Mary, The Primary Source Librarian | May 22, 2014
Three years ago I wrote two blog posts (Part I and Part II) about my “Personal Memorial Day Journey” to follow the route taken by my Great Uncle Tony Bastian before he was killed in France in August of 1918. Now I am back in France, but in Provence this time rather than the killing […]
Mary, The Primary Source Librarian | July 9, 2013
Even though social media has expanded our capacity to interact with educators from around the world, often our Twitter and other social media environments still keep us fairly insulated from people outside our profession. I am occasionally reminded that I have something to offer those “outsiders” if I only remember to look. Last week my […]
Mary, The Primary Source Librarian | February 29, 2012
Sometimes simple is best. When I introduce skills for asking questions of primary sources, I usually start with a three-question form from the Library of Congress that is no longer all that easy to locate. Thinking about Primary Sources (Click the above link for a PDF version.) Why do I keep going back to this […]
Mary, The Primary Source Librarian | January 2, 2012
I just returned yesterday from a one-week stay in Oaxaca, Mexico, where I experienced an extraordinary art exhibit by Alejandro Santiago. During my family’s first walk into the center of Oaxaca, we noticed policemen unloading truckloads of clay figure sculptures and carefully laying them down on the street in front of the Santo Domingo de […]
Mary, The Primary Source Librarian | November 15, 2011
I want to pass on three blogs that I regularly read for their teaching ideas and valuable links to primary sources. I hope you’ll add these to your own RSS feeds. Just look for this RSS icon to subscribe: Teaching with The Library of Congress This is a relatively new blog written by Library of […]
Mary, The Primary Source Librarian | October 5, 2011
Something has been bothering me about QR codes. When teachers first learn about QR codes, they immediately start thinking of all the ways they can use them to make learning more exciting. Their minds race ahead to projects with QR codes, scavenger hunts with QR codes, QR codes that introduce students to new concepts, and […]
Mary, The Primary Source Librarian | May 28, 2011
Hmm. Is it possible that a blog post in WordPress can be too long? I hope my readers will click on the “More…” link in the last post. Now I’m going to try posting the photos here. Oh, for a little more coding knowledge! Juvigny 1918. Some villages we visited were reconstructed, while others had […]
Mary, The Primary Source Librarian | April 5, 2011
I’ve been thinking lately about how often our students experience the joy that comes with connected learning. Nothing delights me more than those moments when I can connect whatever sources I’m reading, listening to, or viewing with each other and with my world. Here’s a recent example: I’m listening to an Audible.com book of Unbroken: A World […]
Mary, The Primary Source Librarian | February 23, 2011
Last week I helped out at an all-day workshop in Denver for 3rd and 4th grade teachers called “The Hispanic Experience in Colorado.” The grant-funded workshop was the result of a collaboration among History Colorado, the Center for Colorado and the West at Auraria Library, and Teaching with Primary Sources – Colorado (Library of Congress). The […]
