TPS Fest 2025: Tue July 15 / Wed July 23 / Thu July 31

What is TPS Fest?

Established in 2014 as an unconference, TPS Fest is a free event that welcomes primary source instruction practitioners and enthusiasts in any field and institution and from all levels of experience. For all of us, whether presenters or attendees (or both), our presence is our qualification.

TPS Fest sessions are mostly practical. This event attempts to not be a traditional conference with presentations; sessions are formatted to prioritize conversation and idea sharing. The format of sessions varies, and has included reading and discussion groups; facilitated discussions; short demos or presentations followed by discussion; “help me with this TPS lesson” workshopping sessions; and more.

Event Details

TIME & DATE

TPS Fest 2025 is Tue July 15 / Wed July 23 / Thu July 31

Jump to: Tue July 15| Wed July 23 | Thu July 31

Every Fest day runs from 9am–1pm PT / 12noon–4pm ET.

REGISTRATION

This event, as always, is free!
The schedule and registration opened on July 2. You zoom-register for each and every session that you want separately and you may register for as many or as few sessions as you like! With no registration cap, you will be able to get the sessions you want. During the sessions, you should free to hop to another session for any reason at any time…or try participating in multiple sessions at once! Register anytime, including right up to when the session starts.

Take note of session durations. All TPS Fest session zooms are configured to be 75 minutes long by default but most sessions are 60 min — see session descriptions below.

You can register for sessions by using the link after each description below OR if you want to keep track of the title or session ID (IDs follow the title and look like “T1a” or “R3d”), you can register (without as much scrolling) for sessions using this spreadsheet.

RECORDINGS AND NOTES

Discussion-bases TPS Fest sessions typically aren’t video recorded. If a session includes a presentation portion, only the presentation portions of sessions might be recorded at the presenter’s request. These recordings will be linked in the schedule afterwards (see previous years); a full playlist is available on our youtube channel.

Because many of the sessions include discussion components that are not recorded, we have found that a more appropriate method of capturing key info, ideas, and links is our volunteer-driven shared notes document. Each year, these notes are linked to the session schedule (see previous years).

Questions, comments, ideas, notice anything weird, concerns?
Email tpsfest@tpscollective.org

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Session Descriptions and Registration Links

Tuesday, July 15, 2025

11am ET / 10am CT / 9am MT / 8am PT – Tuesday, July 15, 2025

Help & Wayfinding for TPS Fest 2025 – “Lobby” for help, questions, wayfinding…or how to get involved
Duration: 60 min
Lobby for help, questions, wayfinding…or how to get involved in the TPS Collective or TPS Fest! If everything is making sense to you, you probably don’t need to visit the lobby — but if you have any questions, concerns, anxieties, etc please do swing on by to chat! Registration is required but you can do so anytime during the lobby hour. Register for “Lobby” zoom here

12pm ET / 11am CT / 10am MT / 9am PT – Tuesday, July 15, 2025

From Escape Rooms to Deep Dives: Primary Source Engagement Across Research Instruction (Session ID: T1a)
Session type and duration: Presentation with Q&A, 60 min
Organized by: Joe Lueck, Jenna Pitera, Lindsay Bush
Watch a recording of this session on youtube.
Schaffer Library has worked to incorporate primary source literacy and special collections instruction across our research instruction. We have scaffolded student knowledge, familiarizing students with our collections in their first encounters with the library, and enhancing that knowledge as they delve into topical research. Presenters will introduce two successful initiatives. First, we’ll discuss our “introduction to library resources” escape room activity for first year students. Then, we’ll discuss incorporating physical and digital primary source literacy into standard library information literacy, topic development, and research skills sessions. After presenting an overview of our programs, we’ll open the Zoom floor for questions about our work and discussion of collaboration efforts at attendees institutions. Are you collaborating with librarians outside your department in your instruction? Would you like to? Bring your questions and ideas for a collaborative and constructive discussion!

