Integration of Digital Primary Sources

Abstract

At the end of the twentieth century, the Library of Congress (LOC) began archival digitization of its holdings in order to share its rich collections with the public. The digitization process has made available, via the internet, over ten million items, many of which are primary source items (LOC, 2006, para. 5). These digital primary sources are defined by the LOC (2006) as “actual records that have survived from the past, like letters, photographs, articles of clothing and music. They are different from secondary sources, which are accounts of events written sometime after they happened” (para.4). As result of the digitization process, access to these primary sources is no longer limited to people physically present at the Library of Congress. Additionally, other libraries and organizations have begun to digitize and make their primary sources available to the public via the internet. We have listed the URLs of several of these organizations at the end of this article. The ease of accessibility through the internet creates an opportunity for teachers within K-12 settings to begin integrating these digital primary sources into the classroom. This article discusses the research on primary sources in the classroom, defines primary source-based instruction (PSBI), connects practices used in PSBI to higher order thinking skills, and offers examples of PSBI practices.