The Library serves as the research arm of Congress and is recognized as the national library of the United States. Its collections comprise the world's most comprehensive record of human creativity and knowledge. Open to those age 16 and older without charge or special permission, it is the world's largest library and a great resource to scholars and researchers.

Primary sources are the raw elements of history, including:

• Letters
• Manuscripts
• Diaries and journals
• Newspapers and magazines
• Advertisements
• Speeches
• Photographs
• Interviews
• Recordings (video and audio)
• Items from “pop” culture

What makes primary sources powerful is that they arrive as they are – with little commentary or context attached. Studied together, however, they help build a complete and very personal picture of how things were, why people believed what they believed or what caused one outcome over another. Students who learn via primary sources examine the past, which informs the decisions they make in their own lives and in our world, today and in the future.

Direct access to artifacts, documents and personal accounts allows unfettered opportunities for students to:

• Practice active reading
• Engage with subject matter through imagination and inquiry, not just memorization
• Breakdown and analyze information for context, bias and meaning
• Develop critical thinking skills and further research strategies
• Form reasoned, evidence-based conclusions
• Integrate learning to broaden their world view

Primary sources breed a deeper understanding. Students don’t just learn. They see, feel and think about people, circumstances and historical events in a personal and lasting way.

Simply put, teachers who use primary sources catapult students into high-level thinking and meet the demands of standards-based education in new and creative ways. Primary sources help educate 21st-century citizens adept at:

• Identifying central questions and core perspectives in any narrative
• Using visual or auditory data to clarify, illustrate and elaborate upon any topic
• Comparing and contrasting differing ideas and values
• Considering multiple perspectives revealed by motives, beliefs, interests, hopes and fears
• Uncovering social, political and economic contexts for actions, decisions and outcomes
• Evaluating alternative courses of action, including ethical considerations and consequences

Every day, our world produces an avalanche of unfiltered and often slanted information. Primary sources give students the tools to make reasoned decisions in their daily lives—now and in the future. Students who practice these skills in the classroom become adults better prepared to succeed in our increasingly interconnected and complicated global society.

Teaching with Primary Sources – Colorado professional development programs are free to all Colorado K-12 educators, including:

• In-service and pre-service teachers
• College faculty
• Librarians
• Media specialists
• Educational support personnel

No. Teaching with Primary Sources-Colorado programs (events, workshops, etc.) are offered FREE to educators.

Those choosing to earn graduate credits for Teaching with Primary Sources-Colorado workshops, however, do pay a fee (cost per credit hour) through one of the available institutions in Colorado (Adams State College, Colorado State University and the University of Colorado at Denver), but it is not a requirement.

As a Teaching with Primary Sources-Colorado participant, you join local, regional and national networks of educators committed to using Library of Congress online materials and other digital primary sources to improve learning in the classroom. As your skills grow, mentoring others in this valuable teaching method extends the Teaching with Primary Sources mission. Ultimately, your efforts in this area prepare students to succeed in our increasingly complicated and information-soaked society.

You also have the option of earning possible recertification credit and graduate credit to advance your career. Here’s a recap of what’s available at each level.

Upon completion of Level 1 (Foundations), you earn:

• $150 funded into your account for use at Metro State’s Digital Primary Source Center
• A USB flash drive with Library of Congress and Teaching with Primary Sources-Colorado materials for use in the classroom
• Level 1 Primary Source Foundations certificate of completion
• Two graduate credit (optional)

Upon completion of Level 2 (Topic Inquiry), you earn:

• $150 funded into your account for use at Metro State’s Digital Primary Source Center
• Level 2 Topic Inquiry certificate of completion
• One graduate credits (optional)

Registering online is easy.

• To register, you will need an account at TPS Connect - http://www.tpsconnect.org, our online social neworking community.
• If you already have an account, you can enroll in a course here: http://tpsconnect.org/courses.
• Once you have an account and have logged in, you can access the available course by clicking My Courses under the User Menu.
• Clicking the Course Catalog button will show you a list of available course.

No. While we encourage team participation, any individual Colorado educator is eligible to register for any of the workshops, events or other programs.

Yes. Teaching with Primary Sources-Colorado offers on-location Level 1 and Level 2 workshops to schools or districts with a minimum of 10 participants. Contact us for details: 303-352-4945 or mscd-tpscolorado@mscd.edu.

When you search the American Memory collections, some of the Web pages displayed are created "on the fly". That is, they are assembled by the computer in response to your particular request."On the fly" pages create problems for linking and bookmarking since the URL (Uniform Resource Locator or Web address) is temporary. Thus, if you bookmark an "on the fly" page, you will not be able to reach the address later. However, you can get a permanent URL using the process outlined here http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/help/faq.html#link.

Some maps are available in the uncommon MrSID and JPEG2000 formats. See a comparison of the two formats and download the necessary viewers here: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/help/view.html#map.

Each collection offers guidelines for citing its materials appropriately, under the heading "Rights and Reproductions" on the collection's home page. The Teachers Page of American Memory provides guidelines, examples, and links to other resources about citing electronic sources.