Teaching Future Teachers (Session ID: T1b)
Session type and duration: Presentation with Q&A, 60 min
Organized by: Heidi Pettitt, Kaitlyn Greenberg, Matt Herbison, Jill Piekut Roy
Watch a recording of this session on youtube.
Working with future teachers offers a unique opportunity to introduce primary source instruction and comes with different considerations than a normal instruction session. In this session we will talk about ways our four institutions are interacting with future teachers and the benefits, opportunities, and challenges we have encountered. We will then open up the session to the audience and facilitate a discussion of ways other institutions have approached teaching future teachers and its impact on their archives and the students they worked with. We will discuss one-shot sessions on local history for primary school students, teaching diverse audiences and topics, helping undergraduate students teach from the archives, and working with graduate students through instruction and field placements.

Cultivating an online environment to support undergraduate instruction using digital primary sources (Session ID: T1c)
Session type and duration: Presentation with Q&A, 60 min
Organized by: Lindsey Memory, Greg Seppi
Watch a recording of this session on youtube.
At Brigham Young University, we completed a study of our faculty’s current uses of digital primary sources in their pedagogy. Faculty described a range of current practices and formats, and we also asked them to describe desired functionalities or future collections. We used this data to help us select a digital asset management system and to better understand evolving faculty needs. In this presentation, we will describe our study and findings. Alongside our presentation, we would like to hold an extended Q&A with attendees who can share their observations about how faculty use digital primary sources at their institutions, and discuss how libraries can help support these efforts.

1:30pm ET/ 12:30pm CT /11:30am MT / 10:30am PT – Tuesday, July 15, 2025

Affect and its Effects in the Special Collections Classroom (Session ID: T2a)
Session type and duration: Participant based discussion, 60 min
Organized by: Taylor Henning, Rachel Duke
Watch a recording of this session on youtube.
As instructors in the Florida State University Libraries Special Collections & Archives Classroom, we frequently observe students having emotional responses to the materials they encounter. These affective reactions—whether positive or negative—can significantly shape and influence the learning experience. Emotional engagement with primary sources can open pathways to deeper understanding, personal connection, and critical reflection, but it can also interfere with critical engagement and productive use of materials. In this session, we will lead a discussion on the role of affect and emotions in the special collections and archives classroom.
We will begin with a presentation on wonder, as students regularly experience wonder-struck moments when they make contact with ancient artifacts, mysterious manuscripts, or ornate art pieces. The awe that arises often provokes interest and inquiry, but it can also distance the budding researcher from collection materials and halt classroom momentum. As we’ve grown our instruction program, we’ve been investigating this question: how can we encourage students to navigate beyond the “wow” and view historical texts as resources rich for critical thinking and deep research? Before guiding a discussion on the emotional impact of materials in the classroom, we will propose approaches that can encourage more engaged encounters with affective archival materials.

Integrating Art and Creative Making into Teaching with Primary Sources (Session ID: T2b)
Session type and duration: Presentation with Q&A, 60 min
Organized by: Virginia Ferris, Ginny Moran, Katie Banks, Jackie Beckey, Dr. Katharine Hargrave
Watch a recording of this session on youtube.
Panelists will explore various ways to incorporate art and hands-on creative making into teaching utilizing primary sources. Case studies will include making zines using mixed media and archival materials as source content; creative journaling, notebook making, and zine production as part of a “crafting resilience” series; collaborating with faculty to integrate experiential learning with history of the book; and using hands-on book making workshops to prototype content for a credit-bearing course. The presenters will share these examples and invite questions and discussion of other ideas for engaging students and other audiences through creative practices that integrate primary sources.

