Site of the Month: Library of Congress Teachers' Page

www.loc.gov/teachers

Most of us know the excitement that primary sources can bring to teaching. Photographs, maps, correspondence, and other original records that have survived from the past spark the imagination, and a staggering 13 million of these items have been digitized and made available online, thanks to the Library of Congress.

With its new Teachers’ Page, the nation’s library has sought to ease the way for educators, providing a central site for classroom content, with increased attention on how to use primary sources. A key feature is TPS (Teaching with Primary Sources) Direct, a build-your-own professional development tool. Users can select from a series of downloadable PDF activities from “Understanding Copyright” to “Analyzing Photographs,” and six multimedia tutorials will post by the end of this year. A search tool for classroom materials is also in the works.

At NECC last month, educators Gail Petry and Judith Graves hosted a terrific session, giving a tour of the six sections of the Library of Congress available online. A great primer that’s been archived here.