The Environmental History Resources website is created and maintained by Dr Jan Oosthoek, an environmental historian working at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. The purpose of the website is to provide information and resources for researchers, students and lecturers in environmental history and related fields. The topics covered include “public health, conservation, preservation of nature, smoke abatement, municipal housekeeping, occupational disease, air pollution and water pollution, and generally the historical interaction between culture and nature”.
The information and resources are organized according to six unique sections; each section is clearly identified on the homepage, and a description of each section is provided. A customized search engine driven by Google provides another gateway to locate information. However, the results returned were limited and less useful. An RSS feed and a Widget for Mac OS is available for users who wish to subscribe to the news and updates sections of the website. Navigation tabs allow users to access general information about the webpage and a list of annotated links; users can also review or post to the section on news/events related to the field.
The bibliography section is an introduction to the vast literature of the field; it contains four online bibliographies and a journal list. Users will find this a valuable resource in identifying the historical relationship between human culture and the environment. The essay section, mainly made up of a collection of Dr Oosthoek's publications since 1998, covers the subjects of environmental history, forest history, and pollution history. The podcast and videocast sections use the media of video and audio to deliver general information about the historical impact of human culture on the environment. It can be listened to/watched online, or users can subscribe using free software such as iTunes or Juice. However, the online radio option only supports Quicktime.
The students section spotlights resources for students of environmental history. These resources are clustered into general literature and then environmental history by continent. Slide shows provide another option to learn the basics of environmental history, and research methods on climate history and documentary sources are also discussed. A summarized list of universities in the UK and other European countries that offer undergraduate/graduate courses is included, and a web link provides handy direction to the websites of the individual institutions. Based on the author's research and teaching interests, a timeline of European environmental history extending from prehistory to the present is under development and will be continued in future iterations of the site. This is an invaluable reference source for all who are interested in the study of environmental history.
The research section illustrates Dr Oosthoek's research interests and activities, as well as his publications, book reviews, conference papers and current projects related to environmental history which focuses on landscape history, geography of forest history, global environmental land use, etc.
This resource provides a general overview of what has happened in the past and what is happening today in the global environment. However, because the website is maintained by an individual, information bias needs to be addressed, and another caveat is that some of the links were non‐functional. Overall, this is a useful reference resource, especially for the student who is taking an environmental history course or the individual who has a desire to explore this subject field.
