Practical How-To Series – TPS Collective

The Purpose of the Presses: Teaching the Fine Press Movement with a Tactile Timeline of Primary Sources

By Miah Clark / The phrases “fine press” and “book arts” don’t always give students something to hold on to, but luckily as primary source educators, we can! When teaching with fine press material, I’ve found success in highlighting not subject material, but the physical material: the highs and lows of book quality throughout history that gave purpose to the presses of the late 19th and early 20th century.

2026 / Notes from the Field / Practical How-To Series

Lesson Planning 101: Primary Source Instructional Design for Archivists

By Mae Casey / Requests for instructional sessions are common in special collections libraries, but archivists with teaching experience are often not. The idea of instructing can be daunting, and it is normal to feel overwhelmed. How do I start planning?

2025 / Notes from the Field / Practical How-To Series

Art and Creative Making in Primary Source Instruction: English Majors, Making Pamphlets

By Caitlin Goodman / In May 2025 I taught my first book-making workshop for a Special Collections class visit.

2025 / Notes from the Field / Practical How-To Series

Teaching between Digitized and Physical Primary Sources

By Alexandra Wieland / In recent years, educators in archives and special collections have added online teaching to their instructional offerings. As educators, we are supported in this work by efforts to increase accessibility to holdings through digitization projects and programs.

2024 / Notes from the Field / Practical How-To Series

Primary Source Literacy in Practice: An Instructional Management Tool for TPS

By Anne Bahde. As part of a recent effort to streamline instructional development and delivery in my own practice, I designed a comprehensive instructional management database. Several goals drove its design.

2023 / Notes from the Field / Practical How-To Series / Uncategorized

Engaging Teachers and Students with the Asian American Education Project’s Primary Sources and Multimedia Lesson Plans

By Ray Pun During July 2023, I served as an instructor for a master’s seminar focused on educational research methods within the field of education. My group of six graduate …

2022 / Notes from the Field / Practical How-To Series

Creating DIY Museum Audio Guides with Students

By Taylor Clement and Callie Smith In the spring of 2022, the Professional Writing program at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette began a collaboration with the on-campus Hilliard Art …

Notes from the Field / Practical How-To Series

Taking the Archival Show on the Road: A New Mexico Story

By Dylan McDonald. For cultural heritage institutions, partnerships are the keystone to sustained, effective, and vibrant outreach efforts. In this era of ongoing staffing shortages, budget challenges, and employee burnout, organizations should focus on collaborative efforts, whenever possible and prudent, as a viable way to accomplish their core mission.

Inscription by Pauli Murray. Text reads: Christmas 1973, For Paul More, Bishop, With the prayers that some day you may be able to ordain me a Priest in our Church. In Christian fellowship, Pauli Murray

Notes from the Field / Practical How-To Series

Webinar Planning during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Using the Special Collections in Remote Learning

By Melissa Chim / Working from home during the pandemic has raised questions regarding the use of physical primary sources in a remote environment…

Notes from the Field / Practical How-To Series

Teaching without Walls

By Ron McColl / The pandemic and the institutional mandates accompanying it have posed unique challenges for special collections librarians and archivists who teach with primary sources. At West Chester University Libraries Special Collections, our initial plans to host smaller classes and ensure safe handling practices were rendered moot when students did not return to campus in the fall.

Category: Practical How-To Series