LESSON 1: WHAT’S IN AN ARCHIVE? WHAT’S IN A LIBRARY? Objective: Students will learn about the differences between a library and an archive and the different sources that might be available in each. Background: The Wisconsin Historical Society is an excellent place for researchers to find information on a wide range of topics related to North American history. Resources are divided between the Library and Archives: The library provides access to published materials (books, periodicals, newspapers, pamphlets and government publications) about virtually all aspects of North American history. In addition to the history of Wisconsin and North America in general, the library has particularly strong genealogy, labor union, North American exploration, African American and Native American holdings. The Library serves as the North American history library of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and houses a premier collection of Wisconsin, Federal, and Canadian government publications. The archives provides access to collections of unpublished materials about the history of Wisconsin and a wide array of topics related to North American history. These collections include letters, diaries, organization records, Wisconsin state and local government records, photographs, films, oral histories, and many other kinds of unique materials documenting American history. The Wisconsin Historical Society’s extensive map collection is also available in the archives. ACTIVITY 1. Explain the following scenario to students: One hundred years from now, their great-grandchildren want to do research on their great grandparent’s lives as students in the early 21st century. Ask the class to brainstorm sources that might be available for their great-grandchildren to study about their lives. Remind students that a source could be created any time someone records information about them. Write the responses on the board. Ideas might include: Birth Certificates Adoption Records Report Cards Wedding Announcements Business records Home Movies Photographs Newspaper Articles Diaries or Journals Census Data Biographies Court Records Records of Licenses to Telephone Directory Architectural drawings of Drive, Hunt, etc. Listings the students home Personal Interviews Obituaries Artifacts Letters written to or by the Books or articles written Government Records student by historians If a future researcher wanted to find this information, where would they go? Explain to students that at the Wisconsin Historical Society and many other research institutions the location of this information would depend on whether the source was Published or Unpublished. As a class, have students go through the list and identify whether each one is published or unpublished. Published Sources: “Published” sources include anything that was distributed for viewing by a large number of people. Newspapers (including wedding announcements, obituaries, etc.), magazines, biographies, telephone directories, and censuses are all published sources. Unpublished Sources: “Unpublished” sources usually include things that are one-of-a-kind, were created in limited quantity, or not created with the intent to distribute publicly. For example, letters, personal interviews, business records, architectural drawings, photographs, and government records are unpublished. NOTE: Some types of sources may be considered published or unpublished depending on the situ- ation. For instance, a diary is usually a private and unpublished record, but it might be published later in book form, such as the diary of Anne Frank. Discuss whether a source is most likely to be published or unpublished and put them where you feel they fit best. 2. Ask which type of source would be found most easily. Why? Where would a researcher go to find each source? Published sources are more common since many more copies have been made, more readers and organizations have them, and often they are re-printed. MOST LIBRARIES FOCUS ON PUBLISHED MATERIALS. Many unpublished sources, especially personal ones, are lost over time unless someone—an individual, an organization, or the government—makes an effort to preserve them. For instance, sometimes families save letters, photographs, and other artifacts that are important to them, but the majority of personal materials are thrown away, destroyed, or misplaced. Unpublished sources also tend to be more rare. MOST ARCHIVES FOCUS ON UNPUBLISHED MATERIALS. 3. Explain to students that when they go to the Wisconsin Historical Society, they will find materials divided into “published” and “unpublished” materials. Almost all published sources are found in the library, while unpublished sources are in the archives. Ask the students where they are most likely to find sources on their topics, based on what you have discussed. 4. Photocopy the handout on the following page for each student or create an overhead transparency and display the page for your class. Ask students where they would go to find the following topics and sources, the library or the archives? - A book by a historian on bungalow-style architecture in the US (library) - A first-hand account, such as a letter, report, or diary entry, of the Black Hawk War that was fought in southern Wisconsin (archives) - Old photographs of “Mansion Hill” in Madison (archives) - Statistics that show how many women worked in Wisconsin factories during WWII (library) - A newspaper story about the Peshtigo Fire (library) - The original telegram notifying the governor about the Peshtigo Fire (archives) - A government report summarizing and explaining the Peshtigo Fire relief efforts written five years after the fire (library) 2 WHi-47899 Library Archives Located on the second floor of the Located on the fourth floor of the Wisconsin Historical Society. Wisconsin Historical Society. Materials in a library have usually been Materials in an archive are usually published. unpublished. In general, libraries tend to contain more In general, archives tend to contain secondary sources: books, magazines, primary sources: written records of etc. A few big exceptions to this are businesses and governments, oral newspapers, government records, and histories, letters, photographs, etc. pamphlets. Because secondary sources are much Archives can only save a small fraction more common and easier to obtain, of the records created in the world, so libraries usually have information on a they have information on fewer topics wider range of topics. than a library does. At the Wisconsin Historical Society, the At the Wisconsin Historical Society, the library generally collects materials about archives generally collects materials North American history. mainly related to the history of Wisconsin. NOTE: Since there are more than 40 libraries on campus, sometimes materials NOTE: In addition to Wisconsin history, related to North American history are materials in the archives can help to located in other, more specific, libraries. For illustrate many national issues. There are example: Books on polio might also be several areas of national focus, including located in the medical library. Make sure to film and theater, labor history, mass search for your topic in the UW Catalog communications, and social action. before you visit us to make sure that the books you need are located in the Historical Society Library. 3 LESSON 2: SEARCH STRATEGIES AND TIPS FOR UW CATALOG AND ARCAT Objective: To familiarize students with the online catalogs before arrival at the WHS and to give students the opportunity to locate sources before arrival. Background: While access to the catalogs will be available during the research fieldtrip, familiarizing students with the catalogs and allowing them time to search ahead of their arrival helps them make the most effective use of their trip and allows them to immediately start on their research. It is also important for students to understand that ArCat and the UW Catalog are two separate catalogs. Searching ArCat will not provide information on the Wisconsin Historical Society Library holdings and searching the UW Catalog will not provide information on archives sources. UW Catalog: The University of Wisconsin-Madison library catalog may be accessed anywhere there is an Internet connection. It is the online catalog containing the library holdings of the Wisconsin Historical Society. In addition to cataloging the library holdings of the WHS, it also includes the holdings of all 40 libraries, containing 7.3 million volumes, 6.2 million microfilm items and 55,000 serial titles covering all aspects of life. http://www.library.wisc.edu/#books ARCAT: ArCat is the online catalog of the archives holdings of the Wisconsin Historical Society. Nearly all manuscripts and public records held by the WHS are searchable through ArCat. (Please note: You can find collection descriptions and call numbers through ArCat but collections are not available online). http://arcat.library.wisc.edu/ Activity: Although UW Catalog and ArCat catalog two different sets of holdings, they use nearly identical search strategies. This packet includes several useful worksheets for you to use as you introduce students to the catalogs and as they work on searching for their own topics. 1. UW Catalog vs. ArCat offers students a basic overview of the differences between the catalogs and the basics of effective searching. 2. Using the UW Catalog is a guided search activity for students to complete. It walks students through the steps of a search and demonstrates techniques