The archive activity box is an instructional session where students can engage in a hands-on lesson on how to research and use primary and secondary archive resources. The boxes for the activity will encompass items from the Paul H. Thompson Library Archives such as yearbooks, scrapbooks, photographs, technology devices, pamphlets, and more. Other resources include the digital FTCC archives on Omeka. Students will then answer questions or complete a small assignment to engage them in the research knowledge they have acquired through the activity.
Instructional archive sessions are a collaborative activity that can be tailored to fit an instructor’s course. Instructors should reach out to the Archives Librarian on how to request a session and plan for their classes’ archival activity.
These sessions can be conducted in-house at the library, in a classroom on campus, or off-campus at an area high school. Sessions should be booked in advance to allow time for planning.
For more information or to book a session contact: archives@faytechcc.edu
How the archive activity can be conducted:
1. Instructors can create their own in-class assignment based on the archive materials provided
OR
2. The Archive Librarian can provide a short Q & A worksheet for students to complete as they are exploring the archive materials.
A primary source can be an article, document, diary, manuscript, object or information written or created at the time an event actually took place. Primary sources serve as an original source of information.
A primary source is a first-hand record of an event or topic created by a participant in or a witness to that event or topic. Primary sources can be a document, letter, eye-witness account, diary, article, book, recording, statistical data, manuscript, or art object. Primary sources vary by discipline and provide an original source of information about an era or event. Although primary sources can include first-hand accounts that were documented later, such as memoirs or oral histories, primary sources created or written closest to the time of the actual event are considered to be the most useful sources for research purposes.
Examples:
Examples of Primary Source:
Reference: Library of Congress (2020 Aug 17). What is a primary source? https://ask.loc.gov/faq/303148
A secondary source is second-hand information written or created after an event. Secondary sources may summarize, interpret, review, or criticize existing events or works. Secondary sources were written or created after an event by people who were not at the original event. Secondary sources can be many formats including books, articles, encyclopedias, textbooks, or a scholar’s interpretation of past events or conditions.
Examples of Secondary Sources:
Offers more than 20,000 educational titles that are neatly grouped into convenient, subject-specific categories. Overview provided by Infobase Learning.
