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Unlocking the Power of Primary Sources

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Mural: "Education," by Millard Owen Sheets at the Department of Interior, Washington, D.C. Photo by Carol M. Highsmith, 2011. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/highsm.24993
Mural: “Education,” by Millard Owen Sheets at the Department of Interior, Washington, D.C. Photo by Carol M. Highsmith, 2011. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/highsm.24993

If you are interested in learning more about visual literacy and historical thinking and about resources such as historical newspapers and photographs, you are in luck! Join us online for a free two-day event: “The Library of Congress and Teachers: Unlocking the Power of Primary Sources.” The virtual conference will take place October 27-28, 2015 from 4:00-8:00 p.m. ET, and while aimed at K-12 educators, the sessions are free and open to all.

The keynote address, Preserving our Communities with Photography, will take place at 4:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Oct. 27 and feature photographer Carol M. Highsmith, whose continually growing archive is part of the collections of the Prints and Photographs Division. And for insight into uncovering the stories behind photographs, join me, Kristi Finefield, Reference Librarian, and Tom Bober, Audio-Visual Teacher-in-Residence, for Working with Visuals at 6:00 p.m. ET, also on Tuesday. Working with Visuals will explore the idea that a photograph, poster, drawing, or painting always has more than one story to tell. We will offer practical tips on how to locate and understand photos in the collections of the Library of Congress, as well as explore one photo in depth.

Library of Congress specialists and instructional experts will be on hand to teach you about resources of the Library and how to explore them in new ways during the fifteen sessions.

Jeannette Poirier looking at photograph of baking in file cabinet drawer at the Washington office of the Overseas Branch of the U.S. Office of War information. Photo, 1945. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.03085
Jeannette Poirier looking at photograph of baking in file cabinet drawer at the Washington office of the Overseas Branch of the U.S. Office of War information. Photo, 1945. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.03085

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