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M. Brett

@mebrett.bsky.social
1.3K followers 451 following 531 posts

Historian (public, digital, Early United States), now in Libraries/Archives. You might have known me as magpie on the birdsite. All views expressed/re-posted here are solely mine & do not reflect any employer past, present, or future.

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M. Brett @mebrett.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
I love traveling and seeing friends. I also love (seriously) coming home and being lectured by my very old, very loud cat. He's such a sweetheart and a grump, all at once.
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M. Brett @mebrett.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Thinking about the ways that digital is and is not ephemeral. On the one hand, “don’t put it on the internet if you don’t want it to last” (social media, web archives, data privacy issues. But digital can be hard to keep (storage, file formats, physical tech needs)
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Dr. Emily Friedman @ecfriedman.com · 19/09/2026
As someone whose 11.5 nephew has voluntold me I’m running “D&D” for him while I’m in DC, I appreciate Evan’s sneaky success in following the spirit and not the letter of the request…
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M. Brett @mebrett.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Final session for me is hearing about the News Media Archive of Rhode Island - www.nmari.org. Trying to give local TV and radio news archives the same attention and preservation which has been given to local newspapers. #WorkOfRevolution #localArchives
nmari.org
NewsMediaArchive
The News Media Archive of Rhode Island (NMARI) collects, preserves, and provides public access to the state's audiovisual news heritage. Starting from the position that local news is vital civic infra...
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Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Good to see this national AI conversation get going. But it’s still too much on Silicon Valley’s terms. The rest of us don’t have to act like everything is computer. We can talk real world instead of sci fi. We don’t need to put tech companies’ power and profit first, and societal impacts second.
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M. Brett @mebrett.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Snuck away from the conference for a few minutes to join an old friend at a street concert by the students of her school. Amazing kids!
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Larry Cebula @larrycebula.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Friends, does your university, museum, archive or whatever have an official policy on the use of AI? And can you please share it? #workofrevolution #artificialintelligence #AI #publichistory
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M. Brett @mebrett.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Already multiple compliments today on my [illegible] design shirt. It’s from the Friends of the Virginia State Archives www.bonfire.com/illegible/?p... #WorkOfRevolution
bonfire.com
[illegible] | Bonfire
Buy [illegible] merchandise that supports Friends of the Virginia State Archives Inc. Featuring Black Softstyle Cotton Tees, professionally printed in the USA.
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Selena M Moon @selenammoon.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Nice to see everyone at #NCPH/AASLH26. Have 3 simultaneous sessions so hopping around. For #accessibility please use a mic, large text, among many other measures. #WorkOfRevolution
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M. Brett @mebrett.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Sharing from this morning’s session doing #WorkofRevolution at NCPH/AASLH - resources and zones from Here and Now to help with “designed to support community-engaged humanities research and storytelling.” nowandhere.org/resources
nowandhere.org
Resources | Now & Here
In this collection of zines and other resources, our Digital Strategy Team offers tips, tricks, and best practices for bringing new digital storytelling to life based on the work of our Fellows and pr...
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Dan Howlett @dhowlett1692.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
At NCPH and AASLH but curious about who is on these stickers? We turned Reddit's Snoo mascot into historical figures- and we have bios for each of them! Learn more about Jane Snoosten (Austen) here: www.reddit.com/r/AskHistori...
reddit.com
From the AskHistorians community on Reddit: New Snoo Sunday: Introducing Viola Snoomond, Snoosé Rizal, and Jane Snoosten
Explore this post and more from the AskHistorians community
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M. Brett @mebrett.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Good morning from NCPH/AASLH #WorkOfRevolution! I’ve already caught up with old friends and made some new ones.
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Hannah Alpert-Abrams @halperta.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
There are few people who give me more hope for the future of education than @walshbr.bsky.social. Brandon's new book is sharp, generous, and helpful. If you are interested in teaching, higher education, or digital humanities, put this at the top of your reading list.
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M. Brett @mebrett.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Currently reading my way through a British Library Crime Classics anthology “Blood on the Tracks: Railway Mysteries.” I am also taking the train to my conference :)
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M. Brett @mebrett.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
I am still not great at BlueSky - has anyone created a feed for the NCPH/ASSLH hashtag(s)?
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M. Brett @mebrett.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Today a former colleague is on Jeopardy! I remember when a Montpelier colleague was on the show and spent weeks (months?) beforehand practicing with a mock buzzer. It’s all about buzzer speed!