Teaching and Archives: Creating a toolkit to guide instruction about and with archival materials (Session ID: T2c)
Session type and duration: Presentation with Q&A, 60 min
Organized by: Mae Casey, Racine Amos
View presentation slides. (additional resources will be linked in the TPS Fest shared notes document when it’s made available)
Archives exist to be used by individuals of all backgrounds and affiliations, yet they often require instruction and support for patrons to successfully access materials. Instruction requests come from all different grade and experience levels and archivists without a teaching background often find themselves struggling to create a cohesive lesson plan with concrete deliverables. This session would provide workflows, templates, and strategies for two different instructional scenarios: teaching the archives and teaching with archives. The former refers to first time visitors learning the purpose and function of archives while the latter focuses on collaborating with instructors and subject area librarians to create lesson plans that use rare books and primary sources as instructional materials students use to create a desired outcome.

Looking at trauma informed care in archives (Session ID: T2d)
Session type and duration: Presentation with Q&A, 60 min
Organized by: Rachel Weiher, Lee Anne Titangos, Miranda Rectenwald, Rebekah Grimes
Watch a recording of this session on youtube.
This session explores the application of trauma-informed care principles within archival settings, particularly in the context of processing, access, and community collaboration. Rachel Weiher previously worked as a psych counselor on a dual diagnosis psych ward for adolescents and will discuss what trauma informed care looks like, the 6 trauma informed principles, and how this can be applied to archival work.

3pm ET / 2pm CT / 1pm MT / 12pm PT – Tuesday, July 15, 2025

Better Together: Collaborative Approaches to Teaching Primary Source & Information Literacy (Session ID: T3b)
Session type and duration: Panel with discussion, 75 min
Organized by: Jill Piekut Roy, Ben Barton, Hannah King, Sara Barclay, Rebecca Fitsimmons; Elizabeth Sullivan; Emily Rebmann
View slides from this session
Special collections librarians and their research & instruction colleagues will discuss collaborative approaches to primary source and information literacy instruction in the university classroom. Through panel presentations and discussion, they will cover the types of classes where they collaborate, including a representative example class; how they work with teaching faculty; their favorite learning objectives; and how their partnerships have made them better teachers.

New to TPS “Brown Bag Lunch” for Graduate Students and Early Career Professionals (Session ID: T3c)
Session type and duration: Participant based discussion, 60 min
Organized by: Jo Otremba, Callan Nowacki, Kelsey Brown, Kelly Policelli, Heather Smedberg
Facilitated by Jo Otremba and others from the TPS Outreach group. A semi-structured conversation session for graduate students, early career professionals, and anyone new to TPSing. A place to discuss the Fest, Q&A space for interested graduate students and current teachers with primary sources, and to foster connections with peers. Learners, lurkers, leaders all welcome! (BYO snacks!)

Alternate Versions of Romeo and Juliet (Session ID: T3d)
Session type and duration: TBD! 60 min
Organized by: Patrick Hastings
Watch a recording of this session on youtube.
Within the Library of Congress’s Rare Books collection, we have no fewer than seven editions of Romeo and Juliet from 1764-1882 that reproduce an alternate version of the play as written and staged by David Garrick in London in 1748. The Garrick version was preferred over Shakespeare’s original play. Most editions include a prefatory note or editorial introduction that explains and defends the choice to print Garrick’s version vs. Shakespeare’s authoritative text. These prefatory notes are interesting primary sources, revealing changing attitudes toward Shakespeare, the aura of the author, and the fixed nature of any text.

Town Hall to Discuss Revising the Guidelines for Primary Source Literacy (Session ID: T3e)
Session type and duration: Town Hall, 60 min
Organized by: Susan McElrath, Rachel Duke, Chad Kamen, Alison Reynolds
Task Force members will provide a snapshot of the results from our recently conducted survey on the use of the Guidelines and seek additional input from members of the TPS Community to guide next steps in the revision process. As the bulk of the session will be dedicated to conversation, we will provide necessary context to ensure all, no matter one’s previous amount of experience with the Guidelines, are able to participate.

