The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world. Located in Washington D.C., the LOC is home to millions of books, films, pieces of music, works of art, and so much more. Collections span hundreds of miles and thousands of years. It’s world history beside American history.

Specialists are constantly adding new items to the collections, digitizing the materials to both preserve and share. Thousands of these items are available through the LOC’s website, giving educators, like you, access to one of the largest collections of historical artifacts and primary sources in the world.

The LOC’s Teacher’s Program is built upon its collections of these sources and their application in your classroom. Educators can choose to create lessons from them or access existing lessons on various moments and events in history, specific works of literature, art, music, political and social movements, and so much more. You’re limited only by your own curiosity.

But why use primary sources? Why bring these artifacts and documents into your classroom and introduce them to your students?

“Bringing young people into close contact with these unique, often profoundly personal, documents and objects can give them a sense of what it was like to be alive during a long-past era. Helping students analyze primary sources can also prompt curiosity and improve critical thinking and analysis skills.”

Primary sources expose students to multiple perspectives on significant issues of the past and present. In analyzing primary sources, students move from concrete observations and facts to questioning and making inferences about the materials. Interacting with primary sources engages students in asking questions, evaluating information, making inferences, and developing reasoned explanations and interpretations of events and issues.”¹

How can you access the Library’s collection of these sources and incorporate them into your lessons? What’s available to you and your students? How can you use these collections to supplement your classroom curriculum? Can you visit and explore the largest library in the world?

About the Library

The Library of Congress is easily accessible, both digitally and physically. It’s located next to the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. but it’s not one, singular building. It’s actually three – The Thomas Jefferson Building (the original structure, built in the 1890s), the John Adams Building (completed in the 1930s), and the James Madison Building (which was finished in the mid 1970s). All three buildings are located within walking distance of each other, as well as a host of other institutes you may want to visit, like the Supreme Court and the National Mall.

Can I visit the Library of Congress?

Absolutely! The library is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10am to 5pm. It has extended hours on Thursday (10am to 8pm) but is closed on Federal holidays. You can visit the library for free but you need to register for a time slot. And you need to reserve passes for groups of 20+ if you want to take your students for a visit.

Have a plan before you visit the library. Why are you going there? What do you want to see? What do you want your students to experience and take with them? You can see and do a lot at the LOC. Remember, the LOC is just as much a museum and archive as it is a library. Check out the LOC’s “Know Before You Go” before making your trip there. You can find maps, suggestions, guides, virtual views, and FAQs on the site.

Can I get a Library Card at the Library of Congress?

Yes! Cards are called Reader Identification Cards. You can start the application process online but you need to obtain a card in person. Cards are good for two years, much like a card from your local library, and give you access to various reading rooms, physical materials, and databases. Most databases are free but some require you to be onsite or to register with the library in order to use them.

Keep in mind that while you can visit the library and explore its exhibits and collections, it’s still a functioning institute. Respect the materials, patrons, staff, buildings, and privileges just like you would at any library.

Teacher’s Program

What does the Library of Congress offer specifically to you, a classroom teacher? Have you heard of the LOC’s “Teacher’s Program?” It’s built upon the primary sources in its collections and aims to assist educators across all disciplines. And best of all? Everything in this section is free for you to use.

As of this article, four main sections are dedicated specifically to educators – “Getting Started With Primary Sources,” “Classroom Materials,” “Professional Development,” and “Teaching With the Library.”

But keep in mind – just because something isn’t in one of these sections, that doesn’t mean it can’t be used in your classroom to enhance your curriculum. The LOC’s site is filled with materials for research and education. Just be aware of copyrights and how you disseminate what you find and use.

Now, there’s a lot in this program. Too much for me to go into detail here. Because of that, I won’t cover the minutiae of each section, but I may revisit the LOC later. Below is an overview of the resources available to you, along with some particularly noteworthy sections.

Do yourself a favor and poke around the pages when you’ve got some time. I guarantee you’ll A) get lost B) feel overwhelmed C) love everything you find.

You need to get lost once in a while to find the exciting path.

Getting Started With Primary Resources

Reimagine a library for a minute. Well…more than a minute since that’s, like, kind of the whole premise of The Library Cat.

Sure, you can go to a library and check out a book or movie but have you ever thought about those materials as something other than entertainment? It might seem like an interesting book or film, but could it also be a product, or artifact, of its time? Could your library also be, like, a museum?

What if the items in your library were seen as objects that reflected the time of their creation. Instead of a New York Times Bestseller, that book in your hand reflects the author’s life experiences and the environment in which it was written. It’s entertainment. Its a resource. It’s an artifact.

Everyone is telling a story. The words, images, and sounds you encounter tell a story but they also reflect the author, illustrator, and musician. Sometimes what you don’t see and hear, what’s beyond the page is even more compelling than what you see and hear. Welcome to “Getting Started with Primary Sources.”

What’s Available?

• Teacher’s Guides and Analysis Tools to guide students as they critically engage with and reflect upon primary source materials.
  
• Finding Primary Sources give you access to the Library of Congress’ digital collections. Also included are research suggestions to help you search their catalogs. These are great tips not just for the Library’s website but for any kind of research!
  
