On the Road Again

I've long imagined what this blog might look like. A little over a year ago, Oklahoma City University graciously offered me a semester research leave to work on my next book (more on that later). OCU is primarily a teaching institution, with bright students and deeply engaged faculty--I feel very lucky to work alongside such talented and dedicated people. But working at a smaller institution does present some limitations. Many younger faculty have been trained in hyper-competative graduate programs that increasingly stress the mantra of publish or perish. Sometimes I feel like we live double lives. In one life, we spend inordinate hours prepping courses, many on 4-3 teaching loads, participate in workshops meant to better our pedagogy, and meet with students in one-on-one consultations during long office hours. In our other lives, we engage in scholarship as if employed at a research institution--presenting at multiple conferences each year, sending articles off to major journals, and even publishing books through university presses. For those of us who share these experiences, I often wonder, how do we stay sane? Last week I posted a query to friends on Facebook about what to name this blog; most suggestions included a wordplay with my last name--The Bussiness, Chitty Chitty Buss-Buss, Just Busst a Move, History Bussness, Bussting Out, Myth Busster (one of my favorites). Perhaps the most revealing suggestion came from a former advisee and current graduate student at NYU, "I drink for a reason." Our academic lives certainly can, at times, seem overwhelming.

Oklahoma City University may be that rare school that places emphasis on teaching yet actively supports faculty scholarship--writing groups, financial assistance, institutional recognition and awards. For this, I feel especially blessed. In December I could have left the university and set off for research, returning in August with product in hand. But, in teaching a methodology course last fall semester, I realized the dangers of working in isolation. I've often taught about the process of research and stressed to students the importance of working within a scholarly community. How could I leave them with that message and then set off alone to conduct research? I rarely find examples of historians who write about the process of historical research--especially in a venue that's accessible to students. So, I wondered, why not let students and colleagues in on the next six months of my life? And, what has prevented me from doing this up to this point in my career? Perhaps, it's the admission that, no matter how much I'd like to think of myself as the Anthony Bourdain of historical research, most people simply find my profession boring. Nonetheless, I figured, someone might find this stuff interesting. Right?

This webpage is the product of those thoughts and a newfound courage to expose the methods of my madness to viewers of the interwebs. At its core "Historian on the Go" is a blog that provides a window into the methodologies employed by historians on a daily basis. It is also my means of soliciting input from the larger academic and scholarly community (including many of you, my current and former students). It will also serve as a place for me to muse about living on the road. Over the course of the next six months, I hope to chronicle all of this for those willing to tolerate my writing and ranting.

I realize that blogs exist in the netherworld of cyberspace, but they also are written by people in brick and mortar places. So here I am, drinking a cup of coffee, enjoying a heavenly piece of cheesecake, listening to Elton John croon Tiny Dancer, and clacking away at my laptop. In a nostalgic nod to my academic roots, I wanted to begin this blog where my career started--Grounds for Thought (Coffee Shop) in Bowling Green, Ohio. More than a decade ago, I wandered into this coffeehouse seeking quiet refuge from an apartment-full of college roommates (and on a quest to find an acceptable cup of coffee). Fourteen years later, the building looks the same but the person typing at this computer has changed. I often wonder what life would have been like had I not wandered into this place.

Truth be told, I didn't travel all the way from Oklahoma to Ohio for a cup of coffee. Instead, I trekked to Bowling Green to visit former mentors, colleagues, and graduate students (prior to receiving a PhD from Purdue University, I attended BGSU and then returned in 2007 to work as a visiting professor). I almost always begin research by reaching out to smart people. The first person I sought was a mentor from graduate school, Professor Ed Danziger. Over a hamburger and fries, he reminded me of the importance of using opportunities like this to teach students about the methods of our profession. I shared my idea for this blog and warned him that he would appear in the initial post. He didn't seem worried (perhaps he realized the minuscule audience for blogs by Jim Buss). Tomorrow I'm meeting with a former colleague, Ruth Herndon. She began her time at BGSU the same year that taught here. One of her PhD students, and a former teaching assistant of mine, is presenting a paper at the Ohio Seminar in Early American History and Culture on the campus of The Ohio State University tomorrow afternoon. The seminar, and drive to Columbus, will present an opportunity to chat with Professor Herndon and her students. A dinner tomorrow night will include a few faculty and friends who teach at OSU. I'm excited about the conversations that routinely follow such colloquiums.

I know I haven't shared my project yet--that will come tomorrow--but I wanted to launch this blog and give students and colleagues time to start following posts. Please feel free to share the blog with others, including students. And, please provide feedback and comments on stories posted on the site. My own archival research won't begin again for a few weeks, but I'll spend the intervening time recounting archival work conducted over the course of three weeks in January. Get ready for tales about Native American ghosts, buried treasure, and oddly placed Sioux warrior statues in eastern Indiana.

Until tomorrow.