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M. Brett @mebrett.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Looking forward to catching up with many old friends (and undoubtedly making new ones) at the joint @ncph.bsky.social / @aaslh.org conference!
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M. Brett @mebrett.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Disney’s Three Musketeers (from the 90s) is kinda like a TTRPG where there are 3 veteran players, a new player who’s enthusiastic, and a DM who likes to play scenery-chewing villains…
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M. Brett @mebrett.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
I think I’m going to have to just bite the bullet and buy a pair of prescription sunglasses.
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Cate Denial @cjdenial.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Anyone have insights for Liz?
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Lady Postseason, Himbos at Her Feet (she/her) @maggiesox.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
LOOK. Y’all don’t know how obsessed I was with this movie.
youtu.be
ANNIE (1982): “Easy Street” Full Clip | Sony Pictures Kids Zone #WithMe
YouTube video by Sony Pictures KIDS ZONE
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M. Brett @mebrett.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Clue is one of my all time favorite movies. I love Muppet Treasure Island, RHPS, and even Disney’s 3 Musketeers. Tim Curry has been an icon for my whole life. I am heartbroken
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Brett Bobley @brettbobley.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Highly recommended reading from my wonderful former colleague at NEH, Molly Hardy. (Related aside: I once asked one of the DOGE boys "who would ever want to work here after what you've done?" To which he replied, "oh, NEH will be so much better soon." Yeah, fuck off.)
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Silly B Man @lawnerd.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Fred Rogers and Dolly Parton found in religion a torch to guide them on the path of righteousness. They never sought to use it to set anyone else on fire. That’s all any reasonable person could ask of another.
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Micah @rincewind.run · 25/08/2026
dolly parton taught millions of children to read dolly parton raised millions of dollars for cancer research and disaster relief dolly parton stood by the lgbtq community her entire life dolly parton personally helped fund the moderna vaccine if there was a right side of something she was on it
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M. Brett @mebrett.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Flights of angels accompany thee in songs of rest. #Dolly
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M. Brett @mebrett.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Does anyone know if there’s a vetted/safe roommate board for NCPH 2026?
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Amanda Regan, Ph.D. @regan008.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Johns Hopkins + the AHA are hosting the AI and History Conference 2026 -- Oct 15-16 in Baltimore. Whatever your take on AI (excited, skeptical, curious, already using it), there's a place for you in this conversation. Learn more at: proflouishyman.github.io/ai_conferenc...
proflouishyman.github.io
AI and History Conference 2026
A practitioner-focused conference for historians using AI and computational methods, October 15–16, 2026 at Johns Hopkins University.
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M. Brett @mebrett.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Really enjoying this talk. I am such a nerd for any sort of historical account book. I don’t think we can lay the blame solely on my MSc internship (transcribing an account book), but it definitely amplified it!
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Ben Brumfield @benwbrum.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
I'm getting really excited about tomorrow's webinar. Not because I think it'll be our best--editing historic account books is pretty niche, and the presenter (me) is way out of his depth--but because it's on my own historical research. content.fromthepage.com/aug-2026-web...
content.fromthepage.com
Editing Historic Account Books: When and Whether to Use AI (August 20, 2026) - FromThePage Blog
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Colleen T @librarycolleen.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Preserving Shakespeare: How DC’s Folger Library keeps 400-year-old volumes pristine 📜 wtop.com/matt-about-t...
wtop.com
Preserving Shakespeare: How DC’s Folger Library keeps 400-year-old volumes pristine - WTOP News
If you’ve ever wondered how historians and preservationists keep centuries-old books and plays looking pristine, look no further than D.C.’s Folger Shakespeare Library.
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M. Brett @mebrett.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Friday’s storm brought down a large tree near my building. I feel like I’ve lost a friend. One of the branches dropped low and I could stand under it and watch pollinators on a warm day.
A butterfly with speckled wings feeding on flowers of a tree, seen from under the canopy of the branch.
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Brandon Walsh @walshbr.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
I really enjoyed this discussion with @mebrett.bsky.social and @jenniferisasi.bsky.social and now I can't stop thinking about what it would look like to design an analog, semester-long lesson in digital maintenance that students have to keep alive for 16 weeks.
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Brandon Walsh @walshbr.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Once more for the Friday crowd: @katinalynn.bsky.social and I here on surprise and pleasure in reading and writing by way of our ongoing book-project-by-mail.
