Unlocking the Power of Primary Sources

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

Learn More:

Explore the schedule for “The Library of Congress and Teachers: Unlocking the Power of Primary Sources” conference, and sign up individually for sessions of interest to you! (Update: Some sessions, including Working with Visuals, have already reached capacity. The good news is that all sessions will be recorded and available online through the Library of Congress Teachers page within a week.)
Wander through the thousands of photographs in the Carol M. Highsmith Archive before listening to her keynote address.
During the Working with Visuals session, we will talk about the webcast series Every Photo is a Story and how to explore the stories pictures tell. Read more about the video series in a recent Picture This blog entry.
Get to know your presenters for Working with Visuals through two posts on the Teaching with the Library of Congress blog:
- A Year of Opportunities: Introducing Tom Bober, 2015-2016 Library of Congress Audio-Visual Teacher in Residence
- Five Questions with Kristi Finefield, Reference Librarian, Prints and Photographs Division

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