get done if you take a Sunday afternoon off to visit a farmer’s market or go for a hike. In Niagara, we are lucky to have oodles of fruit stands and wineries, and one of my favourite ways to de-stress and get familiar with my new surroundings was to visit these places on the weekend. There are also a number of great places to go walking — Short Hills Provincial Park is a new favourite of mine, but there are many other spots to explore.
I’ve also recently taken out a membership at the YMCA and am amazed at how taking the time to go for a swim helps me feel so much better — I sleep better, I don’t feel as stressed out, and those aches and pains in my neck from spending so much time at my desk have nearly vanished. It almost seems counter-intuitive to stop what I’m doing and head on over to the pool when I’ve got overdue writing projects, courses to plan, meetings to attend, etc., but in the short time that I’ve been doing this I’ve come to understand how this will actually help me get more work done in the long run. I hope I can keep it up through the fall and winter months.
Alright — I’m off to campus to take part in this panel. I’m looking forward to hearing what the other participants have to say on this subject!
I can tell it is nearing the end of May as I’m starting to feel more energetic and inspired. The May blahs happen every year and I don’t know why. You’d think it would be the most exciting of months — spring flowers are blooming, the promise of new beginnings in terms of research projects and travel, etc. But instead I usually spend the entire month feeling wrung out, tired and guilty for not being able to jump head first into my research. On an intellectual level I know that the transition from teaching days to research days takes time (and, yes, I know that good pedagogy involves one’s research, but I’m talking about what the day-to-day pattern looks like — am I prepping for class or am I at my desk writing a draft of an article?), yet each May I struggle with this. And, just as regularly, towards the end of May I start feeling energetic and excited about research projects I’m working on.
I’ve spent this week in the archives doing research on a really interesting woman who I first learned about 13 years ago. I’d sort of forgotten all about her in recent years, but she popped into my mind the other day and, on a whim, I decided to spend some time digging about in the archives this week in an attempt to piece together more of her story. It is fascinating. I’m still processing all that I’m reading, so I am not ready to post it here yet, but I will one day. I spent the entire day today reading letters, wonderful handwritten letters that are so tender and intimate. I fell in love with the story being told through these letters and was completely mesmerized. I slipped into that weird state of mind that only happens to me when I’m doing archival research — I zone out and ignore all else but the documents I’m working with. The hours just fly by and sometimes I even forget to eat! When I’m doing this kind of work I’m struck by the play between the very personal stories and the way those stories fit within the broader framework and context of visual culture studies. With each of the letters I read today I learned more about the day-to-day reality of being a photographer prior to WWII. I also saw a side of a woman who was much more than a “historical figure,” and this became especially evident as I read about her fears, her loves, her dreams and her ideas. I can’t wait to go back and read more tomorrow. I’m most certainly going to run out of days on this research trip!
The British Library recently released the results of a study which supports what a lot of us who use web-based applications in our teaching have noticed, namely that people are not necessarily any more or less web literate because of the year in which they were born. The study points to findings which indicate that the so-called “Google Generation” does not possess any special aptitude for internet research simply because of their age. The study concludes that it is important to teach critical thinking and analytical skills relating to conducting internet research instead of assuming that people in certain age groups naturally possess this kind of knowledge. In other words, a sense of familiarity with computers and internet applications does not simply translate into the level of information literacy that is often assumed of those who spend a lot of time online. For more on this study, click here.
Over at The Chronicle of Higher Education, Aimee Parkinson writes about the academic “disease” of footnotitis or, “the chronic misuse of footnotes.” While I agree with the premise that footnotes are not the place to insert bits of research you don’t otherwise wish to acknowledge or respond to, I feel the need to stick up for footnotes that are big, fat and deliciously juicy. I love seeing expanded footnote/endnotes in a book or article, but I fear they are falling out of fashion. I’m always a little disappointed when I flip to the notes and see just the standard citation information. I want to be referred to other research, to read interesting tidbits or to see points expanded upon in the notes. I think of this as “value added” info for people who are interested enough or diligent enough to read the notes, sort of like a little intellectual reward.
