We hold these truths to be—what? In Jefferson's first draft of the Declaration of Independence, the original words are scratched out and replaced by "self-evident." Studying this text—an example of primary source research—led one English class in Colorado to a lively discussion on the importance of word choice.

And that is exactly what Peggy O'Neill-Jones, hoped would happen. A professor of technical communication, O'Neill-Jones is director of An Adventure of the American Mind - Colorado (AAM-Colorado), the program established at Metro last spring to promote primary-source research-based learning.

AAM-Colorado is a $2 million-federally funded program that trains teachers to integrate digital technology and the Library of Congress online archives into their classroom curricula. The startup phase of the program includes local school districts: the Archdiocese of Denver, Denver Public Schools, Jefferson County and Sheridan. For these districts, AAM-Colorado is holding teacher workshops for in-depth instruction on primary-source research and integrating technology into the classroom.

AAM-Colorado is hosting two events for Colorado educators and librarians this week. The first is an Open House, which is free and open to the public, and the second, held in conjunction with the Auraria Library, is Librarian Day, which is open to librarians from around the state.

The Open House, "A Special Event for Colorado Educators," will be held on Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at various locations on campus, including the new Digital Primary Resource Center in the Central Classroom Building (CN 101). It will feature a presentation by O'Neill-Jones and a tour of the AAM-Colorado and Auraria Campus facilities. Go to http://aamcolorado.mscd.edu/openhouse.htm to see the Open House schedule.

Librarian Day will be held on Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Tivoli Turnhalle. Librarians from throughout Colorado will attend the professional development day with a teacher of their choice, and AAM-Colorado will provide substitutes for attending librarians and teachers. Participants will learn about the AAM program and local resources. The Librarian Day luncheon will feature such notable speakers as Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, Metro Board of Trustees Chair Bruce Benson and Denver Public Schools Superintendent Jerry Wartgow. The Web site http://aamcolorado.mscd.edu/libday.htm provides more information about Librarian Day.

For more general information on AAM-Colorado, go to http://aamcolorado.mscd.edu/index.htm

To read more about AAM-Colorado at Metro, click on the following back issues of This Week @ Metro: http://www.mscd.edu/~collcom/@metro/tw@metro_vol2/aam_twv2092204.htm and http://www.mscd.edu/~collcom/@metro/tw@metro_vol1/library_twv1031004.htm