Embedded Files
At the bottom left of the Library's home page, you will see a link to More Exhibitions that will take you to the Exhibitions Home Page. This page includes both current exhibits that may be explored on site at the Library of Congress and all past exhibits which have been archived as digital exhibits. From the Exhibitions Home Page you can browse through the titles to find topics you are interested in.
To search in the Exhibits section of the Library it is best to use an Advanced Google Search engine. Start at http://www.google.com and limit your search to the domain (web site) name of loc.gov/exhibits. Example: Baseball site:loc.gov/exhibits. This will give you a results list of only Exhibits about Baseball at the Library of Congress.
There are three advantages to limiting your searching to the Exhibitions section of the Library of Congress. First, these primary sources have been selected and curated by some of the best educators and librarians in the country giving you a jump start in your own search. Second, primary sources found in Exhibits will generally display as large images that may be copied or downloaded for classroom use. Sometimes searches from the loc.gov home page will take you to sources with a copyright restriction stating, "Full online access to this resource is only available at the Library of Congress." On the other hand, a search in Exhibitions using the exact title of the primary source you found before often results in a larger image that may be downloaded. A third advantage is that Exhibitions include secondary source information that places the primary sources within a historic and cultural context.
Political Cartoon Example
Political Cartoon Example
Recently, in a search for a political cartoon about President Obama from the Global Search engine at loc.gov, Image A shown below was discovered in Prints and Photographs. A second search on the Exhibits Home Page for an Obama Cartoon, revealed an Exhibit titled Timely and Timeless Recent Editorial Cartoons that included Image B below.
The first result displayed a thumbnail image only with this comment: Full online access to this resource is only available at the Library of Congress. The second result from the Exhibits homepage was classroom ready! If you click on the thumbnail image on the Exhibit page to enlarge it, you will find a printer icon in the bottom right hand corner that enables you to print or save a pdf version of this image which works well on a computer screen or a classroom smartboard.
Image A: Prints and Photographs Division
Image A: Prints and Photographs Division
Image B: Timely and Timeless Exhibit
Image B: Timely and Timeless Exhibit
READ ABOUT IT!
READ ABOUT IT!
- The Teacher Blogs listed below describe ways that teachers can use the primary sources displayed in online Exhibits in a classroom. Browse these blogs and follow their links to remarkable treasures to augment your inquiry teaching.
- Discovering Elements of Urban Culture in America at the Turn of the Twentieth Century from a Children's Book
- Women Documenting History: Primary Sources from the Library of Congress on Women Photojournalists
Write About It
Write About It
Record your responses on this document.
- Use the Advanced Google search strategy to locate a primary source in one of the Library of Congress Exhibits that relates to your curriculum or personal interests. Example: Statue of Liberty site:loc.gov/exhibits. Record your responses on this document.
- Share the title and URL of that primary source and write about how you could use that primary source in a classroom.
- What questions do you have about searching and using Exhibition primary sources in a classroom or PD workshop?
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