The 2013 Spring SHA Newsletter!

The 2013 Spring edition of the SHA Newsletter is now wending its way via mail to SHA members who receive the print version. Digital subscribers have had access for the last week. Content highlights this issue include the print version of the 2014 Québec City call for papers, and a summary of the 2013 SHA awards from Terry Majewski. There are also submissions from Student subcommittee, the Public Education and Interpretation Committee about the 2013 Leicester conference, and from the Governmental Affairs Committee on the work being undertaken on SHA’s behalf in lobbying the US Congress.

The regular Current Research and Images of the Past features have a particularly international flavor this issue, with Images of the Past touching on the roots of historical archaeology in Brazil, while Current Research includes articles on work in Austria, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Argentina and – demonstrating just how global historical is in both practice and themes – the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu. There are also plenty of current research contributions from the United States and Canada, so no one need feel left out.

The deadline for submissions to the summer issue is the 1st of June. If you have some news about current research you’d like to share with SHA’s increasingly global membership, consider getting in touch with your regional coordinator (see the Newsletter for contact details), who’ll be happy to help. Or if you have opinions about issues pertinent to historical archaeology you’d like to include in the Opinion and Debate section, please feel free to contact the Editor directly – I’ll likewise be happy to offer guidance on appropriate submissions.

Are you interested in receiving the SHA Newsletter? Anyone can access previous versions of the newsletter in the Newsletter Archive, but only SHA members can receive the most current issue. Join the SHA here, and get your newsletter before everyone else!

SHA Website Revamped and Expanded for 2012

 

Over 2011 there have been significant changes to the SHA Website that are only now seeing the light of day. Perhaps the most significant change will be a complete revamping of the site design to make it more user-friendly by easing navigation and of course make it even more visually appealing. The site design will launch over the next few weeks so be prepared for the change!

New features of the SHA Website are growing everyday, like this Blog initiatied by Terry Brock and the Social Media Subcommittee. Other new features launched in 2011 include:

A new Online Forum where professionals can discuss hot-button topics, artifact identifications, and nearly any other interesting aspect of Historical Archaeology. All you need to do is log into the member’s section of the SHA Website, and then read the instructions provided on the Member’s Homepage in PDF format. Then click on the “Forum” link on the left bar and you are off. Currently, there is an ongoing discussion of African cross marks on material culture moderated by Journal Editor Joe Joseph and President-Elect Charlie Ewen.

The Publications Explorer has also seen some revamping, thanks to the efforts of Joe Joseph, and University of Montana Graduate Student Riley Auge. To help researchers find resources that fit their needs, Riley has coded each article produced by the SHA since 1967 with keywords ranging from Time Period, to Region, to individual subjects. This is a new robust tool to help educators and researchers find just the article(s) they need for classes or projects.

In following posts I will share more information on other facets of the SHA Website that have been added in the last few years, but also provide a glimpse of other changes on the website, such as the preview of our new design above!

I would be remiss without thanking the whole Website team for their efforts in 2011, including Spectral Fusion Designs at the University of Montana, Jono Mogstad the SHA Webmaster, and of course my whole Advisorial Committee. The Website is a sizable beast to wrangle, and all these individuals and many more make my job a whole lot easier.