Wednesday, July 23, 2025

11am ET / 10am CT / 9am MT / 8am PT – Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Help & Wayfinding for TPS Fest 2025 – “Lobby” for help, questions, wayfinding…or how to get involved
Duration: 60 min
Lobby for help, questions, wayfinding…or how to get involved in the TPS Collective or TPS Fest! If everything is making sense to you, you probably don’t need to visit the lobby — but if you have any questions, concerns, anxieties, etc please do swing on by to chat! Registration is required but you can do so anytime during the lobby hour.

12pm ET / 11am CT / 10am MT / 9am PT – Wednesday, July 23, 2025

TPS for STEM: Undergraduate Case Studies (Session ID: W1a)
Watch a recording of this session on youtube.
Session type and duration: Presentation with Q&A, 60 min
Organized by: Rachel Grove Rohrbaugh, Jennifer Strain, Morna Gerrard, Mattie Clear
Presenters will share short case studies on teaching with primary sources in STEM classes at the undergraduate level, including partnerships with geology, chemistry, and public health faculty members. Presentations will cover how the sessions were planned and implemented as well as information on how STEM fits into our overall instruction and outreach programs for archives and special collections. 

Uncovering Your University’s History in the Archives (Session ID: W1b)
Watch a recording of this session on youtube.
Session type and duration: Presentation with Q&A, 60 min
Organized by: Mieko Palazzo, Bob Vay, Maoria Kirker
Our presentation will discuss a recent collaboration between an Honors course and the Special Collections Research Center’s University Archives. This partnership included eight dedicated sessions in the archives, where students had the opportunity to engage directly with historical records. The students first learned essential lessons about archival principles (archives 101), which fostered excitement and anticipation for their research activities. Then they learned about the preservation, handling, storage, and the entire lifecycle of archival materials, which helped students understand how items become accessible and usable. Throughout the course, students also developed skills in archival research, conducting oral histories, and creating online exhibits using Omeka. This experience successfully engaged students with university archives records, and we are looking forward to a second iteration in the fall. The hope in discussing our work is to get feedback and ideas from others doing similar things!

Teaching the Treasure: Developing Primary Source Instruction Programs (Session ID: W1c)
Watch a recording of this session on youtube.
Session type and duration: Roundtable, 60 min
Organized by: Michele Jennings, Tara Wood, Lisa Vallen, Catherine Baker
The roundtable will address the many steps and considerations concerning the development of primary source instruction programs for various types and sizes of special collections and archives. The session will open with brief, 2–3-minute overviews of each participant’s instruction program status and its stage of development. The participants will then discuss 3-4 significant elements they considered while developing their programs, including processes, challenges, partnerships, and the scalability of their programs. Each participant will discuss these areas in relation to their institutions which range from a small, public liberal arts university to a medium-size private university to large, public R1 universities. Time will be reserved for questions and discussion.

Teaching with Yearbooks! (Session ID: W1d)
Session type and duration: Participant based discussion, 60 min
Organized by: Matt Herbison, Katie Banks
Yearbooks. We all have them, and often lots of copies! How do we teach with them? How can we thoughtfully navigate student behavior captured in these resources? Come to this session ready to share and learn from each other!

1:30pm ET/ 12:30pm CT /11:30am MT / 10:30am PT – Wed, July 23, 2025

Growing Library and Archival Collaboration in a First-Year Writing Program (Session ID: W2a)
Session type and duration: Presentation with Q&A, 60 min
Organized by: Amanda Ferrara, Sarah Rebecca Gaglio, Maggie Erwin
Boston College’s First-Year Writing Seminar (FWS) requires partnering with O’Neill Library for one session on library research strategies. Despite the presence of archival materials that would enhance program goals, few instructors utilize the special collections held at Burns Library. In 2024, an instructor that frequently brought students to Burns became Seminar Head, prompting the pilot of canned lesson modules designed to bring more classes into the archives, accomplishing 3 goals: introducing students to the foundations of special collections and archives; introducing students to the basics of primary source literacy; providing easy integration into FWS syllabi. Throughout, Burns Librarians built on O’Neill’s existing partnership with the FWS program, O’Neill Librarians provided administrative and instructional support, students received library instruction sessions that offered a continuum of research skill development, and librarians supported faculty in introducing students to the world of special collections and archives.
Panelists will present their model for integrating special collections and archives instruction into an FWS Program, including goals, successes, and areas for growth. Participants will gain examples of instruction modules to support scalability and scaffolded learning, an understanding of the labor required to build this collaboration, and ideas for incorporating primary source literacy into their own Writing Programs.

