On March 17, 2009, the Barra Foundation approved the application of University of Pennsylvania Press for a Planning Grant for the Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia project. This grant will allow us to launch the project with a Civic Partnership and Planning Workshop at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania on April 16-17, 2009. The workshop will create a collaborative foundation for the Encyclopedia and seek to identify points of cooperation with other projects and civic organizations. The workshop also will identify information needs and seek advice from the participants about the future form and content of the Encyclopedia. This workshop adds to the Barra Foundation’s arts and culture initiatives, such as the documentary television series with the working title America’s First Great City: Philadelphia (History Making Productions), which will be represented at the event. Additional support for the workshop comes from Southwest Airlines and the Union League of Philadelphia. For further details, see the “Civic Partnership and Planning Workshop” link on this page.
Blog Author: cmires, page 4
Prospectus Update
Our Draft Prospectus has been updated to include the steps taken to launch The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia project from January through March 2009. We look forward to applying the advice of the Civic Partnership and Planning Workshop when we create the next evolution of this guiding document for the project.
Read about Bob Skiba in the Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer on Friday published a front-page feature story about Bob Skiba, who helped to form our partnership with the Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides. Bob is currently president of the Tour Guides and heads the archives at the William Way Community Center in Philadelphia. Read all about it. Congratulations also to the Tour Guides on completion of their recent certification training and examination — as a result, twenty-nine newly certified guides are prepared for the tourist season of 2011.
Register now for the Greater Philadelphia Roundtable
Registration is now open for the final three programs in the “Phrasing Philadelphia” series of the Greater Philadelphia Roundtable. Please join us for these discussions and contribute your suggestions for the Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia:
- “City of Firsts” – Thursday, January 19, 6:30-8 p.m., at the Franklin Institute.
- “Philadelphia, the Place That Loves You Back” – Wednesday, February 22, 6:30-8 p.m., at the Independence Visitor Center.
- “City of Neighborhoods, City of Homes” – Wednesday, March 28, 6:30-8 p.m., at the Philadelphia History Museum at the Atwater Kent.
For information on all programs and to register in advance, please visit https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/events.
We look forward to your participation in this unprecedented exploration of Philadelphia’s history and experience.
Spotlight on Children’s Television
This week our Children’s Television essay is featured by Rutgers Media Relations in a news release by Ed Moorehouse. The article calls attention to the Rutgers-Camden connections of the two authors, Vibiana Bowman Cvetkovic of the Robeson Library and the Ph.D. program in Childhood Studies, and Brandi Scardilli, who earned her M.A. from the Rutgers-Camden Department of History. In the interview, the essay authors also comment on children’s television programming today. Update: Listen to Vibiana Bowman Cvetkovic discuss her research on WHYY-FM, broadcast May 9, 2012.
Summer 2022 Call for Authors
During Summer 2022, The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia seeks authors to write essays to finish important subject categories linking the Philadelphia region with the nation and the world. For the list of available topics and further information, link here.
Publication in The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia is an opportunity to share expertise with a wide general audience. Our scope of coverage encompasses Philadelphia and the nearby region, including southeastern Pennsylvania, South Jersey, and northern Delaware. Prospective authors should have publications or other demonstrated expertise in their subjects, and all submissions will be peer-reviewed. Accepted essays will be published online and considered for inclusion in prospective print volumes, and modest compensation is available.
Author guidelines: link here.
Tacony Adds Tips for Topics
Our latest information session took place on Saturday, February 27, at the branch library in Tacony, “the community that bridges yesterday with tomorrow.” Among the library’s treasures are the minute books of the Keystone Scientific and Literary Association, founded in Tacony in 1876. To stir up interest, the association organized a debate on the topic, “Are athletic sports, as at present conducted, beneficial to the students?” The next debate tackled the question, “Does the reading of novels have a beneficial effect upon the community?” We can only hope some debate occurred on January 23, 1877, when a Rev. Mr. Kidder lectured on the topic, “Dry as dust — the Historian” ! Thanks to our hosts at Tacony and to everyone who suggested topics for the Encyclopedia. These are now posted on-line, and we look forward to receiving more in the suggestion box that will remain at the library for the month of March.
Thank you for supporting our “Backgrounder” proposal in the Knight News Challenge
When we asked our friends and partners to support us in the Knight News Challenge, you responded – thank you! Our online “likes” doubled in just two days, and we concluded the competition period with 194 “likes” and 92 comments on our proposal. While the competition urged us to focus on the quantity of participation, we are especially pleased by the quality of the online discussion, which demonstrated support while also posing good questions and offering additional ideas. The winners of this funding from the Knight Foundation will be announced in June.
Thank You for Supporting us in the News Challenge
We were so grateful and impressed by your expressions of support for our application in the Knight News Challenge. We have learned that our proposal will not be advancing to the next round of the competition — in all, more than 1,100 applications were submitted and all but 51 were eliminated in the first round of screening. Although we are disappointed, we are glad for the positive developments that emerged from our collective effort. We have attracted new, enthusiastic potential partners for the future, and we have more than 200 followers for the @Backgrounders Twitter feed that we started for connecting history with the news. We will continue to use this to serve the public and add value to the Encyclopedia project. To follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/Backgrounders. To see the projects advancing to further consideration in the Knight News Challenge, and comments about the selection process, follow this link: http://newschallenge.tumblr.com/post/20962258701/knight-news-challenge-on-networks-moving-to-the-next.
The Scribe of Camden
Howard Gillette — whose dedication to the Encyclopedia project shaped our vision of a regional information gateway, based in civic engagement — is featured prominently in today’s Philadelphia Inquirer. The column by Kevin Riordan focuses on Gillette’s research on the postindustrial history of the City of Camden in addition to his work to promote inclusive public history projects such as the President’s House site in Philadelphia. Read the article.