Historical work is collaborative work, and this issue of The Federalist features several projects and achievements related to federal history that were made possible through professional collaborations and collective action. In this issue, the African American History Curatorial Collective at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History discusses the origins, evolution, and accomplishments of their collective. The Government Accountability Office’s History Community of Practice explains how they collaborated to coordinate organization-wide commemorative activities for their agency’s centennial. Tim Frank and Allison Finkelstein highlight the significant and varied accomplishments of the staff at the Arlington National Cemetery History Office through the pandemic years, 2020 and 2021. And Louise E. Shaw describes the early partnerships that resulted in the establishment and growth of the David J. Sencer Museum at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
I am also privileged to announce a new, ongoing, collaborative feature in this issue of The Federalist. “From the Library’s Manuscript Collections” is a newly conceived column where staff of the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress can highlight different subject areas and collections within their holdings. This column is made possible through the support and combined efforts of Josh Levy, Barbara Bair, Liz Novara, the LOC Manuscript Division and its Chief, Janice E. Ruth, and JJ Harbster of the LOC’s Science, Technology & Business Division. Historian Barbara Bair describes the Manuscript Division’s fascinating collections related to literature, culture, and the arts, in this edition of “From the Library’s Manuscript Collections.” I hope you enjoy reading it and look forward to future installments!
Comments and suggestions are welcome at shfgfederalist@gmail.com or on Twitter @faithtomfaith.
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