History takes its course

A historical magazine with its own impressive history is giving IU students a local perspective as it approaches its second century of publication. \nThe Indiana University Magazine of History, which has been in existence since 1905, publishes articles on all aspects of Indiana history and the history of the Middle West, in addition to publishing reviews on books concerning historical topics. \nEric Sandweiss, editor of the publication as of this August, said he will concentrate on including essays that explore the questions of how and why we think about history in the first place.\n"As we take the magazine into its second century, our choice of topics will continue, as it always has, to evolve," Sandweiss said.\nThe IMH aims to engage a wide readership -- not just professional historians and history buffs, but also students of all ages, said Lana Ruegamer, associate editor of the IMH.\nThe IMH may help students better understand and appreciate the significance of Indiana's history as it has for graduate student Daniel Gregory, assistant editor of the magazine.\n"Working (for the IMH) has brought home to me the many connections between local, state, regional, national and global history," Gregory said. "For example, I have come to appreciate how important the ban on slavery in the Northwest Territories written into the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 was to the development of Indiana and the nation. Had slavery been legal in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Michigan, our national history would have taken a different course."\nReleased quarterly, the IMH has new issues appearing in September and December, March and June. The September issue features an examination of the cholera epidemic that threatened residents of Lafayette, Ind. in 1849. The issue also contains articles on the education of mentally disabled students in the early 20th century, sports history resources of Indiana and reviews of several historical books.\nStaff members take pride in the accuracy of their magazine. Each footnote appearing in the magazine is laboriously checked for accuracy, which Gregory said entails many hours of work at the Bloomington Main Library and other specialized libraries around campus.\nArticles and book reviews appearing in the magazine are repeatedly scrutinized for errors in cross-reading sessions, when editors take turns reading paragraphs aloud to catch style and punctuation mistakes.\n"We look for articles that offer new interpretations of issues, individuals or events and that reflect an understanding of how the essay fits into what is already known about the subject," Ruegamer said. "Does it revise an older interpretation or confirm it?" \nRuegamer said the IMH requires documentary support for any research, edited documents or notes they publish.\nIt is published in cooperation with the Indiana Historical Society, which funds the printing and mailing of the IMH to subscription holders. The roughly 10,000 members of the society that receive a subscription to the IMH constitute the majority of the IMH's readership, Ruegamer said. \nThose interested in the magazine can find it at Border's Book Store or purchase it for $4 at the IMH office, located in Ballantine Hall, Room 821. \nThis issue is the IMH's last under the editorship of IU emeritus history professor Bernard Sheenan, who retired after holding the position for six years. \nSheenan's successor, Sandweiss, has already developed several new goals and ideas for the publication.\n"We want to examine the journal's traditional geographic focus closely," Sandweiss said. "How do the boundaries that divide this state from others help or hinder us from understanding the fluid movement of people and culture across regional and even national lines? As we begin to ask these questions, we hope to fashion ourselves as not just a journal of record for Indiana topics, but also a vital source of cultural and historical criticism"