What can the collections of the Harvard University Libraries teach us about our early American past?
It turns out, quite a lot.
Taylor Stoermer, a Visiting Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, takes us through the Harvard Libraries’ new digital and free-to-use history archive: the Colonial North American Project.
About the Show
Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.
It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.
Each episode features a conversation with a historian who helps us shed light on important people and events in early American history.
In this episode, Taylor Stoermer, a Visiting Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, leads us on an exploration through the Harvard Libraries’ new digital history archive: The Colonial North American Project.
During our exploration, Taylor reveals what the Colonial North American Project is and details about the records in contains; The history of the Harvard University Libraries and John Hancock’s relationship with the university; And, how we can best navigate the Colonial North American Project when we want to explore its holdings.
What You’ll Discover
- The Colonial North American Project
- The number of collections the Harvard University Libraries has digitized
- The history of the Harvard University Libraries
- How the history of the Harvard University Libraries has shaped the materials it has collected
- John Hancock and his relationship with Harvard
- How to navigate and use the Colonial North American Project database
- How to maximize your ability to search the Colonial North American Project
- Myth of the digital archive
- The role women played in Harvard’s day-to-day operations
- Records about women in the Colonial North American Project database
- Strengths of the database’s collection
- Why a Harvard student joined the British Army in the middle of the War for Independence
- Harvard University Libraries’ digitization process
- How historians use and create metadata
- How the Colonial North American Project renders digitized materials
Links to People, Places, and Publications
- Taylor Stoermer
- Harvard Libraries Colonial North American Digital Project
- Episode 075: Peter Drummey, How Archives Work
- Episode 092: Sharon Block, How to Research History Online
In your opinion, what might have happened if John Harvard had not bequeathed his 400 book library and £779 sterling to “New College” or “the college at New Towne” in 1639? How would the history of the university and what we know about early American history because of its library collections be different?
Questions, Comments, Suggestions
Do you have a question, comment, or suggestion?
Enjoy the Podcast?
Why Not Subscribe?
Ratings & Reviews
If you enjoy this podcast, please give it a rating and review.
Positive ratings and reviews help bring Ben Franklin's World to the attention of other history lovers who may not be aware of our show