First up, RI Special Collections & National History Day

Richard Ring, Deputy Director for Collections at the RI Historical Society and the newly appointed Affiliate Coordinator of National History Day (NHD) for the state of Rhode Island, will tell us how special collections statewide can best serve (and benefit from) the NHD contest. More than a one-day event, NHD is a year-long curricular enhancement program for students studying history in grades 6-12. For those institutions looking to increase their reach among Rhode Island teachers and their students, being aware of and engaged with NHD presents a fine opportunity for targeted outreach.

NHD originated in 1974 in Cleveland, OH, and the first national contest took place in 1980. Rhode Island has been a participant since 1983. In the past few years nearly 1,000 RI students have participated on the school level and of those over 250 compete at the state level (which takes place at RIC in March or April). 30-50 of the students go on to nationals. More about NHD https://www.nhd.org/

Next up: news and announcements from the assembled, reports from national conferences, and enhanced networking opportunities.