Announcements

Civil war deserters roster database now available

The George and Ann Richards Civil War Center at the Penn State University Libraries announces an online searchable database of Pennsylvania deserters, as one of its People's Contest projects. The Descriptive List of Deserters from Pennsylvania Military Units During the Civil War, known simply as the Deserters Roster, contains over 24,000 records of Pennsylvania soldiers listed as deserters during the conflict. This database allows users to search these records by soldier names, ranks, units, enlistment or desertion dates, and even occupations. The database also contains demographic and descriptive data, such as soldiers' ages, nationalities (for those born outside the United States), and birthplaces. Users can view the transcribed roster pages by clicking on View Original Source on deserters' individual pages. To view digital images of the original roster and to learn how and why the Deserters Roster was created, go to https://desertersroster.psu.edu/site/searchtips. For more information or for questions about the People's Contest project, contact Matt Isham at mri113@psu.edu or Eric Novotny at ecn1@psu.edu.

Book proposals wanted

Temple University Press is seeking book proposals for its History and the Public Series. Edited by Steven Conn of Miami University, the series aims to foster conversations among practitioners, public historians, and academic historians of all stripes from the United States and internationally. This series begins with the assumption that almost all the work we do as historians has a public dimension and a public purpose. We will publish research monographs, author collaborations, and edited collections that examine the variety of ways in which history and historians interact with a wider public. The series will broaden our conception of what is meant by "public history," while also demonstrating the role historians can and should play in the civic arena. The first book in the series is now available: David W. Young, The Battles of Germantown: Effective Public History in America. Potential submissions should be sent to: Steven Conn at conns@miamioh.edu or TUPress editor Aaron Javsicas at aaron.javsicas@temple.edu.