The Library of Congress collaborated with Flickr in 2007 to launch the Commons with the mission of providing another outlet for copyright free images from its collections and the goal of enjoining the Flickr community to contribute information about the sources: “Please help make the photographs you enjoy more discoverable by adding tags and leaving comments. Your contributions and knowledge make these photos even richer.” Starting out with 3,100 images, the Library photostream has more than … [Read more...]
Primary Source Spotlight: Polio
Historical newspaper coverage of polio A Special Report on Polio 1955 film U.S. legislation related to polio from 1985 Picture Books and Primary Sources: The Polio Pioneer: Dr. Jonas Salk and the Polio Vaccine Primary source set to accompany the picture book, The Polio Pioneer Polio and Parallels to the Covid-19 Pandemic Emerging America What is Polio? CDC When Polio Was Defeated by a Vaccine…and a Seven-Year-Old Girl Now See Hear! blog post October 28, 2014 Whatever … [Read more...]
Learning from the Source: Pairing Pictures & Poems to Tell Stories
Students learn the power of pairing pictures with poems to tell stories about historical and contemporary issues. Display the paired primary sources (Image 1 | Image 2), showing only the images (i.e., cover up the text) and inform students that the poem accompanying these illustrations has been removed. Ask them to predict what the poem is about using details from the images to support their conclusions. Display the bibliographic records for the sources and ask students what new … [Read more...]
Primary Source Spotlight: Supreme Court
United States Reports official reports of decisions for the United States Supreme Court by Volume by Authoring Justice by Major Case Topic Supreme Court Nominations: Confirmed Supreme Court Nominations: Not Confirmed or Withdrawn U.S. legislation related to the Supreme Court 1973 and later The Supreme Court and the Constitution 1912 More books about the Supreme Court Supreme Court historical newspaper coverage Supreme Court image set Researching the U.S. … [Read more...]
Today in History: County and State Fairs
Today in History–August 22–the Library of Congress features county and state fairs, many of which are held around this date. County and state fairs feature entertainment as well as showcase the agricultural industry and rural lifestyles. Learn more by reviewing the Today in History section, then click the links below to access primary sources & more. County and State Fairs from America's Library County fair images A rube couple at a county fair 1904 film County fair audio … [Read more...]
Today in History: Hoover Dam
Today in History–December 21–the Library of Congress features the Hoover Dam, which got its start when President Calvin Coolidge signed the Boulder Canyon Project Act on this date in 1928. Originally known as the Boulder Dam, this wonder of civil engineering distributes water from the Colorado River for use in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. Learn more by reading the Today in History section, then click the links below for related primary sources. The … [Read more...]
Today in History: Halifax Explosion
Today in History–December 6–TPS-Barat features the Halifax explosion, which occurred on this day in 1917. The largest man-made explosion in history, killed nearly 2,000, injured around 9,000, and left approximately 6,000 people homeless. It's a story of local devastation but also of multinational cooperation. Click the primary sources and other resources below to learn more. Halifax explosion image set Report on the explosion 7th December, 1917 Canadian War Museum Report of the Halifax … [Read more...]