As part of the preparations for our Working Group on the Future of the AHA, the staff scanned and posted a number of previous committee efforts along the same lines.

The earliest report is from the Committee of Ten on Reorganization and Policy (1939), which first proposed the establishment of an Executive Secretary in Washington, consolidation of editorial activities in that position, restructuring of the executive committee, and discouraged efforts at popularizing the American Historical Review.

The AHA Review Board, which ran from 1970 to 1973 and established the current structure of the AHA, published a preliminary report in 1972 and a final report in 1973.

The most recent effort was by the Ad Hoc Committee on the Future of the AHA, which published its review in 1987, offering general recommendations to do a better job at public outreach, and further reviews of staffing and policy.

In many ways, the most remarkable thing about the reports seems to be the recurrence of the same issues over and over again. But if you are interested in these issues, we encourage you to take a look and offer your own comments and advice.

This post first appeared on AHA Today.