TPS Spotlight: Middle Tennessee State University

The Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) program at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) joined the national TPS Consortium in May 2008 and is administered by the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU.
TPS-MTSU seeks to link current state-focused K-12 educational initiatives to larger national themes and to emphasize student exploration of history, science, arts, and culture through the use of primary sources from the Library. TPS-MTSU also collaborates with collegiate departments of education and educators at museums, cultural institutions and heritage organizations, offering a wide variety of professional development and educational materials. Information and materials are available via the TPS-MTSU website, Facebook page, YouTube channel, and monthly newsletter.

Virtual Book Club

A new offering from TPS-MTSU this year is a virtual book club, being held in the Bookmarks group on the TPS Teachers Network. The featured book is Jill Lepore’s These Truths: A History of the United States. The book is divided into four parts with four chapters in each part: The Idea (1492–1799), The People (1800–1865), The State (1866–1945), and The Machine (1946–2016). During the fall semester, the group will be reading the first half of the book and the spring semester will cover the second half.

TPS-MTSU posts a discussion question for each chapter and is also creating a digital album that highlights related primary sources, lesson plans, and other resources that could be used to teach the content in that chapter. You may jump into the conversation at any time, but you must join the TPS Teachers Network to participate.

2020-21 Online Professional Development @ 4 pm CST unless noted otherwise

  • October 8 – Digging in with TPS-MTSU: Modern America | Register
  • October 28 – The American Constitution: Primary Sources and Resources with East Tennessee Historical Society @3 pm CST | Register
  • November 12 –  Digging in with TPS-MTSU: A Free Press – The Fourth Estate | Register
  • November 19 – Peer-to-Peer Discussion Group: Hands on in a Hands off World with East Tennessee Historical Society @3 pm CST | Register
  • December 2 – Manifest Destiny: Primary Sources and Resources with East Tennessee Historical Society
  • @3 pm CST | Register
  • December 10 – Digging in with TPS-MTSU: Teaching with Graphic Media | Register
  • March 9 – Discover Tennessee History – Tracing the Trail of Tears through Tennessee | Register

Educational Materials*

* TPS-MTSU is in the midst of updating their materials. If you find errors or broken links, please feel free to reach out to
Kira Duke or Stacey Graham.