--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My work has taken me from historical…" description: "\"My work has taken me from historical research to involvement in electronic publishing ventures to the directorship of the Harvard University Libraries...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29c/robert-darnton-20759_electronic_my-work-has-taken-me-from-historical-res_2507746.jpg" --- # My work has taken me from historical research to… ![“My work has taken me from historical research to involvement in electronic publishing ventures to the directorship of the Harvard University Libraries.” quote by Robert Darnton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29c/robert-darnton-20759_electronic_my-work-has-taken-me-from-historical-res_2507746.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29c/robert-darnton-20759_electronic_my-work-has-taken-me-from-historical-res_2507746.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29c/robert-darnton-20759_electronic_my-work-has-taken-me-from-historical-res_2507746.jpg) > “My work has taken me from historical research to involvement in electronic publishing ventures to the directorship of the Harvard University Libraries.” [Robert Darnton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-darnton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. His career progressed from historical research to electronic publishing and finally leading Harvard University Libraries. **In simple terms:** He moved from research to digital publishing to library leadership. Key Takeaway Adapt and lead across evolving information fields. Themes career technology leadership Mood inspirational reflective Type professional historical When to use this quote - academic conferences - library management - digital archiving Key Concepts information science digital transformation Questions to Reflect On - What skills enabled your shifts? - How do you balance tradition with innovation? A Different Perspective Transition challenges include mastering new tech. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Directorship Harvard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/directorship-harvard-1125577/) [Electronic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/electronic/) [Harvard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harvard/) [Harvard university](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harvard-university/) [Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical/) [Historical research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical-research/) [Involvement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/involvement/) [Libraries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/libraries/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/me/) [Publishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/publishing/) [Publishing Ventures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/publishing-ventures-1125579/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Research Involvement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research-involvement-1125578/) [Taken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taken/) [University](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university/) [Venture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/venture/) [Ventures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ventures/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Work Taken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-taken-1125580/) ## Related quotes > [I have always been someone who has put life and heart before work. I have taken time off and gone for vacations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sameera-reddy/i-have-always-been-someone-who-has-put-life-and-heart-before-work-i/) [Sameera Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sameera-reddy/) > [There is nothing in my work that can be taken as blasphemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oleg-kulik/there-is-nothing-in-my-work-that-can-be-taken-as-blasphemy/) [Oleg Kulik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oleg-kulik/) > [historical research of the truly scholastic kind is not connected with human beings at all. It is a pure study, like higher mathematics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-v-wedgwood/historical-research-of-the-truly-scholastic-kind-is-not-connected/) [C. V. Wedgwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-v-wedgwood/) > [The idea of a method that contains firm, unchanging, and absolutely binding principles for conducting the business of science meets considerable difficulty when confronted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/the-idea-of-a-method-that-contains-firm-unchanging-and-absolutely/) [Paul Feyerabend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feyerabend/) > [Problems come and go over time, and to understand why is a difficult historical task. If one wanted to find the origin of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-crane/problems-come-and-go-over-time-and-to-understand-why-is-a-difficult/) [Tim Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-crane/) > [If it is impossible to judge merit and guilt in the field of natural science, then it is not possible in any field, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justus-von-liebig/if-it-is-impossible-to-judge-merit-and-guilt-in-the-field-of-natural/) [Justus von Liebig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justus-von-liebig/) > [“You'll find that historical research is extremely soothing. When you spend all day among old papers, the people come alive for you, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-reichl/you-ll-find-that-historical-research-is-extremely-soothing-when-you/) [Ruth Reichl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-reichl/) > [My drug of choice is historical research.