Selecting Sources for TPS Sessions and Activities (Session ID: W2b)
Session type and duration: blend of brief presentation / participant-based discussion / workshop, 60 min
Organized by: Heather Smedberg
This session will address lessons learned and underlying principles of selecting sources for a variety of TPS class/activity types. While other TPS Fest sessions will address a particular genre or format of material, this session will take a broader approach. Themes discussed will include a focus on principles and practical decisions behind selecting, including 1) logistical considerations 2) range of format types and how they can work in different environments / different learning goals 3) what contextualizing supports a type of source might need to work more effectively in various environments 4) consideration of the content of sources in response to and reflection of current events and timely themes. I envision giving a very brief framing presentation (~5 min) where I can share what I’ve learned and how my approach has evolved over the decades, then moderating the rest of the session as a blend of discussion + workshop, where there’s plenty of time for participants to share their challenges and success, and an activity or two to engage in practical application of our discussions.

Community Advocacy- a working session (Session ID: W2c)
Session type and duration: Workshop, 60 min
Organized by: Callan Nowacki
Short presentation (20-25 minutes): Discussing risk calculus, ways of engaging with advocacy, importance of self-care, and initial resources (for identifying and contacting reps, email templates, call scripts…). Working session (20-30 minutes): Time for discussion, sharing resources and templates, contacting local reps, sending emails, making calls, and creating a community music playlist. 🙂  This session will not be recorded and anonymity will be facilitated as much as possible. Participate based on your comfort- observers and participants are welcome. Content note: There will be broad discussions of current affairs in the US as they relate to the profession of GLAMship. Global TPS colleagues are welcome to contribute as well!  

Lightning Talks Session #1 (Session ID: W2d)
Session type and duration: Lightning talks + discussion/Q&A, 60 min
Watch a recording of these talks on youtube.

Speaker: Kathy Evans
Title: Capstones and Beyond: Finding Valuable Research in the Mess
Description: Two history courses recently used the university archive in semester-long projects, with the archive librarian embedded in the experience. This presentation will reflect on what went well, what didn’t, and what we learned along the way.

Speaker: Rebecca Fitzsimmons
Title: Teaching in Authentic Ways: Exhibit Work and Student Curators in Special Collections
View the slides for this talk
Description: Engaging students in exhibit work offers them a chance to learn new skills and grow as scholars while producing a tangible and public-facing project outcome from their coursework. This talk will showcase two semester-long projects that incorporated exhibit curation and design into undergraduate classes, highlighting successes, challenges, and outcomes that arose for students, librarians, and faculty.

Speaker: Alex Meregaglia
Title: The Limitations of AI in Primary Source Research
Description: This talk will discuss the current limitations of using AI to search digitized and born digital primary sources––like newspaper databases, archival digital collections, and the Wayback Machine. I will show examples of how AI fails to identify information in these primary sources, even though they’re freely available online and navigable by humans, and I will also provide workarounds to make AI useful in analyzing primary sources.

