Community Outreach and the Rollins History Departments

One of the things that concerns historians is their connection to the general reading public. Professional historians are required to publish their research. Indeed, there was a time when historians dominated the non-fiction bestsellers list.



Today, for all the hundreds of history books produced annually, few become bestsellers. Those history books widely read by the average American are often not the same books admired within the academy. The reasons for the gap between public history consumption and professional production are complex. One problem, if you wish to think of it as a problem, is that historians have, since the 1960s, been less likely to provide the "feel good" history Americans seem to prefer. Social history, and it emphasis on adding those voices "left out" has displace traditional political histories with new work focus on women, racial minorities, and class conflict. Conservative critics have warned that the shift away from classical history that celebrate national triumph invite balkanization. Nonetheless, history about everybody else has been the focus for most historians for decades. Indeed, the assumption we make within the department is that current history scholarship can find an audience outside the ivory tower. The Winter Park Public Library's Lifelong Learning Institute provides monthly speaker series and history is a popular subject for this program. Rollins History Department has worked to strengthen our relationship to the library in the hopes of promoting public interest in the diverse historical scholarship available. Dr. Jim Norris, the most recent speaker at the Jack Lane Colloquium was happy enough to take time out of his schedule to talk about his book North for the Harvest at the Winter Park Library. This kind of community outreach has been a cornerstone of Rollins' relationship with Central Florida since its founding and the Department of History has worked to live up to that tradition. By making the effort at community outreach we bolster an important institution like the Winter Park Public Library and spark further interest in innovative historical literature.