5 Ways to Teach Critical Primary Source Research — 2021

5 Ways to Teach Critical Primary Source Research (Even If the Archives Replicate Dominant Power Structures)

Lightning Talk | Tuesday, May 18, 2021 | 2:45pm – 4:00pm EST

Many archivists and special collections librarians work in repositories that mirror dominant power structures, especially when it comes to collection holdings. This lightning talk will cover 5 practical ways to teach students to do research that interrogates oppression and inequities – even in the most unrepresentative of collections. This talk will also be useful and interesting to anyone who teaches with primary sources more broadly, including in circulating collections, via subscription databases, or online.

Presenter: Robin Katz

Headshot of Robin Katz

Robin M. Katz is an archivist, educator, and the world’s first primary source literacy librarian, a position she crafted after serving on the joint task force that authored the Guidelines for Primary Source Literacy. She is planning the Rare Book and Manuscript Section’s virtual conference with the theme Power, Resistance, and Leadership happening this June. She co-created TeachArchives.org, teaches for Library Juice Academy, and is working on a forthcoming practical handbook for primary source literacy activities accompanied by measurable learning objectives.