Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Samantha E Thompson

@harchivist.bsky.social

470 followers 330 following 1K posts

Brit-Canadian archivist-librarian, government records and local history museum staffer, trad-classical musician, post-academic philosophy PhD (on Augustine), and other hyphenated things. Can't help it: so much to learn.

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Samantha E Thompson @harchivist.bsky.social · 24m

Yes!

Reposted by Samantha E Thompson

Charles T. Downey @ionarts.bsky.social · 1d

First encore at the Ronn McFarlane-Paul O'Dette lute duo recital today: John Dowland's "My Lord Chamberlain, His Galliard" - for two people to play on a single lute. And I thought playing piano, four hands, was tricky to coordinate!

7 22

Samantha E Thompson @harchivist.bsky.social · 21h

I find a friend or coworker with a friend or coworker who has access to journals to get stuff for me. Out of luck for books, unless internet archive hasn't locked it down or I buy them. Also use nefarious methods. Feels diminishing. People besides academics are capable of serious research.

1 2

Reposted by Samantha E Thompson

Matthew J Kuiper @matthewjkuiper.bsky.social · 1d

This is terrific. A great profile of Great Lakes shipping (and mandatory reminiscence on the Edmund Fitzgerald) featuring my all time favorite freighter, one I’ve seen dozens of times, the still hardworking “antique” steamship Wilfred Sykes. Gift article.

In the Wake of the Edmund Fitzgerald

www.nytimes.com

1 5 19

Reposted by Samantha E Thompson

Dr Karen McAulay @karenmca.bsky.social · 1d

Oral Transmission of Folk Songs - View from the organ stool! karenmcaulaymusicologist.blog/2025/10/12/o...
#FolkSongs

Oral Transmission of Folk Songs

Attribution and Authorship When I’m talking to students about oral transmission of folk songs, my take is – perhaps a bit controversially – that I believe a lot of songs were actu…

karenmcaulaymusicologist.blog

1 1 3

Samantha E Thompson @harchivist.bsky.social · 1d

This is so interesting to me, as I think of trad songs as a kind of oral record. A lot of people think the more authentically trad the song, the more it somehow springs from the earth in ancient times, with no real composer.

1 1

Samantha E Thompson @harchivist.bsky.social · 1d

I have fantasized about being so rich that I have burner cars, so every time someone tries to outsource their reaction time to me, they get hit. I've saved so many idiot jerks from trashing their own vehicles.

Samantha E Thompson @harchivist.bsky.social · 1d

👍

Samantha E Thompson @harchivist.bsky.social · 1d

That's what I thought at first but there are two jars of it (that's what I went looking for, of course).

Samantha E Thompson @harchivist.bsky.social · 1d

Anglican church cupboard is 50% carbs.

2 1 9

Samantha E Thompson @harchivist.bsky.social · 1d

If he was a dumb neurosurgeon too maybe.

Samantha E Thompson @harchivist.bsky.social · 1d

Some people on here are scarier than in the other place.

1 3

Reposted by Samantha E Thompson

Melinda Haunton @melindahaunton.bsky.social · 1d

Something that's so hard with reading history second-hand is to remember that no one knew what was going to come next. Which is archives magic.

Nobody at *this exact moment* knows that Nurse Cavell will become a tragedy and a cause celebre. They just know what she has done, and her family.

Norfolk Record Office @norfolkro.bsky.social · 2d

On this day nurse #EdithCavell and #PhilipeBaucq were shot at dawn for helping allied soldiers to escape Belgium during the First World War. This is a letter from one of those soldiers.

11 19

Samantha E Thompson @harchivist.bsky.social · 3d

Tech largely didn't save labour. It just allowed the offloading of entire jobs onto other people. Plus it created inhuman expectations of speed and availability.

Samantha E Thompson @harchivist.bsky.social · 3d

It's like like something from nursery. I find office culture has become quite infantalized and infantalizing across the board.

Samantha E Thompson @harchivist.bsky.social · 3d

Agreed. Maybe it reflects our inner world.

Samantha E Thompson @harchivist.bsky.social · 3d

Not so much in Canada. See them once in a blue moon, and it's usually something high-end. We had a dark green Dodge Aspen, and later a dark green Toyota Corolla and my grandpa had a light green Toyota Corolla. Now just grey, black, white and the occasional red and blue.

Samantha E Thompson @harchivist.bsky.social · 3d

When I was young, we had green cars.

2 2

Samantha E Thompson @harchivist.bsky.social · 4d

I want one

Samantha E Thompson @harchivist.bsky.social · 4d

I totally identify with them (the archivists) all on counts. Bless them.
Very likely that paper is sturdier and of better quality than paper that came after it, so it can take it.

1 2

Samantha E Thompson @harchivist.bsky.social · 4d

There's nothing like being the first to untie a bundle. Wondering if the archivists had time they might dissemble these (while observing the groupings) to mitigate the acid and curvature damage. Admit it's much cooler-looking the way it is. Though archival packaging can be cool in its own way.

1 4

Samantha E Thompson @harchivist.bsky.social · 5d

That one never quite went away.

Samantha E Thompson @harchivist.bsky.social · 5d

Ah that autumnal smell of burning dust as the electric heating is turned on for the first time.

Samantha E Thompson @harchivist.bsky.social · 5d

In the 90s there was a Gregorian chant craze, vibe only, not content. I know because I worked at HMV ha ha.

1 1

Samantha E Thompson @harchivist.bsky.social · 5d

Need to find me one of those...