Teaching Undergraduates With Archives

Teaching Undergraduates with Archives mirrors the evolving practice and academic research on primary sources in the classroom. The result of a national symposium at the University of Michigan in 2018, the volume features case studies, reflections, and forecasts concerning critical thinking, active learning, and archival evidence. The chapters describe collaborations between faculty, archivists, librarians, and students. Ideas behind new assignments and syllabi provide an immediate utility for those who teach with primary sources. Testimonies to the challenges and benefits of robust programs speak to the emerging prioritization of teaching and learning across disciplines with archives and special collections. "The contributions to this volume capture exceptionally well the passion and the creativity that archivists and special collections librarians who teach and do outreach with primary sources are bringing to their work in this increasingly important activity domain." -- Martha O'Hara Conway, Director, Special Collections Research Center, University of Michigan Library "As teaching with archival materials has moved to the foreground of the archival mission for many institutions, this timely, inspiring, and practical volume, which comes out of the multi-day symposium solely devoted to teaching undergraduates with archival materials, is a required reading for anyone who teaches with archival materials, or who would like to. It really captures the spirit and enthusiasm that these authors brought to that symposium." -- Josué Hurtado, Coordinator of Public Services & Outreach, Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries "Reflecting the increasing priority of teaching in archives and special collections libraries, this book captures a variety of perspectives, insights, approaches, and prognostications that will enlighten, challenge, and inspire a growing community of practitioners." -- Bill Landis, Head of Public Services, Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library "Building on the momentum generated at the symposium, this book is a treasure trove for professionals in the field who are eager for innovative ideas regarding collaboration and experimentation in teaching with archival material." -- Elizabeth Williams-Clymer, Special Collections Librarian, Kenyon College

In the age of ubiquitous access to information, library special collections and archives have received renewed attention through digitization projects designed to share collections with the world at large. Yet these materials also offer opportunities for student learning through direct engagement with rare or unique items. While special collections and archives have largely been used by advanced researchers and scholars, an increasing number of undergraduate courses are taking advantage of these materials as guides in the instructional process.

Despite the plethora of primary sources that libraries have made available to their communities, the published literature thus far is largely limited to the pedagogical significance of special collections and archives. To leverage the wealth of primary sources and to explore the full potential of primary sources in the undergraduate classroom, it is imperative that the conversation include faculty members as well as librarians outside special collections and archives. The ten case studies included in Engaging Undergraduates in Primary Source Research represent the exciting work of faculty members and their librarian partners from various areas of library operations. They offer examples, strategies, and innovative ways to incorporate a wide range of primary materials into undergraduates’ diet of secondary source research, including both local archival and non-archival materials, as well as digital and physical materials and non-English language materials. Co-authored by faculty and their librarian partners, these case studies focus on how students develop and practice skills related to finding and identifying primary information, analyzing and interrogating it, confronting interpretations, and constructing and presenting arguments using primary sources. The emphasis on transferrable skills, as well as the diversity of primary sources and teaching areas they represent, makes it easy for anyone interested to find examples from which they can draw guidance and inspiration to form partnerships and to (re)invigorate students’ learning experiences involving primary sources. Furthermore, the collaborative process and the methods to engage students in primary source research that are highlighted in these stories are not unique to primary sources. They can be easily applied in other collaborative teaching efforts involving different types of information, to create skilled student researchers, adept information producers, and informed citizens.

Educational Programs: Innovative Practices for Archives and Special Collections explores how archivists and special collections librarians in organizations of different sizes and types have approached the challenges in creating effective educational programs to prepare the next generation of researchers and advocates for archives. The case studies featured are: Tablet and Codex, Side by Side: Pairing Rare Books and E-Books in the Special Collections Classroom Fells, Fans and Fame: Acquiring a Collection of Personal Papers with the Goal of Engaging Primary School Children Student Curators in the Archives: Class-Curated Exhibits in Academic Special Collections A Win for All: Cultural Organizations Working With Colleges of Education The Archive as Theory and Reality: Engaging with Students in Cultural and Critical Studies Make Way for Learning: Using Literary Papers to Engage Elementary School Students Archivists Teaching Teachers: The Archives Education Institute and K-12 Outreach Animating Archives: Embedding Archival Materials (and Archivists) into Digital History Projects “A Certain Kind of Seduction”: Integrating Archival Research into a First-Year Writing Curriculum Not Just for Students: An Archives Workshop for Faculty Web Archiving as Gateway: Teaching K-12 Students about Archival Concepts Evocative Objects: Inspiring Art Students with Archives Documenting and Sharing Instruction Practices: The story of TeachArchives.org These case studies show a range of audiences and strategies, but all were selected because they demonstrate ideas that could be transferred into many other settings. They can serve as models, sources of inspiration, or starting points for new discussions. This volume will be useful to those working in archives and special collections as well as other cultural heritage organizations, and provides ideas ranging from those that require long-term planning and coordination to ones that could be more quickly implemented. The chapters also provide students and educators in archives, library, and public history graduate programs a resource for understanding the varieties of issues related to creating and implementing educational programs and how they can be addressed.

The availability of digital editions of early modern works brings a wealth of exciting archival and primary source materials into the classroom. But electronic archives can be overwhelming and hard to use, for teachers and students alike, and digitization can distort or omit information about texts. Teaching Early Modern English Literature from the Archives places traditional and electronic archives in conversation, outlines practical methods for incorporating them into the undergraduate and graduate curriculum, and addresses the theoretical issues involved in studying them. The volume discusses a range of physical and virtual archives from 1473 to 1700 that are useful in the teaching of early modern literature--both major sources and rich collections that are less known (including affordable or free options for those with limited institutional resources). Although the volume focuses on English literature and culture, essays discuss a wide range of comparative approaches involving Latin, French, Spanish, German, and early American texts and explain how to incorporate visual materials, ballads, domestic treatises, atlases, music, and historical documents into the teaching of literature.

"Teaching Through the Archives explores how working in the archives can foster rhetorical awareness and enhance rhetorical strategies; how archival work can support social change, activism, and community engagement; and how archivists, instructors, and community organizations can establish mutually beneficial relationships"--

Aimed at professional librarians and archivists, this book explores connecting students and faculty with the archival and digital collections of the university’s library and archives. Academic research has been forever changed by the digitization of books, journals, and archival collections. As university libraries and archives move forward in the digital era, it is essential to assess the research needs of users and develop innovative methods to demonstrate the value of collections and services. This book provides librarians and archivists with the tools to develop a robust workshop program aimed at connecting students with archival and digital collections. Provides practical guidelines and detailed lesson plans Based on the collaboration between an experienced archivist and liaison librarian Offers innovative ideas for connecting with faculty members