The Delaware State Archives is currently updating its long range plan for delivering patron services. As part of that internal examination, the staff assembled panels of stakeholders to discuss the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities of this excellent public repository. The institution will use insights gained from this examination to assist in framing an updated strategic plan. It was a pleasure to participate in this process with a group of advanced archives users helping with the repositories planning initiative this past Wednesday.
Month: March 2011
Talking About History of Municipal Policing to Citizen Police Academy
The first class of the Elkton Police Department’s Citizen Police Academy kicked off this evening, as members of the force welcomed 10 students to the program. The training academy gives participants a chance to get to know the operation of the department. I was pleased to be invited to the initial session to talk about the history of municipal policing in Elkton.
Reappointed to Another Term on Cecil County Historic District Commission
As a charter member of the Cecil County Historic District Commission, I’ve served on the panel since it was created in 1999. As my current term expires this month, I was just notified that the county commissioners reappointed me to serve until March 2014.
Examining the Democratization of Information With Scholars From Phi Theta Kappa
Last Friday evening I was the keynote speaker for Phi Theta Kappa’s Middle States Region Convention in Long Beach, NJ. Established in 1918, the Society recognizes and encourages academic achievement of two-year college students and provide opportunities for individual growth and development through honors, leadership, and service. Students must rank in the top 20 percent of their class to join.
The Mississippi headquartered organization puts “honors in action” by examining some intellectual subject of current interest during each convention. This year, the Society concentrated on the “democratization of information: power, peril and promise.” As the eager scholars kicked off their investigation of this subject, I introduced the history of mass media in a program called, “ This Just In: When Radio, Television and Mass Media Came of Age.”
There were about 200 energetic scholars inside the convention hall. They’d traveled from throughout the Mid-Atlantic for the 24th convention and they were eager to exchange ideas, views and opinions as they started their scholalry ivestigation of this important 21st century issue.