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New Guide to Help Middle and High School Students Conduct Research with Library Resources

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This post is by Kaleena Black of the Library of Congress.

The research process can be fun and rewarding, but it can also present some challenges. For some students, the idea of research might not immediately bring to mind an exciting activity, filled with intrigue, suspense, and joy. Many students, and some adults, too, who are interested in deepening their understanding on a topic and are curious about learning more about an idea or issue, don’t consider themselves “researchers.” And even students who are committed to finding information might not be sure how to begin their research journey.

To help support young people in their personal and academic research endeavors, Library educators and librarians teamed up to develop an online research guide for middle and high school students.  A variety of Research Guides have been designed by Library of Congress specialists to help researchers navigate the Library’s analog and digital collections and find resources. Currently, there are hundreds of such guides, covering more than 70 topics that relate to the arts, science, history, social and cultural studies, and more.

With a focus on helping students locate and use digitized resources, this new guide offers tips on finding research inspiration, definitions for primary and secondary sources (with detailed examples for each), strategies for searching primary and secondary sources on the Library’s website and beyond, and suggestions on citing resources appropriately. There is also a feature that allows students to contact a Library of Congress reference specialist if they’re feeling stuck or need extra help in the course of their research.

Using the Library of Congress Online: A Guide for Middle and High School Students

 

We encourage you to browse the research guide for yourself and share it with the young researchers in your life.

While research isn’t always easy, it doesn’t have to be intimidating or boring! It can be activated by a student’s own interests and curiosity and be powered by a solid research approach. As Michelle Light, the Library’s Director of Special Collections, has said when talking about the Library of Congress, “You can find the answer to ANYTHING you’re curious about here. What is your question?”

We hope this guide is a helpful addition to the research tools being used by middle and high school students. Let us know what you think!

Comments (4)

  1. I’m interested in learning about thus.

  2. While your side nav makes for very clean research guides, I have had some patrons miss that those are links to additional pages. Researchers get it. But some general library patrons look for something that shouts “I’m a link!”

  3. This is a GREAT resource!

  4. This is a wonderful resource! I shared it with Jane Mills, a middle school music and art teacher in my most recent PD class. She shared it with one of her 7th grade students and I asked him to send us a brief reflection describing his experience using the research guide. This is what he wrote:

    “Hi Mrs. Mills,

    After extensive reviewing of the guides, I have prepared my remarks. I found the timelines the most useful to understand the context. I would ask a librarian how the formation of the second republic of France affected the revolutionaries of the first. I would recommend it because the guides allow students to more easily understand the source material. I found a congressional bill* regarding the relatives of Haym Saloman and the money he lent the government (during the revolution). I use the Library of Congress in History for project research and additional context, I can use it in English to research authors and poets, and I use it in music to study the history of Jazz. Hope this is enough information for the LoC.

    Sincerely,

    A A ”

    *Senate Bill #377 37th Congress July 1862. “Pay Haym Salomon’s son and sole heir, $100,000 for the government indebtedness from the Revolution.”

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