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September 20, 2011
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Library of Congress continues support for primary sources program
The Teaching with Primary Sources-Colorado program at Metropolitan State College of Denver has received an additional $725,000 from the Library of Congress, taking the program’s total funding to $5.2 million since its inception in 2004, says Peggy O’Neill-Jones, director of TPS-Colorado.
TPS-Colorado, which promotes the use of primary sources in instruction across the state and at all grade levels, taps into some 20 million items digitized by the Library of Congress that are available for free to anyone online.
Its reach, however, extends far beyond Colorado. The grants cover three areas that establish Metro State as a virtual “regional hub” for the Library of Congress, says O’Neill-Jones.
Below are current or upcoming projects under the three grant areas—TPS-Colorado, TPS Western Region and TPS Network:
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TPS-Colorado project, which serves educators throughout Colorado, is investigating a collaboration with the Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas for the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza chronicles the assassination and legacy of President John F. Kennedy, interprets the Dealey Plaza National Historic Landmark District and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Plaza. A possible event in 2013 would look at the presidential succession and inauguration.
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TPS Western Region project, which serves 14 Western states, is collaborating with Dickinson State University in North Dakota to create a mini symposium on the U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt and the West in February 2012. The symposium will serve as an added component to the program’s annual Teacher Librarian Day where librarian/teacher pairs (200 people) have the chance to immerse themselves in inquiry-based and primary-source training around the thematic study of chosen historical elements.
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TPS Network project, a prototype social learning network being built and tested for the Library of Congress, is a live, but closed website that the Library of Congress is monitoring for a better understanding of how to use social media as a learning tool. TPS-Colorado is spearheading this website, which began earlier this year.
Learn more about the TPS-Colorado projects here.
