Digitized historical content for teaching: library of congress primary sources training

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to teach educators a variety of ways to navigate the digital collections of the Library of Congress, which include primary source materials from the past which can be used to instruct students of all grade levels from elementary through college. Design/methodology/approach Workshops for preservice teachers, practicing teachers and their college-level and librarian counterparts focused on advanced searching skills and pedagogical structures which help students access primary sources and use them as evidence to draw conclusions about historical events in history. Findings Many of the Library of Congress’ holdings have been digitized, described and categorized for ease of access (subject, keyword and metadata descriptors) and for ease of rights management (copyright, ownership and permissions indicated for each digital object). Practical implications Digitized primary sources help students create deeper understandings of historical events and periods and allow for multiple perspectives on the same events, thus teaching students valuable skills in drawing conclusions based on primary and secondary information sources. Originality/value Online collections from the Library of Congress are free for use by teachers, students and the general public, and the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources program makes available free training for teachers in how to use the materials, as well as provides lesson plans, project ideas and thematic units for use in K-12 schools and beyond.