Significant research has documented the benefits of using primary materials in the classroom, and for a long time, textbook authors and scholars have collected such materials for in-class student use. Teachers and researchers regularly engage with physical and digital archives as resources for their own research and for classroom materials. At the…

This article examines the development of a bespoke primary source literacy module for the study of childhood in Ireland. The BA (Children's Studies) at National University of Ireland Galway is a unique interdisciplinary degree that equips students with a theoretical and practical understanding of the lives of children and childhood today. The…

As primary source materials in the library are digitized and made available online, the focus of related library services is shifting to include new and innovative methods of digital delivery via social media, digital storytelling, and community-based and consortial image repositories. Most images on the Web are not of sufficient quality for most…

This project plays upon technology and an innovative way to research history -- the use of online primary source data that highlight the history of women in volunteer and reform organizations, education, the arts, the workplace, and private lives. Using an archival database from the Lycoming County Women's History collection, this curriculum…

This article, by Lynda Abbott and Richard Grayson, offers a fascinating example of collaboration between school and university, focused on the development of a community archive. The project--run as an extra-curricular activity--was originally inspired by a concern to preserve the personal stories of those whose lives were affected by the Second…

Described is a history education project of the Illinois Regional Archives Depository System which shows that archives can be both repositories and disseminators of information. A curriculum packet composed of facsimiles of local government records for use in secondary school history classes was developed. (RM)

Discusses programs available through state humanities councils, museums, and historical societies to help students and teachers interested in local history gain access to information and materials. Includes media and archival sources of information. (RW)

History instructors working in a community college face two major challenges. First, to make history interesting and relevant to the students, many of whom have to take history courses as a requirement. And second, to fulfill one of the missions of a community college which is to forge a connection between the school and the people in the local…

Describes the Allegany County Local History Program at Allegany Community College, which serves as coordinating center for collection, preservation, and promotion of local heritage. The program consists of four projects: family history, oral history, union list of local history collections, and continued development of local history collections at…

Describes a local history project designed for ninth-grade students, in which students use primary historical sources to research local history, and the resulting conflict between access to rare documents versus preservation of those materials. The major microfilming project that was undertaken to resolve this conflict is outlined. (CLB)

Reviews the development of the Western History Department of the Denver Public Library and describes the current collection, which includes military records, manuscripts and personal papers, newspapers, photographs, and paintings. The discussion covers library policies that balance public access and preservation, financial support for the…

Offers suggestions on finding sources on the historiography of local history. Examines books useful to the local historian, including books on local social history and studies on immigrants, minorities, and women. Suggests the use of visual versions of local history. Discusses architectural histories, landmarks, and the use of primary sources. (RW)

Designed for teachers and researchers, this comprehensive outline of the history of North Carolina traces the state's history from its earliest Indian occupants to political events occurring during the 1960's. Over 40 chapters are included in the outline. In general, topics deal with expansion and settlement, agriculture and industry,…

Information from local records can be used in a variety of ways to strengthen and add interesting detail to undergraduate history courses on slavery in the United States. Specifically, the author describes the use of county records to teach about slavery in Texas before the Civil War. Four sources of records can be consulted: (1) United States…

Describes a project using city and town archives to explore important issues in U.S. history for Advanced Placement American history courses. Relates how town death, birth, or marriage records can be used by students as the stimuli for research projects on larger trends in demographic, social, or political history. (DSK)