Mmm . . . got an email several days ago announcing the debut of a new web site published by the Department of History at the University of Texas at Austin.
Titled Not Even Past after the famous William Faulkner quote
The past is never dead. It’s not even past
the site claims to
speak to everyone interested in the past and in the ways the past lives on in the present.
The authors go on to suggest:
History leaves no life untouched and the story of every life deserves to be told. Not Even Past is, first and foremost, a home for these stories. It is also a place for all who are interested in history to meet one another and share their viewpoints, to learn what books and films historians are reading and watching, and to gather perspectives on national, international, and Texas events of contemporary interest.
And so far, it’s a good start.
Not Even Past is broken up into several different sections including:
Each section looks at different events through different media – Read equals book review, Watch equal video overviews . . . you get the idea. The concept is a good one.
Create a place for history people to get together and talk history stuff.
But I would have liked a bit richer and deeper selection. Most of the sections contain a very limited number of goodies. I could have also done without the Texas section but like they say, “it’s a whole ‘nother country” so . . . And I understand it’s a university history department but it wouldn’t hurt to be a bit more K-12 friendly.
That said, I do think it will become a very useful place for history geeks to hang out, read new things, learn new stuff and meet other history geeks. I especially like their idea of offering virtual “classes” that provide a different way of discussing history and history books.
The site’s got a large-ish team of folks working to create content and it will continue to get better. Head over, register and join the conversation.