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-lee-spence/my-drug-of-choice-is-historical-research/) [E. Lee Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-lee-spence/) > [...the discipline of economics has yet to get over its childish passion for mathematics and for purely theoretical and often highly ideological speculation, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-piketty/the-discipline-of-economics-has-yet-to-get-over-its-childish-passion/) [Thomas Piketty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-piketty/) > [Historical research to this day remains unorganized, and the historian is expected to make his own instruments or do without them; and so with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-lewis-bernstein-namier/historical-research-to-this-day-remains-unorganized-and-the-historian/) [Sir Lewis Bernstein Namier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sir-lewis-bernstein-namier/) > [If all the evidence is weighed carefully and fairly, it is indeed justifiable, according to the canons of historical research, to conclude that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-l-maier/if-all-the-evidence-is-weighed-carefully-and-fairly-it-is-indeed/) [Paul L. Maier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-l-maier/) > [You don't go to the movies to do historical research, unless it's historical research about the movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/you-don-t-go-to-the-movies-to-do-historical-research-unless-it-s/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [Very strange bridges are used to make the passage from one state of things to another; we may lose sight of them in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-butterfield/very-strange-bridges-are-used-to-make-the-passage-from-one-state-of/) [Herbert Butterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-butterfield/) > [Even with years of historical research, the more humans try to define themself, the more there end up getting drown in their own confussion.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/igwe-daniel-kelechi/even-with-years-of-historical-research-the-more-humans-try-to-define/) [Igwe Daniel Kelechi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/igwe-daniel-kelechi/) > [If one were to claim that the U.S. occupation forces in Iraq have been provided with "keys to heaven" by the Pentagon, would that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammad-marandi/if-one-were-to-claim-that-the-u-s-occupation-forces-in-iraq-have-been/) [Mohammad Marandi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammad-marandi/) ## More by Robert Darnton > [It's important to make clear to all the schools at Harvard the central role of the library.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-darnton/it-s-important-to-make-clear-to-all-the-schools-at-harvard-the/) [Robert Darnton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-darnton/) > [In 2002, Google began an ambitious project to digitize every book in the world. It was intended as a search project: type in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-darnton/in-2002-google-began-an-ambitious-project-to-digitize-every-book-in/) [Robert Darnton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-darnton/) > [As a graduate student at Oxford in 1963, I began writing about books in revolutionary France, helping to found the discipline of book history.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-darnton/as-a-graduate-student-at-oxford-in-1963-i-began-writing-about-books/) [Robert Darnton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-darnton/) > [While confronting the problems of the present, I often find myself thinking back to the world of books as it was experienced by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-darnton/while-confronting-the-problems-of-the-present-i-often-find-myself/) [Robert Darnton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-darnton/) > [“News in not what happened but a story about what happened.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-darnton/news-in-not-what-happened-but-a-story-about-what-happened/) [Robert Darnton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-darnton/) > [I arrived from Harvard, where I had studied philosophy and the history of ideas, with a bias toward literature and formal thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-darnton/i-arrived-from-harvard-where-i-had-studied-philosophy-and-the-history/) [Robert Darnton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-darnton/) > [Thanks to modern technology, we now can deliver every text in every research library to every citizen in our country, and to everyone in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-darnton/thanks-to-modern-technology-we-now-can-deliver-every-text-in-every/) [Robert Darnton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-darnton/) > [When you tell people you're in history, they give you this pained expression because that was the course they hated in high school. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-darnton/when-you-tell-people-you-re-in-history-they-give-you-this-pained/) [Robert Darnton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-darnton/) > [People think that when you use Google you're finding exactly what you need, but really, you need expert help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-darnton/people-think-that-when-you-use-google-you-re-finding-exactly-what-you/) [Robert Darnton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-darnton/) > [I was very fortunate to be elected to the Society of Fellows at Harvard, which is, in effect, a small research center where you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-darnton/i-was-very-fortunate-to-be-elected-to-the-society-of-fellows-at/) [Robert Darnton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-darnton/) > [As president of the American Historical Association, I started a programme to make dissertations into e-books in 1999. Before I knew it, I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-darnton/as-president-of-the-american-historical-association-i-started-a/) [Robert Darnton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-darnton/) > [I would not minimize the digital divide, which separates the computerized world from the rest, nor would I underestimate the importance of traditional books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-darnton/i-would-not-minimize-the-digital-divide-which-separates-the/) [Robert Darnton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-darnton/) > [“By seeing the way a joke worked in the horseplay of a printing shop two centuries ago, we may be able to recapture that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-darnton/by-seeing-the-way-a-joke-worked-in-the-horseplay-of-a-printing-shop/) [Robert Darnton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-darnton/) > [The idea of a national digital library has been in the air for a long time, and there was a danger that some people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-darnton/the-idea-of-a-national-digital-library-has-been-in-the-air-for-a-long/) [Robert Darnton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-darnton/) > [The fact that I spend a lot of time in the 18th century doesn't mean I'm not concerned with the 21st.