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M. Brett @mebrett.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
I grew up watching Mystery! on PBS (with my mom). In the last decade or so, I’ve started listening to the audiobooks of many of the Christie novels (often narrated by people who were in the shows). So many post-war details erased by setting Poirot solely in the 20s/30s!
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Lisa Grimm Grinning Ghosts Come Out to Socialise @lisagrimm.com · 06/08/2026
Over on the blog: a quick roundup of Dublin’s most dog-friendly pubs: #SpeirGorm www.weirdodublinpubs.com/weirdo-guide...
weirdodublinpubs.com
Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs: Best Pubs for Dogs - Weirdo Guide to Dublin Pubs
This month's Dublin pub round-up is one for which we've had more requests than just about any other topic - certainly, it out-ranks queries about basics like food (done it), 'the best Guinness in Dubl...
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M. Brett @mebrett.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
I am always delighted when someone else in the building empties the dishwasher.* I do wish they wouldn’t mix the (small) saucers with the (larger) salad plates. So wobbly! *yes we have a kitchen with a dishwasher. There are about 3 of us who regularly empty it.
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Ben Railton @americanstudier.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
In this @satevepost.bsky.social Considering History column (one focused on the still-timely question of impeachment...), I made the case that the most radical part of the Constitution is the “no religious test” clause in Article VI: www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2019/10/cons...
saturdayeveningpost.com
Considering History: Impeachment and the Radicalism of the American Constitution | The Saturday Evening Post
The founding fathers argued about keeping an impeachment clause in the Constitution. Ultimately, they decided it was necessary.
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M. Brett @mebrett.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
This morning: explaining* “vocational awe” to people I knew in undergrad who went into tech and compsci fields. (*providing a link to some primary sources with a brief intro) Yay?
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Dr Cinnamon Remote @cinnamonremote.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
This is an important question! Does anyone know? Where are my food & economics historians at?
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M. Brett @mebrett.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Easy for me
static.klipy.com
Clue: What Do You Mean, Murder?
Alt: Clue: What Do You Mean, Murder?
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Jason Heppler @jasonheppler.org · 03/08/2026
The Forest Service wants to move ahead with a plan for a radioactive rare earth mine fourteen miles from Devil’s Tower, with no environmental impact statement or public hearings. You should tell them how you feel about that:
morethanjustparks.substack.com
BREAKING: USDA Pushes Forward on a Radioactive Open Pit Mine Miles From Devils Tower
The Forest Service won’t publish a draft study and won’t let anybody object. Michael Boren signs the decision himself. You have until August 28.
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M. Brett @mebrett.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Hey Virginians: break up the boredom of a slow primary for an election official! GO VOTE!! Be the bright spot in someone’s 13-hour day!
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M. Brett @mebrett.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
I am on vacation this week (and trying to be less online/on screen). But please enjoy this tiny toad and this ladybug.
A very small gray toad next to a penny. The penny is easily 4 times as big as the toad. A ladybug on a piece of wood.
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Lauren MacIvor Thompson @lmacthompson1.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
My undergrads get such an earful about this yes
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Colleen T @librarycolleen.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Historic documents in limbo with proposed National Archives closure www.nichibei.org/2026/07/hist...
nichibei.org
Historic documents in limbo with proposed National Archives closure | Nichi Bei News
The National Archives at San Francisco and Chicago faces closure, according to an e-mail sent to staff on June 23. With the closure and the process to move files out […]
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Claire Willett @clairewillett.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
exCUSE me??????????? I take a week off and there’s a KIDNAPPING?!!?!????????
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M. Brett @mebrett.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Shoutout to the guy at the Info desk at DCA. Who saw me looking at the map and asked if he could help, then recommended his preferred spot for coffee. This latte from Colada is amazing.
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M. Brett @mebrett.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Watching (well, sort of) the Disney animated Robin Hood. I watched the video so much when I was a kid that the tape stopped working and you couldn't watch the last part. So many of the lines are ingrained in my memory (more than I realized).
static.klipy.com
Robin Hood Dancing
Alt: Robin Hood (as a fox), making a sweeping bow
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M. Brett @mebrett.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Whenever there's talk of elections and fraud, I repeat my invitation to anyone in the US to volunteer as an election officer in their area. Or go talk to one. And read the manuals for your state's election officers. There are so many rules and regulations.
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