My final digital project is finally up and running! Everyone can check it out at http://tipsandquipsdc.wordpress.com. Tips and Quips DC is an online resource for graduates in the DC area studying history, museum studies, or any related field. This website, which is more of an interactive blogging site, allows incoming graduate students to ask questions related to any of DC’s myriad cultural institutions. Current grads can then answer questions as well as share their tips and quips to make visits to these institutions more efficient. My main hope in doing this project is that it will cultivate a discussion between grad students and help others have positive experiences at these places. The five institutions on the website include: the Library of Congress, NARA (in both DC and MD), the Smithsonian, and University Libraries.
WordPress was probably the most helpful tool I learned to use in this class. Not only did I create a great website for my final project, but I will also be using WordPress to create my online portfolio to present at Public History Day. Knowledge of this tool will definitely be a valuable skill to have on my resume while searching for jobs.
One great takeaway from this project is knowing that the National History Center will be using Tips and Quips DC in a wider project that is still in its nascent stages. The center envisions a resource for graduates that not only includes a guide for using cultural institutions but also one that shows students cheap places to eat, entertainment venues, and a system to connect graduate students to local historians in the area who can act as mentors.
Below is a look at my poster:
Just an FYI, your link doesn’t work — you need to include http:// before a URL or the browser/website interprets it as an internal link. #themoreyouknow
Great project, though! It’ll be really interesting to see this expanded on in the future.
Ah, got it. Thanks, Chris!
Hi Corey –
Just poked around your site a bit – it looks great! Just remembering how I felt when I first came to DC (way back when, a whole 9-ish months ago…), I wish something like this would have existed! I really hope it can foster a dialogue, and even help bring grad students from the various universities together. How long do you think you’ll monitor the site? I’m sure the various history department AU Facebook pages would share a link to the site, and hopefully other universities would be willing too! Now I just need to start thinking of questions to put up…. Great Job though, such a useful website!!
Laura
Hi Laura,
Thanks for the positive feedback! I will be relinquishing responsibility to the site soon, probably shortly after the end of this course. The National History Center seemed very impressed with the site, so I am hoping they will use this (or something similar) to build off of. They may even begin outreach with local universities and institutions to participate in this project if everything goes as planned. Hopefully I can stay in collaboration with them.