The American Historical Association supports historians employed by the federal government. We appreciate the important work they do every day to preserve, chronicle, and interpret American history. The AHA recognizes that our colleagues in the federal government are facing unprecedented workforce reductions and has compiled the following resources.

This is a working document. Please contact us at info@historians.org if you have recommendations for other ways to support federal historians.

The AHA is grateful to the federal employees who provided feedback and guidance throughout the development of this resource page.  

Complimentary AHA Membership

Historians who are former employees of the federal government who have been terminated or resigned since January 20 may register for one year of free membership in the AHA. Membership provides access to numerous resources, discounts, and publications, and to a diverse and vibrant network of historians. Benefits include exclusive health insurance and related coverage options; free and discounted subscriptions to publications and online libraries; and more.

Please complete this form to request a complimentary membership.

AHA Career Contacts: Informational Interviews

Since its launch in early 2015, the AHA’s Career Contacts program has arranged hundreds of informational interviews between current PhD students and recent PhD recipients and history PhDs who have built careers beyond the professoriate. These historians work in a variety of fields, including academic administration, nonprofit management, public policy, archives and libraries, K–12 teaching, as well as a range of positions in the federal government and private industry.

AHA members can also search the AHA Member Directory by name, organization, city, state, and specialization to get contact information for collaboration and community. This information can also be found for historians from departments listed in the AHA’s Directory of History Departments and Organizations at historians.org/historiansearch.

Find Jobs, Events, & Opportunities

AHA Career Center job board

AHA Events Calendar highlights upcoming events, including conferences, webinars, and virtual events.

Calls for Opportunities includes upcoming calls for papers, conference proposals, grants and fellowships, and other activities.

Professional and Career Resources from the AHA

Career Path essays in Perspectives on History

Digital History Resources

Resources from the AHA’s Career Diversity initiative, including:

Where Historians Work: An interactive, online database that catalogs the career outcomes of historians who earned PhDs at universities in the United States from 2004 to 2017. This tool allows historians to understand the broad scope of career options open to history PhDs.

Recordings of AHA Webinars and Events on Careers for Historians

Recordings of AHA Webinars and Events on Professional Development & Training

At the AHA annual meeting in January 2018, three historians working at think tanks (Ted R. Bromund, The Heritage Foundation; Philip Eric Wolgin, Center for American Progress; and Stephanie Young, RAND Corporation) and moderator Brian Balogh (Univ. of Virginia) answered questions about pursuing a career as a historian at a think tank.

Related Resources and Initiatives

Organization of American Historians, Federal Employees and Contractors Oral History Project and Records at Risk Data Collection Initiative

Society of American Archivists, Resources for Federal Workers

General Resources for Federal Employees