National Council on Public History - NCPH

Eighteen people are hoping for feedback on their optional early topic proposals for NCPH 2027 next spring in St. Louis! If you’re hoping to find a session to join, or you have a few minutes to spare to help guide aspiring presenters, check out the topic proposals and leave a comment or send an email by this Friday, June 5. https://ncph.org/phc/2027-topic-proposals/

NCPH's Professional Development Committee is pleased to present, for the sixth running, Book Club! All are welcome to join the one-hour virtual discussions. These events are free, low-pressure, and informal, so the only preparation you need is to get your hands on the books and read! Registration is now open at: https://community.ncph.org/event/PHBookClub2026

July 21 at 7 pm ET: We Were Illegal: Uncovering a Texas Family’s Mythmaking and Migration by Jessica Goudeau

August 18 at 7 pm ET: Fleshing the Archive: An Intimate Genealogy of Chicana Knowledge Praxis by María Eugenia Cotera

If you’re an NCPH member, don’t miss the opportunity to shape how our organization supports you and the field for years to come! Complete the Membership Survey delivered to your email inbox in 10 minutes or less by this Sunday, May 31. Your feedback will help focus our committees’ work on executing NCPH’s 2023-2028 Long Range Plan.

Our excellent grad assistant, Monica Berg, leaves us this week after graduating with her MA in public history from IU Indianapolis. You may have met her last spring in Montréal, where she was indispensable in helping to run our 2025 conference, or at this week’s mini-con in DC, which she planned and coordinated as her culminating project with us. Even if you never met her, you probably used one of the many NCPH resources she worked on: the jobs page, where she added 30+ jobs a week on a regular basis; the weekly email update, which she edited and helped to write; and the bi-weekly Around the Field listing of events and opportunities for History@Work. We’ve loved working with Monica and know wherever she goes next will be lucky to have her–please join us in thanking her!

The next Grumpy Hour is Thursday, June 4, at 7pm ET! Join us for this informal and free social event, designed to create connection and provide for anyone working in public or hoping to. Register to get the Zoom link: https://community.ncph.org/event/GrumpySpring2026

The final webinar in our series, “How to Get Published in Nontraditional Outlets,” is Tuesday, June 2, at 6pm ET! Speakers Cornelia Lambert (Acquisitions Editor, Nursing Clio), Hayley Noble (Public Historian and Freelance Writer), and Stacie Taranto (Editor, Made by History series) will offer expertise and advice on publishing in nontraditional outlets like peer-edited and features. Registration is still open at: https://community.ncph.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=2044723

Check out the newest entry in The Inclusive Historian's Handbook, “Science,” discussing an inclusive history of for museums and historic sites. Authors Debra A. Reid and Karen-Beth G. Scholthof give advice on how to interpret science at your and , such as exploring how communities have been and are affected by science. The Inclusive Historian’s Handbook is cosponsored by NCPH and the American Association for State and Local History. https://inclusivehistorian.com/science/

NCPH members–have you completed the Membership Survey in your email inbox yet? We encourage you to grab a coffee, tea, or beverage of choice and sit down to complete the survey in ten minutes or less. This is your opportunity to share how you have been affected by recent events impacting the field and to help our committees understand how we can best support you.

18 people have submitted preliminary topic proposals for the April 2027 annual meeting in St. Louis, Missouri! We invite members of the NCPH community to provide feedback, connect with likeminded folks on possible sessions, and weigh in with specific expertise where requested by June 5. Final topic proposals are due June 15, 2026. https://ncph.org/phc/2027-topic-proposals/