Background

“The Library of Congress (LOC) is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution and serves as the research arm of Congress. It is also the largest library in the world, with more than 130 million items on approximately 530 miles of bookshelves. The collections include more than 29 million books and other printed materials, 2.7 million recordings, 12 million photographs, 4.8 million maps, and 58 million manuscripts.”  Originally the LOC was established to educate the members of Congress as they made decisions to support the American people.

Introducing Primary Sources Online Lesson

Basics


Begin with the basics. -> Start your tour by exploring each of these five major sections of the Library of Congress by viewing the multimedia tours. After you view the tours, then explore the sections on your own. Plan to spend a minimum of 30 minutes on each section, although you will find yourself spending more time because of your curiosity. Most of your primary sources for your project will come from the Prints and Photographs in the Library Catalog section and American Memory.

Now go to Teachers on the main page of the Library of Congress and explore.

Special Multimedia Guide to Bookmark American Memory Item Sources