Finding Resources: What’s Available When LOC.gov Is Offline

Sometimes LOC.gov and some of its associated sites are not available. Whether that’s because of maintenance or a government shutdown, don’t despair. Here are some ways to access great Library resources.

Congress.gov

legislative information on Congress.gov available

Library of Congress Flickr account

image sets available, including access to larger images and bibliographic information

Library of Congress YouTube channel

videos available

PSN primary source activities

• Try a Guided Primary Source Analysis activity.
• Check out the Citizen U Multidisciplinary Civics Lesson Library.
• Try a Connecting to the Common Core primary source activity.
• Use one of the featured sources (most 900 pixels wide for easy viewing and include bibliographic information) and try a primary source writing prompt (although aligned to grades K-5, these activities can easily be adapted for higher grades).
• Try a Learning from the Source activity. Activities that can be completed by accessing all or most individual primary source items are listed below.
  • Abraham Lincoln & Me Activity Book
  • Amateur Night @ the Apollo Race Relations
  • The Art of Mourning: most resources available; if not, try the Wayback Machine referenced below
  • Chicago Meatpackers & the Unions
  • Close Reading in Service of a Cause
  • Comparing Reports of the Battle of Little Bighorn most resources available
  • Digital Stories of Our Heroes: most resources available
  • Image Sequencing: Gettysburg Address; I Have a Dream; Preamble to the Constitution
  • Indian Territory Resettlement: all sources available except maps, which show thumbnail images only
  • Monumental Men
  • Perceptions & Roles of American Women
  • Pledge of Allegiance Image Sequencing
  • Presidential Portraits
  • Print Advertising Across the Centuries: access images directly from the Duke University collection
  • The Star Spangled Banner K-2
  • The Star Spangled Banner 3-5
  • Tactics in the March to Suffrage
  • Zooming into Documentary Photography: most resources available; images can be accessed via the Wayback Machine referenced below

Internet Archive Wayback Machine

While this site generally will not provide access to individual primary sources (there are exceptions), it can be used to access web-page content. Just copy and paste a Library of Congress URL ending in .htm, .html, .asp, or .aspx (and some URLs without an extension ending) into the search box at the top of the Wayback Machine calendar page and click the “Go Wayback” button.
EX:  http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/timeline/depwwii/race/amateur.html

The pages are navigable within the archive so long as a web page capture was made at least once in the past.

• America’s Library: background information and many larger primary source images available
• Online Exhibitions: When browsing through the interactive exhibitions, be sure to click the Go to HTML Version link located towards the upper, right corner of the page under the menu bar; some individual primary source items available.
• American Memory Timeline: background information available; individual primary source items not available
• Collection Connections: activity ideas and background information available; individual primary source items not available
• Everyday Mysteries: informational text and many primary source images available
• TPS Consortium: many TPS partners offer resources on their websites that include activities with printable primary sources or otherwise not dependent on links from the Library website
• Library of Congress blogs: blog content, including associated images, available; links to individual primary source items not available