A new LibGuide from the American Library Association (ALA) was recently created to help libraries explore the thousands of primary sources available from the Library of Congress online collection.
The guide—“Programming with Library of Congress Digital Collections”—focuses on eight LC collections (arts, civics, folklife, history, literature, maps, military experience, and STEM) with collection highlights and suggested program ideas that are accessible and adaptable for various library types and audiences.
The full guide is available now.
Program ideas featured in the guide include:
- Write the Lyrics: Using sheet music from the Library of Congress’ Sheet Music of the Musical Theater collection, participants can browse hundreds of artistic cover pages of sheet music and write lyrics based on the cover art.
- Songs and Games: Participants search the Library of Congress’ Folklife collection for song lyrics and create their own melodies.
- Native Treaties and Land Cessions: Using the Civics collection’s “Indian Land Cessions in the United States” document, participants can investigate their state’s treaties with the native nations of that land—and ask questions about what the original treaty was and how that treaty has been upheld over time.
- Women and the Military: Using items in LC’s Clara Barton Papers collection, participants can discuss their findings and how the roles that women fulfilled in assisting military efforts have changed over time.
The LibGuide is authored by Soline Holmes, librarian and Information Services Department chair at Academy of the Sacred Heart in New Orleans; Sarah H. Northam, director of research and instruction at Velma K. Waters Library at Texas A&M University–Commerce; and Rebecca Stanwick, assistant teaching professor and reference and instruction librarian at Bowling Green (Ohio) State University.
ALA received funding from the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) Program to develop this resource guide. Through TPS, the Library of Congress offers classroom materials and professional development to help teachers and librarians effectively use primary sources from the Library’s vast digital collections in their teaching and programming.