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-darnton/the-fact-that-i-spend-a-lot-of-time-in-the-18th-century-doesn-t-mean/) [Robert Darnton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-darnton/) [Explore all 30 Robert Darnton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-darnton/) ## More Electronic quotes > [“electronic offers (such as e-magazines, e-books, podcasts, webcasts, etc.) at any time, via smart phone or tablet. Mobile applications can also be used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-mooney/electronic-offers-such-as-e-magazines-e-books-podcasts-webcasts-etc/) [Tara Mooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-mooney/) > [On March 12, 2004, acting attorney general James B. Comey and the Justice Department's top leadership reached the brink of resignation over electronic surveillance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/on-march-12-2004-acting-attorney-general-james-b-comey-and-the/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) > [Research promoted by NARA within a major coalition of Federal and private sector research partners has at last demonstrated that an Electronic Records Archives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-weinstein/research-promoted-by-nara-within-a-major-coalition-of-federal-and/) [Allen Weinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-weinstein/) > [Electronic man has no physical body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/electronic-man-has-no-physical-body/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [Since I was a child, I always loved music that made me want to dance. As a teenager, I used to dance the night…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadia-ali/since-i-was-a-child-i-always-loved-music-that-made-me-want-to-dance/) [Nadia Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadia-ali/) > [I love some electronic music. I'm not a big fan of dubstep, but there is so much good electronic music out there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chino-moreno/i-love-some-electronic-music-i-m-not-a-big-fan-of-dubstep-but-there/) [Chino Moreno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chino-moreno/) > [“There is a time and place for electromagnetic shielding and I regard it as a last resort due to the long term biological problems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/there-is-a-time-and-place-for-electromagnetic-shielding-and-i-regard/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [Being an electronic genius was a reputation I had, maybe being even into math and science almost exclusively and not wanting to be in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-wozniak/being-an-electronic-genius-was-a-reputation-i-had-maybe-being-even/) [Steve Wozniak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-wozniak/) > [It's funny, but to me, when you go to a concert hall and hear electronic pieces from the '60s, I think they sound really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-greenwood/it-s-funny-but-to-me-when-you-go-to-a-concert-hall-and-hear/) [Jonny Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-greenwood/) > [I've been a fan of electronic music since the beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-davis/i-ve-been-a-fan-of-electronic-music-since-the-beginning/) [Jonathan Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-davis/) > [It is the element I miss in electronic music - no performance, no loving immersion. Maybe that is why I was never particularly drawn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lukas-foss/it-is-the-element-i-miss-in-electronic-music-no-performance-no-loving/) [Lukas Foss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lukas-foss/) > [Electronic medical records are, in a lot of ways, I think the aspect of technology that is going to revolutionize the way we deliver…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/risa-lavizzo-mourey/electronic-medical-records-are-in-a-lot-of-ways-i-think-the-aspect-of/) [Risa Lavizzo-Mourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/risa-lavizzo-mourey/) > [A reality that is electronic... Once everybody's got a computer terminal in their home, to satisfy all their needs, all the domestic needs, there'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/a-reality-that-is-electronic-once-everybody-s-got-a-computer-terminal/) [J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/) > [I'm a huge electronic-music fan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-kosinski/i-m-a-huge-electronic-music-fan/) [Joseph Kosinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-kosinski/) > [From early on, when synthesizers were first introduced into music, I liked the idea that you could get a big sound with them, electronic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-carpenter/from-early-on-when-synthesizers-were-first-introduced-into-music-i/) [John Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-carpenter/) [Browse all 225 Electronic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/electronic/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My work has taken me from historical research to involvement in electronic publishing ventures to the directorship of the Harvard University Libraries.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Darnton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-darnton/my-work-has-taken-me-from-historical-research-to-involvement-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Electronic" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-darnton/my-work-has-taken-me-from-historical-research-to-involvement-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29c/robert-darnton-20759_electronic_my-work-has-taken-me-from-historical-res_2507746.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29c/robert-darnton-20759_electronic_my-work-has-taken-me-from-historical-res_2507746.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29c/robert-darnton-20759_electronic_my-work-has-taken-me-from-historical-res_2507746.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My work has taken me from historical research to involvement in electronic publishing ventures to the…” — Robert Darnton", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Robert Darnton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-darnton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My work has taken me from...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-darnton/my-work-has-taken-me-from-historical-research-to-involvement-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-darnton/my-work-has-taken-me-from-historical-research-to-involvement-in/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```