Public History

After a semester spent focusing on public history, I have a much richer understanding of what my field actually is.  Since most people I talk to have never heard of public history before (I also hadn't until three years ago,) I usually try to explain it, but it's pretty difficult to summarize.  I still don't have my elevator speech down, but here is an attempt at a longer definition:

Public History means doing history in and for the public, as its name suggests.  It is a newer development within the field of history and continues to change based on new research, new attitudes, and new technologies.  What falls under the umbrella of public history itself is diverse and requires a wide range of skills. Public historians work in multiple sectors, including historic sites, archives, museums, community organizations, academia, and government agencies.  However, all public historians share a knowledge and understanding of history and the public.  This means that public historians have the analytical and interpretational skills required for conducting sound historical work, but that their work is also shaped in an effort to engage and meet the needs of various audiences.

So that's a general explanation, but it doesn't say as much about public history in practice!  The blog History@Work gives a better sense of what sort of projects public historians work on, and for a more about public history, the National Council on Public History has a page dedicated to just that topic: What is Public History?  

One of the main parts of being a public historian is understanding the public, so it would be interesting to hear any comments about how you interact with history - whether from sharing family stories to visiting historic sites (and what you hope to get out of those visits).