Case Studies on Teaching With Primary Sources (TWPS)

Sponsored by the Reference, Access, and Outreach (RAO) Section of SAA, this open-ended series of case studies is designed to illustrate the application of the Guidelines for Primary Source Literacy. The guidelines were developed by a joint task force charged by SAA and the Association of College and Research Libraries’ (ACRL) Rare Books and Manuscripts Section (RBMS). Additional resources for those interested in teaching with primary sources are available on the TPS Collective website maintained by the Instruction and Outreach Committee of RBMS.

You are invited to learn more about Case Studies on Teaching With Primary Sources by clicking here, and to read the case studies published below.

RAO Section
MARY FEENEY, Series Editor
KARA FLYNN, Associate Editor



CASE 1
Collaborating for Impact in Teaching with Primary Sources 

by SAMANTHA CRISP

CASE 2
Teaching Citations as a Multi-functional Approach to Archives Instruction 

by HELEN McMANUS and LEAH RICHARDSON

CASE 3
Fostering Historical Empathy in Unusual Times: A Case Study of the Course "OSU, Women and Oral History: An Exploration of 150 Years"
by CHRIS PETERSEN and TIAH EDMUNSON-MORTON

CASE 4
Crafting a Research Question: Differentiated Teaching for Instruction With Primary Sources Across Diverse Learning Levels 
by JEN HOYER, KAITLIN HOLT, JULIA PELAEZ

CASE 5
Exploring Ephemerality, Biases, and Silences in Archives
by ERIN DIX

CASE 6
The Archives as Classroom: A Primary Source Mini-Course
by KAYLA HARRIS, STEPHANIE SHREFFLER, HEIDI GAUDER

CASE 7
“What Is Your Title Today?” The Challenges and Rewards of Implementing an Internship/Independent Study Hybrid Course at the Valparaiso University Archives and Special Collections
by REBECCA OSTOYICH, KEVIN OSTOYICH

CASE 8
Success in the Long Term: Learning Objectives in a Semester-Long Research Course

by CINDA NOFZIGER, EMILY SWENSON

CASE 9
Seeing Through Risk in the Special Collections Classroom: A Case for Flexibility
by MARC BRODSKY

CASE 10
Utilizing University Archives to Teach Students the Complexities of Neutrality
by ASHLEIGH D. COREN, ERIN DURHAM

CASE 11
Constructing History: A Student-Created Public History Exhibit Using Omeka
by COLLEEN HOELSCHER

CASE 12
Scaffolding Primary Source Research and Analysis in an Undergraduate History Research Methods Course
by KARA FLYNN

CASE 13
Bingo! Engaging History of Science Students with Primary Sources
by LEIGH RUPINSKI

CASE 14
Co-curricular Innovation: Teaching about Patents as Primary Sources
by BRIDGET GARNAI and HEIDI GAUDER

CASE 15
Teaching with Primary Sources Remotely
by KAITLIN SPRINGMIER

CASE 16
Engaging History Majors in Intensive Archival Research: Assessing Scaffolded Curricula for Teaching Undergraduates Primary Source Literacy Skills
by CLAIRE STROM and RACHEL WALTON

CASE 17
Personalizing the History of Mathematics through Institution-Specific Archival Materials
by CHRISTINE LATULIPPE

CASE 18
Stories of Power and Diversity During COVID: Building an Online Exhibition with Primary Sources
by RACHEL BOHLMANN and ERIKA HOSSELKUS

CASE 19
Mind the Gap: Teaching Archival Silences in Digital Collections
by COLLEEN HOELSCHER and MICHAEL HUGHES

CASE 20
FYRE in Special Collections: Exploring Scientific History in a First-Year Research Experience Course
by RACHEL MAKAROWSKI and GINNY BOEHME

CASE 21
Incorporating Primary Source Literacy into Junior History Interpretation
by SCOTT KEEFER

CASE 22
Archives to Go: Creating a Virtual Primary Source Instruction Packet
by LEIGH RUPINSKI and MEGHAN MARTINEZ

CASE 23
More Than Recipes: Enriching a Campus Common Read with Historical Cookbooks
by KRISTEN J. NYITRAY and CHRISTINE FENA

CASE 24
Connecting Past and Present: Using Archival Materials in a Storytelling Exercise
by BRIDGET RETZLOFF and ZACHARY LEWIS

CASE 25
"We Could Be the Way Forward": Creating an Asynchronous Primary Source Activity
by VICTORIA JONES and BAILEY MAE RODGERS