Teaching with/about Primary Sources Working Group Annual Report 2011-2012

Members: Aaiona Haykal; Alexis Antrocoli; Danielle Taylor; Danna Bell-Russell; Elizabeth Wilkinson; Flo Turcotte; Heather Briston; Janet Olson; Kathleen Delaney; LaNesha Debardelaben; Lisa Sjoberg (In-coming co -chair); Lori Birrell; Lori Satter; Maija Anderson; Margaret Schlankey; Marika Cifor; Mary Manning (Co-chair); Matt Herbison; Rachel Grove Rohrbaugh; Rebecca Goldman; Sherri Berger; Stephanie Potter; Tamar Chute; Tanya Zanish-Belcher (Co-chair); Thomas G. Lannon; Valerie Harris

Accomplishments:

Finalized Charge
Objective:
To gather and share information on teaching with/about primary resources. We will reach out to all types of institutions (academic and non-academic) and all levels of learners: K-12, college and university, and life-long learners.

Leadership: Tanya Zanish-Belcher and Mary M. Manning will serve as co-chairs of the working group for 2011-2012. Volunteers will be solicited from a broad range of constituencies. New co-chair appointed, Lisa Sjoberg, 2012-2013.

History:
This working group was created in 2010 by past RAO chair James Gerencser to address a need and interest of the RAO membership.

Responsibilities:
∙ Compile bibliography on teaching with/about primary resources—organized to allow user to browse by audience/grade level to which the article applies. Include links to online resources (such as instruction videos, assignments, etc.).
∙ Survey archivists regarding how they teach with/about primary resources at their repositories: who their audiences are and which resources they have as well as which resources that they wish they had.
∙ Summarize and synthesize survey results and bibliography, and identify challenges and opportunities that archivists have teaching with/about primary resources.
∙ Publish/share survey results.
∙ Develop new teaching resources, filling in gaps identified once the bibliography has been compiled and survey results analyzed. The working group might solicit help from other RAO members and from outside teachers and instructors to develop these tools.

∙ Ensure ongoing communication within the working group and the larger archival community while work is underway via appropriate means that allows and encourages communication, collaboration, and feedback.
∙ Maintain a wiki, blog, Ning group, or other appropriate tool to document the working group’s results and progress and encourage collaboration from outside of the working group.
∙ Actively participate in reviews of the group’s progress and purpose and make recommendations for appropriate further actions.
Reports and Communication: The working group will strive to provide timely updates to appropriate SAA constituent groups, other organizations, and the larger community of archivists as appropriate. At least two updates must be provided annually to the RAO steering committee, including one in advance of and/or at the annual meeting of the Society of American Archivists. These reports will then be made available in whole or abridged form as appropriate at a minimum via the section blog, newsletter, and/or listserv as well as via any additional communication media (wiki, blog, etc.) established by the working group. The working group may consider other formal and informal publication projects as appropriate and as opportunity allows.

Working Group’s Role: The working group serves an advisory role with its products intended to benefit the larger archival community and users of repositories.

Anticipated Date of Resolution: The working group’s progress and effectiveness will be evaluated annually by the section steering committee, but action items should be completed by August 2013.

At the end of this term, the working group will make recommendations to RAO about how to continue this work through a more formally established users group.

Additional Activities:

Web page created for the Working Group: http://www2.archivists.org/groups/reference-access-and-outreach-section/primary-documents-working-group

TPS Bibliography Group: created and edited listing of resources regarding teaching and learning with primary documents. Initial compilation for the bibliography was created and completed by Tanya Zanish-Belcher, and revised by intern Alexis Antracoli. The bibliography was finalized and made accessible online by Matt Herbison, Rachel Rohrbaugh, Danna Bell-Russel, Lisa Sjoberg, and Maija Anderson. The bibliography is now available:
http://www2.archivists.org/groups/reference-access-and-outreach-section/teaching-with-primary-sources-bibliography

Survey Group Members: Sherri Berger, Thomas Lannon, Elizabeth Wilkerson, Janet Olson, and Lori Birell.

Working group created to survey archivists regarding how they teach with/about primary resources at their repositories: who their audiences are and which resources they have as well as which resources that they wish they had.

Charge: "to survey archivists regarding how they teach with/about primary resources at their repositories: who their audiences are and which resources they have as well as which resources that they wish they had. This survey will inform our teaching tool development efforts later.”

As of summer, 2012, the group is investigating survey tools for asking both quantitative and qualitative questions. A draft of the survey is completed, and they will use the Marketplace and general RAO meeting to invite members to take the survey and help work out potential pitfalls. The survey will be publicized at the annual meeting, and it is hoped the survey will be distributed by October 1 for Archives Month.
For further information: https://docs.google.com/a/birrell.us/document/d/1aIomnyzzO4flnP2fMwhoHtQrotuJKNJZkwIpY4fpjB0/edit?pli=1

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