Literature Links: 2020 National Book Festival

Literature Links: 2020 National Book Festival

Overview The 2020 National Book Festival ran from September 25-27 and featured a combination of prerecorded and interactive live Q&A programs with more than 120 authors, poets and illustrators. For a complete line-up of authors and their video presentations, please see the full video on demand list. Highlights from Children’s and Teen Stages at Virtual…

World Spotlight: Afghanistan

World Spotlight: Afghanistan

Afghanistan primary source set World Digital Library The Great Game and Afghanistan story map Voices from Afghanistan online exhibition highlighting citizen letters Afghanistan maps Afghanistan image set Films & webcasts related to Afghanistan Books & articles about Afghanistan Dance styles Pashtu Afghanistan Alan Lomax Collection Veteran oral histories Current Conflicts: Afghanistan and Iraq Persian Gulf and…

Teaching Now: Examining Social Justice Through Historical, Classic and Contemporary Sources

Teaching Now: Examining Social Justice Through Historical, Classic and Contemporary Sources

This is a guest post from Kasey Short, an eighth-grade English teacher at Charlotte Country Day school in North Carolina.  When I moved from 6th to 8th grade last year, one thing I thought about a lot was how I would approach teaching To Kill a Mockingbird. I knew that I wanted to provide historical…

Guided Primary Source Analysis: I Am an American Day

Guided Primary Source Analysis: I Am an American Day

Find a partner and have one read the first article and the other the second article. Each person should re-read their article and then analyze the source to answer the questions below. (NOTE: to enlarge the type, click here to read them online) What argument does the article present? What evidence from the text supports…

Analyzing Primary Sources: Technology & Presidential Nominating Conventions

Analyzing Primary Sources: Technology & Presidential Nominating Conventions

Political conventions have been part of the presidential nominating process for many years, but where conventions are held, who attends, and what happens at them has changed over time. First, analyze sources related to the Democratic Party’s national conventions in 1928 and in 1960. What similarities do you see? What differences? In particular, look for…

Today in History: March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom

Today in History: March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom

Today in History–August 28–the Library of Congress features the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, held on this day in 1963. Around a quarter million people participated in this non-violent demonstration for civil rights seeking, among other things, equal access to public accommodations, decent housing, adequate and integrated education, the right to vote, and…

Primary Source Learning: Being American Primary Source Sets

Primary Source Learning: Being American Primary Source Sets

This curated collection of primary sources was created to help students think critically about what it means to be an American by exploring and analyzing different perspectives and voices, particularly marginalized ones, over time. Thanks to the inspiration of Jen Reidel, 2019-2020 Library of Congress Civics Teacher in Residence, who suggested this theme. Executive proclamations…

Finding Resources: Free to Use & Reuse Primary Source Sets

Finding Resources: Free to Use & Reuse Primary Source Sets

These primary source sets provide just a small sample of the Library’s digital collections that are free to use and reuse. The digital collections comprise millions of items including books, newspapers, manuscripts, prints and photos, maps, musical scores, films, sound recordings and more. Click the topic link to access each Free to Use & Reuse…

World Spotlight: Lebanon

Lebanon country study Lebanon country profile BBC Lebanon timeline BBC Places in the News: Lebanon May 2007 June 2006 February 2005 Lebanon primary source set World Digital Library Lebanon maps Lebanon image set Books & articles about Lebanon Films & webcasts related to Lebanon U.S. veteran oral histories (service in Lebanon) Oral histories mentioning Lebanon from the Foreign Affairs Oral…

Primary Source Learning: Community Helpers Then & Now Primary Source Set

Primary Source Learning: Community Helpers Then & Now Primary Source Set

Click the images to access them, then print or add to a digital folder or platform. Have students match the primary source images of community helpers from long ago and now. Then have students draw a picture of themselves as community helpers and/or a community helper in their neighborhood and share stories about those people….