Jim is the co-author of Civil War Harrisburg along with Larry Keener-Farley and owner of Civil War and More, a store in downtown Mechanicsburg, PA that specializes in Civil War books, videos and prints.  Jim Schmick is the founding president of Camp Curtin Historical Society/Civil War Roundtable and is a member of Adams, Cumberland and Dauphin County Historical Societies. Additionally, Jim is a member of the Harrisburg and Hershey Civil War Roundtables, the General Meade Society, the Gettysburg/Pennsylvania Monuments Project Committee and the Cumberland County/150 Civil War Anniversary Committee.

Jim has been recognized by the Pennsylvania Senate and House for preservation efforts and received a Historic Recognition Award from the Gettysburg Battlefield Preservation Association. He was also named Historian of the Year for Cumberland County Historical Society.