• Distance Learning and Primary Sources offers advice and resources for those teaching asynchronously. If you’re not asynchronous, these materials can be used to augment your classroom discussions.
  
• Primary Sources and Standards addresses the use of these sources to meet academic standards. The LOC specifically focuses on Common Core, as well as areas like social studies, science, math, library studies, and music (NAfME).
  
• Citing Primary Sources focuses on the importance of proper, and essential, citation. While numerous citation styles exist, the LOC shares examples of only MLA and Chicago styles.
  
• Copyright and Primary Sources provides students and educators with important information regarding the use and dissemination of primary source materials in education, research, and publications.
  
• Student Discovery Sets are digitally interactive materials that cover a broad range of topics and issues in history. Sets are available through iTunes/Apple Books.

Classroom Materials

Were you just handed a class at the last minute and need some lessons? Have you reached a time period in your curriculum that you’ve always struggled with and need help? Are your lessons starting to feel antiquated and need to be refreshed?

Building upon the contents of “Getting Started With Primary Sources,” you may find the lesson plans, evaluations, and activities in “Classroom Materials” beneficial.

What’s Available?

• Primary Source Sets share collections on topics like presidential speeches, The Spanish-American War, the Civil Rights Movement, Civil War Music, Japanese Internment Camps, and so much more. These sets can also be found through the link “Finding Primary Sources.”
  
• Lesson Plans developed from the “Primary Source Sets” are also available. Lessons vary in length, content, and topics. Some cover a week’s worth of material while others are designed for multiple weeks. In addition to the lessons, you can also access study guides, exercises, and ideas for evaluations and assessments.
  
  You’ll find that some lessons are more detailed and robust, providing links to other LOC resources and full texts, while others offer a little more space and flexibility for you to supplement with your own material.
  
• Presentations offers four categories – Elections, Immigration and Relocation in U.S. History, Inaugurations: Stepping into History, and U.S. History Primary Source Timeline. Upon first glance, this section appears to offer a lot less than the other sections. However, as with everything, the more you begin explore each area, you’ll see the content and material open up before you.

Professional Development

The final section of the Teacher’s Program expands and shifts to redirect the focus to you, the educator. “Professional Development” provides opportunities for teachers to grow and increase their skills in the classroom. Again, as with most nearly everything promoted on this site, these are free resources. Depending on the developmental opportunity, the only obstacles you should encounter are registration deadlines, space availability, logistics, and squirrels chewing through your internet connection.

What’s Available?

• Onsite workshops are offered from the end of June to about the middle of July. You’ll need to complete an application for the workshops and submit a letter of recommendation from a school administrator if you wish to attend. Applications must be submitted by February 16, 2024.
  
• Self-paced Modules are provided on “Analyzing Primary Sources” and “Multiple Sources for Multiple Perspectives” for those who want a self-directed approach. Modules are about an hour long and participants receive a certificate of completion once finished.
  
• Webinar recordings, beginning in 2020, are available as video/audio and pdfs. The webinars are primarily powerpoint presentations with commentary provided by specialists at the LOC.
  
• Professional Development Activities incorporate materials from other areas in the LOC’s Teacher’s Program to create professional development packets that can be used offsite, like at workshops or in-services at your school. You can even use them as activities in your classroom!
  
• Professional Development Videos cover myriad topics. Some are general, like how to ask a librarian at the LOC a question, while others are more specific, like sharing insights on using various media in your classroom.
  
  Check out the first published video, “Engaging Students With the Library of Congress.” It was published in 2013 but it offers a profound perspective on the Library of Congress and the mission of its educational outreach programs. If you want to see how the library and its programs have grown over time, start here.
  
• Find a Regional Partner allows you to connect with an institution that’s closer to you and your region. You can find region specific teaching materials, opportunities for grants, lessons ideas, and much more. Connect with your region and begin exploring the resources available to you and your students!

The LOC’s Blogs: Teaching With the Library

What do the LOC’s educators, specialists, archivists, and researchers have to say about the materials at the Library of Congress and their relationships with them? Find out with the Library of Congress’ Blog, Teaching with the Library: Primary Sources and Ideas for Educators, to gain a more personal insight into the materials and those who curate them.

Read about topics like African American history, the Constitution, holidays, fine and performing arts, immigration, women’s history, to name a few. You can also read professional development posts to expand your teaching oeuvre – lesson ideas, teaching strategies, teaching tools, and strategies for engaging young learners. Some posts are straightforward, sharing when new resources become available, or are more comprehensive, written by specialists who excel in their fields. Let each post invigorate and stimulate you.

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The Library of Congress is a limitless resource for educators and students and its collections continue to grow each day as we live through and make history.

If you’re close to the Washington D.C. area, the library offers tremendous opportunities for you to visit and explore rich materials from around the world. And if you’re not close to the library, the LOC’s website is an unparalleled opportunity for you to bring the world and its history to your students.

…how will you step into history?

Go. Be curious. Explore. Learn.

Like what you read? If you’d like to see more posts like this on other topics, please consider donating to the Library Cat and supporting the site and my work. Thanks for reading!

1. “Getting Started With Primary Sources,” The Library of Congress, accessed January 14, 2024, https://www.loc.gov/programs/teachers/getting-started-with-primary-sources/ ↩︎