Literature on primary source instruction between 2013 and 2023 features case studies from institutions able to support embedded archivists and scaffolded educational experiences. This article examines five common themes in the scholarship published within that time, including constructivism, the roles of digital and physical resources, and the…

With increasing demand for archival instruction and growing class sizes, archivists and special collections librarians are struggling to accommodate larger classes, both logistically and pedagogically. This paper reviews the literature on approaches from both higher education and archival instruction to identify trends for teaching big classes.…

This study details the design of library instruction sessions for undergraduate students that intended to encourage critical source evaluation and the questioning of established authorities, and appraises these instructional aims through a thematic analysis of 148 artifacts containing student responses to group and individual activities. The…

The Digital Archival Advertisements Survey Process (DAASP) model is a collaborative active learning exercise designed to aid students in evaluating primary source documents of print-based advertisements. By deploying DAASP, the researchers were able to assess the students' ability to evaluate their biases of the advertisements in a first-year…

In middle schools and high schools across the country, students analyze primary sources, engaging with and asking critical questions about historical documents. But the students who generated these observations, reflections, and questions were kindergartners--five- and six-year olds, working with Library of Congress staff to help refine strategies…

Many academic libraries have actively sought to articulate their value to campus stakeholders for well over a decade, and this demonstration of utility has become even more necessary as college and university budgets are scrutinized and even imperiled. This article will examine the experience of several academic libraries that have sought multiple…

This article provides the framework for a set of standards and outcomes that would constitute information literacy with primary sources. Based on a working model used at Dartmouth College's Rauner Special Collections Library in Hanover, New Hampshire, these concepts create a framework for teaching with primary source materials intended to produce…

While remaining cognizant of several aspects of current information literacy (IL) instruction methods, including threshold concepts, the author re-created experiences shared by students as she searched for, analyzed, and compiled resources pertaining to the Renaissance. Good IL instruction supports education of the whole person, develops new modes…

At California State University, Northridge (CSUN), many students lack the skills needed to locate, analyze, and apply essential contexts associated with primary sources. Using these sources requires critical inquiry, which is a fundamental theme in pedagogy, the California State University system's Core Competencies, and the Association of College…

Although recent archival scholarship promotes the use of primary sources for developing students' analytical research skills, few studies focus on standards or protocols for teaching or assessing archival instruction. Librarians have designed and tested standards and learning assessment strategies for library instruction, and archivists would do…

This article reports on collaboration between an information literacy (IL) instructor and a special collections librarian to create a hands-on special collections experience for entry-level IL students within the context of a credit-bearing class. Data collected during this experience found that exposing students to these materials can increase…

The University of Colorado Boulder (CU-Boulder) is known for strong programming in the sciences and a teaching faculty at the forefront of science education and reform. Librarians at CU-Boulder, in collaboration with science faculty, are challenged to improve undergraduate science education. Using rare, historic, and artistic works from Special…

This study explores the educational role of archivists and special collections librarians in providing instructional services aimed at undergraduate students. Twelve leading thinkers in teaching with primary sources are interviewed to provide insight on pedagogical strategies for undergraduates, assessment of instruction, and how archivists…

This article reports on the results of a survey of instructional practices in a variety of archival and manuscript repositories. The results of the survey suggest that archives professionals devote a significant amount of time and energy to instructing users of primary sources. However, a relatively small number of respondents conduct formal…

Primary source materials are increasingly being thought of as curricular resources and archivists are being asked to play the role of educator. This article, based on the session "Archivists as Educators: Integrating Primary Sources into the Curriculum" looks at the role of the primary source in undergraduate and secondary school curricula and…