Using Primary Sources: Hands-On Instructional Exercises

by Anne Bahde, Heather Smedberg, Mattie Taormina

Overview

An ideal resource for cultural heritage professionals who teach with original materials, this book provides fresh, adaptable, and easy-to-implement primary source literacy exercises to improve their teaching and engage their students.

Special collections librarians and archivists in academic settings are often confronted with the challenge of teaching classes outside their personal area of expertise, with very little notice or guidance—as the authors of this book can attest. Using Primary Sources: Hands-On Instructional Exercises features 30 adaptable, hands-on exercises that special collections librarians, archivists, museum professionals, and teaching faculty can use in a multitude of instructional situations with K–12, undergraduate, graduate, and library school students.

The exercises teach lessons in both archival intelligence—such as building skills in using finding aids and locating primary sources—and artifactual literacy, such as building skills in interpretation and analysis of primary sources. Each exercise includes sections for audience, subject area, and materials used so that instructors can find customizable, easy-to-follow "recipes" to use regardless of personal experience and expertise. In addition, this consultable reference resource includes a bibliography of readings related to instruction in special collections, archives, and museum environments.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781610694346
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	03/20/2014
Pages:	190
Product dimensions:	8.40(w) x 10.80(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	1 - 17 Years

About the Author

Anne Bahde, MLIS, is history of science librarian in the Special Collections and Archives Research Center at Oregon State University Libraries.

Heather Smedberg, MLS, is the reference and instruction coordinator for Special Collections and Archives at University of California, San Diego.

Mattie Taormina, MLIS, is head of public services and processing manuscripts librarian for Stanford University's Special Collections and University Archives.

Table of Contents

CONTENTS



Foreword by Elizabeth Yakel

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction



SECTION 1: CLASSIC EXERCISE WITH A TWIST



Windows to the Past: Postcards and Visual Literacy

Joanne Archer



Approaching the Book as an Artifact

Kelli Hansen



Our School Song: Using Sound Recordings & Sheet Music to Explore Historical Music

Leah Hoblit and Lisa Sjoberg



Start to Finish: Learning the Primary Source Research Process in 50 Minutes

Maggie Kopp



Infinitely Adaptable: Using Objects to Promote Inquiry-Based Learning

Lauren Silver, Ph.D.



Peer Learning with Primary Sources

Heather Smedberg



Working Backwards: Starting with an Endnote to Teach Primary Source Research Skills

Jenny Swadosh



SECTION 2: TAKING IT FURTHER



Taking Sides: Using Debate to Understand Evidence and Bias in Primary Sources

Anne Bahde



Match Game: Pairing Primary Sources to Potential Research Topics

Anne Bahde



Shopping for The Medici: Student Collectors and Authentic Use

Jason Bocko



The Big and the Small of It: Engaging Large Groups with Small Details

Erika Boeckeler, Michelle Romero, and Amanda Rust



Quick Curation: Building Analytical Skills Through Context and Juxtaposition

Peter Carini



History Sleuths

Christine de Catanzaro, Wendy Hagenmaier, Mandi Johnson, and Jody Thompson



Reaching Back, Reaching Out: Innovation and Experimentation in the World of Special Collections

Lori Dekydtspotter and Cherry Williams



Exploring Personal Experience through Diaries and Memoirs

Erin Dix



The Ice House Mystery: Pairing Primary and Secondary Sources to Teach Place-based Research

Prudence Doherty



Finding Hidden Personal Stories in Legal and Financial Records

Julie Golia and Robin M. Katz



The Dating Game

Will Hansen



Prioritizing Privacy v. Access: Primary Sources in the Digital Age

Sean Heyliger and Juli McLoone



Book Illustration and Cultural Change: Reading Visual Images in Context

Barbara Hochman



Picturing the Past: Introducing Special Collections Research Through Photographs

Sarah Horowitz



Finding Fun with Finding Aids

Greg Kocken



Deconstructing Description: Teaching Archival Literacy through Finding Aids

Rebecca Larson-Troyer



Printing ABCs: A Hands-On Printmaking Activity for Children

Melissa Nykanen



Covered with Culture: Finding Meaning on a Stick

Jay Satterfield



Searching for Primary Sources: An Introduction to Using Special Collections Discovery Tools

Lisa Schoblasky and Autumn Mather



Building Books and Breaking them Down: Using Historic Materials to Teach Modern Preservation

Jennifer K. Sheehan



Exploring Artists' Books

Heather Smedberg



Engage those Senses! The Surrogate is Not Enough

Mattie Taormina



Judging a Book by Its Cover

Mattie Taormina



Conclusion: Assessing Student Learning

Bibliography

Index