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Posted by: Colleen Smith
A new primary source set from the Library of Congress features 18 items that help students identify, connect to, and expand on aspects of what makes communities function and thrive.
Posted in: Primary Source Highlights, Young Learners
Posted by: Colleen Smith
A reflection from a Library staff member about how observing, reflecting, and asking questions of a source can lead to valuable discoveries and build new understandings.
Posted in: Constitution, Primary Source Highlights, Teaching Strategies
Posted by: Cheryl Lederle
Explore some of the Library's many blogs and the resources available for classroom use.
Posted in: Primary Source Highlights
Posted by: Colleen Smith
Chronicling America is one of many digital collection gems that the Library has to offer teachers and students. The collection gives users access to selected digitized national newspapers published through 1963. Newspapers, as a type of primary source, help students imagine what it might have been like to live in a particular time or place: consuming media of different historical eras can help to slow down the big events of history and see how they were experienced in real time.
Posted in: Primary Source Highlights
Posted by: Stephen Wesson
Whether students are interested in examining a historic revolution, exploring social reactions to a particular event or idea, research the origins of a reform movement, or identify a topic that includes elements of all three Rs, the Library of Congress has online resources to support their 2025 National History Day project.
Posted in: Primary Source Highlights
Posted by: Colleen Smith
The Library's vast digital resources offer enormous possibilities— so many that it can feel overwhelming and it can be hard to know where to start. Experienced reference staff and subject specialists at the Library create research guides that address a variety of topics to help patrons find what they are looking for.
Posted in: Primary Source Highlights
Posted by: Colleen Smith
Today in History, a resource from the Library, offers teachers essays about historic events in combination with related digitized primary sources from the Library’s online collections. Entries also include additional resources and search strategies for discovering more in the collections.
Posted in: Primary Source Highlights
Posted by: Colleen Smith
Analyzing two different versions of "You're a Grand Old Flag" allows students both to hone their listening skills and to consider how music changes over time and how word choice may shift depending on historical and cultural contexts.
Posted in: Fine and Performing Arts, Primary Source Highlights, Teaching Strategies
Posted by: Cheryl Lederle
Many of the online collections at the Library of Congress include expert guidance about what researchers, including student researchers, might find in the collection, including a summary, collection scope, highlights, and rights and access. Taking a moment to explore those expert resources can help students decide whether or not to further examine the collection, reducing frustration and improving search results.
Posted in: Primary Source Highlights