Sour Cream and Archives: Using Cookbooks in the Classroom (Session ID: W2e)
Watch a recording of this session on youtube.
Session type and duration: Presentation with Q&A, less than 60 minutes
Organized by: Jennifer Brannock, Kira Dietz
Special Collections at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) started collecting Mississippi community cookbooks 15 years ago to preserve the culinary tradition of the state. Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA) at Virgina Tech started collecting food and drink history materials around 2000 with a focus on southern cookery (which has since expanded).  When conducting research, librarians in archives and special collections look at creative ways to use resources, often looking at the item in an unintended way. Cookbooks are often considered sources to find a recipe for an upcoming work potluck or Sunday dinner, but they are ignored by many researchers as historical documents. Jennifer Brannock, the curator of rare books and Mississippiana at USM, has collaborated with teaching faculty to incorporate cookbooks into classes visiting Special Collections. Kira Dietz, Assistant Director, SCUA, “adopted” the culinary collection in 2009 and in the last 15+ years, cookbooks and culinary history have made their way more and more into her classroom experiences. This presentation will highlight the ways in which both speakers introduce students to cookbooks as historical resources and use them in instruction. 

3pm ET / 2pm CT / 1pm MT / 12pm PT – Wednesday, July 23, 2025

The American Negro Exhibit at 1900 Paris Exposition (Session ID: W3a)
Session type and duration: Presentation with Q&A, 60 min
Organized by: Cheryl Fox
African Americans presented an exhibit at the 1900 Paris Exposition that countered negative stereotypes by presenting their achievements in photographs, statistical charts, and publications. The elements of the “American Negro Exhibit” are found in LC collections in several divisions. This presentation will demonstrate how to access these valuable resources.

Lessons from the Margins: Integrating Primary Sources in Social Work and Health-Related Fields (Session ID: W3b)
Session type and duration: Presentation with Q&A, 60 min
Organized by: Evan Spencer, Zach Tompkins
Archivists and Librarians have strong connections to fields within the humanities but may not be aware of the potential uses of primary sources within health-related fields focused on practice. Social Work in particular requires practitioners to be aware of the historical inequities and social forces impacting the communities and individuals they work with. In this presentation, Evan Spencer and Zach Tompkins will discuss two examples of grant-funded projects to incorporate archival materials in Social Work practice classes. They will focus on the importance of offering fellowship and/or grant opportunities to attract “non-traditional” faculty members, then offer their experiences working with Social Work practice classes at UT Arlington and LSU as case study examples for others to consider.

Unlocking the Power of Primary Sources for Students of All Ages (Session ID: W3c)
Watch a recording of this session on youtube.
Session type and duration: Presentation with Q&A, 60 min
Organized by: Alex Tronolone, Tara Wood, Jacqueline Devereaux, Sarah Andrus
This session will discuss how to emphasize the specialness of working with primary sources when designing resources or programs for students of all ages. It will share how collaboration and partnerships are key to making primary source literacy accessible to students in grade school, middle and high school, and undergrad, and share models and examples of successful work across this age span.

Teaching Across Archives and Museum Studies (Session ID: W3d)
Watch a recording of this session on youtube.
Session type and duration: Presentation with Q&A, 45 minutes
Organized by: Mary Weppler-Van Diver
This presentation explores the benefits of teaching an art history and museum studies course, “Art, Museums, and Society,” within the University Archives and Special Collections. It highlights how primary materials enhance learning outcomes and align with archival goals of cultural heritage access and preservation. The presentation also underscores the synergy between academic teaching and archival practice.

Thursday, July 31, 2025

11am ET / 10am CT / 9am MT / 8am PT – Thursday, July 31, 2025

Help & Wayfinding for TPS Fest 2025 – “Lobby” for help, questions, wayfinding…or how to get involved
Duration: 60 min
Lobby for help, questions, wayfinding…or how to get involved in the TPS Collective or TPS Fest! If everything is making sense to you, you probably don’t need to visit the lobby — but if you have any questions, concerns, anxieties, etc please do swing on by to chat! Registration is required but you can do so anytime during the lobby hour.

