This page features educational resources to assist students and teachers of all grade levels with accessing, understanding, and using archives. The sections include a broad introduction to archives, as well as guides on how to use archives in the classroom and how to use a finding aid.
Need or want additional resources? Have more questions about archives or how to do archival research? Let us know by emailing: [email protected]!
Page and resources produced with the help of Selena Bemak, Museum Guide.
An archive, sometimes also referred to as a library, is a place or organization which preserves documents and other materials of a specific group in archival collections. Many archives also serve as a physical space where people can research and study these documents.
The downloadable PDF here shows you the basics of archives. Appropriate for all grade and education levels.
This section includes a simplified guide for students, as well as a companion guide for educators. The companion documents reference the guide to the Samuel George Morton Papers, which is available here.
Finding aids are a great "place" to build comfort with the resources provided by archives and research libraries.
Each of the downloadable PDFs here are show you the basics of finding aids. Choose the PDF for your grade range or educational level.