12pm ET / 11am CT / 10am MT / 9am PT – Thursday, July 31, 2025

“I Can’t Read That” : Teaching Students to Work with Handwritten Sources (Session ID: R1a)
Watch a recording of this session on youtube.
Session type and duration: Lightning talk/individual participation in a lightning talk session, 75 Minutes
Organized by: Jayne Ptolemy, Mary Mann, Mandi Shepp, Sam Crisp
The four participants will each do a 10-minute lightning talk, and then we’ll open for q&a and discussion. The primary contact will have a list of questions for the participants to discuss if the room gets quiet.As many K-12 schools move away from formal instruction of cursive handwriting, TPS practitioners increasingly have to manage class room sessions where students cannot read manuscript sources or lack the confidence to try. Come hear four different perspectives on the issue, see how we’re trying to handle it, and chat about what has worked for you or resources you’d like to see developed.

Bringing Veteran Voices into the Classroom (Session ID: R1b)
Watch a recording of this session on youtube.
Session type and duration: Participant based discussion, 60 min
Organized by: Mason Farr
This open discussion will explore how student-led conversations with veterans in their families and community can be used as primary sources to support inquiry-based learning. We will highlight classroom-ready resource for incorporation these conversations into history, civics, and language arts instruction—whether for Veterans Day programming, heritage and legacy projects, or year-round engagement. This session is meant to be a mix of presentation of resources and brainstorming with active participation from those who attend. We want to hear from educators who may be interested in incorporating veteran stories as primary sources, or those who already are doing something similar in their work.

An Offer We Couldn’t Refuse: Teaching Primary Source Research to Undergraduate History Majors (Session ID: R1c)
Watch a recording of this session on youtube.
Session type and duration: Participant based discussion & Presentation with Q&A, 60 min
Organized by: Julie Grob, Veronica Arellano Douglas, Edward Gloor, Natalia Kapacinskas, Erica Lopez, Imani Spence
What would you do if you had the opportunity to develop a series of class sessions for a new undergraduate historical research methods course that would prepare lower-level history majors for capstone and other research-intensive courses? Who would you seek to collaborate with? How could you expand from the one shot? How would you pitch your approach to the History Department? In this session, University of Houston librarians from Special Collections and the Teaching & Learning department will invite participants to brainstorm and discuss the teaching possibilities present in this scenario. Following this, they will share what they did when the UH History Department approached them in 2023 about supporting a new research methods course. The rest of the session will be open to Q&A.

Assignment Design in the Age of AI (Session ID: R1d)
Session type and duration: Participant based discussion, 60 min
Organized by: Celia Caust-Ellenbogen, Kylee Manganiello
As faculty members rewrite their assignments to be AI-aware, where do archives/Special Collections fit in? Where do AI literacy and primary source literacy overlap? Join us for a discussion to understand what assignments lend themselves to offloading cognitive work to AI, and what different assignments people are trying in this new world. We will crowdsource a resource list, and hopefully a teaching toolkit, during this session.

Orientation to Law Library Collections (Session ID: R1e)
Watch a recording of this session on youtube.
Session type and duration: Presentation with Q&A, 60 min
Organized by: Sarah Friedman, Barbara Bavis
The Orientation to Law Library Collections Webinar will introduce participants to the collections and services specific to the Law Library of Congress and will cover digital resources available through the Law Library’s website as well as those available onsite. The presentation will include demonstrations of Law Library primary sources that may be particularly useful for teaching students about American, foreign, and international legal topics.

1:30pm ET/ 12:30pm CT /11:30am MT / 10:30am PT – Thurs, July 31, 2025

Exhibitions as Outreach: Preparing, Collaborating, Teaching, and Recovering When It All Goes Wrong (Session ID: R2a)
Session type and duration: Lightning talk/individual participation in a lightning talk session, 75 min
Organized by: Eve Kausch, Jeannette Schollaert, Megan Firestone, Heidi Pettitt, Christine Schindler
This session of lightning talks will focus on how exhibitions can serve as dynamic tools for outreach and engagement. Presenters will share case studies highlighting collaborative exhibition efforts with faculty, students, and community members. Examples include embedded class assignments for undergraduate students (curating both physical and digital exhibitions), the development of templates to guide collaboration, and the practical realities of managing projects—including what happens when things don’t go as planned. Presenters include librarians and archivists from a variety of institution sizes and types, sharing their experiences from performing arts archives, liberal arts colleges, and public land grant universities. Attendees will gain insights into strategies for meaningful partnerships, examples of successful outcomes, and lessons learned from challenges and missteps.

Teaching the Watsonville Cannery Strike with Primary Sources (Session ID: R2b)
Watch a recording of this session on youtube.
Session type and duration: Presentation with Q&A, 60 min
Organized by: Tanya Hollis, Michelle Morton, Alex Post
This year marks the 40th Anniversary of the Watsonville Cannery Strike, when 1,000 cannery workers, predominately Mexican and Mexican American women, went on strike for 18 months taking on the agribusiness machine, their entrenched union, and unsympathetic city leadership for better wages and benefits.  Their audacity, solidarity, and unwavering belief in their community led to a victory during an era of losses within the labor movement.  The presenters will share how we use materials documenting the strike to support primary source instruction for community college and university students, creating stronger ties with their community history and a sense of belonging.  We’ll share how we collaborated to create a Canvas module and an exhibition that has been installed at multiple sites, and how both the module and the exhibition have been integrated by faculty into their courses.

From Awareness to Action: Navigating ADA Title II Changes Together (Session ID: R2c)
Watch a recording of this session on youtube.
Session type and duration: Participant based discussion, 75 min
Organized by: Kira Dietz, Kayla McNabb
This session will primarily be a facilitated conversation about ADA Title II changes and compliance, a current issue for many of us. We’ll talk about what participants know, how they may be involved in this process, and what we may need to do going forward. The co-facilitators will use their own work on a recent task force at Virginia Tech as a case study. Attendees will (hopefully) leave with some guiding questions and first/next steps for either getting involved in or being aware of their institution’s plans to meet compliance in 2026 or 2027. (If you’re new to this issue, compliance is based on institution size and ranges from spring 2026 to spring 2027.)

Enhancing Primary Source Instruction and Literacy with Digital Collections and Online Exhibits (Session ID: R2d)
Session type and duration: Presentation with Q&A, 60 min
Organized by: Tabitha Samuel
This session will explore the ways in which the use of digital collections repositories and resources, such as the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) and its Primary Source Sets, can be used to enhance primary source instruction and literacy. The session will also discuss the use of online exhibits in constructing arguments surrounding historical events, people, and topics while identifying supporting primary sources and interpreting their significance. Lastly, the session will provide insight into open-source platforms that instructors can utilize to create further engagement for students by allowing them to curate their own online exhibits.

Indigenous Wonders: How do we Acquire Ancient Knowledge? (Session ID: R2e)
Session type and duration: Workshop, 60 min
Organized by: Ellen Simon
Discover the significance of the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks and learn about the people who built this ancient marvel. How have archaeologists and historians gained insights into the culture and practices of the people who built these sites? What are the structural, geometric, and scientific features of the Earthworks, and what social and sacred roles did they play? After exploring this fascinating site, educators will access lesson ideas and activities designed to bring the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks into the classroom. Aligned with social studies standards for grades 4–7, teachers will learn how to use inquiry-based and object-based learning methods to teach about this site.

3pm ET / 2pm CT / 1pm MT / 12pm PT – Thursday, July 31, 2025

Get Involved with the TPS Collective (Session ID: R3a)
Session type and duration: Quick presentation with Q&A, discussion of TPS Collective, 30-45 minutes
Organized by: Anne Bahde, Heather Smedberg
Hear about recent successes of the TPS Collective, and learn how to get involved, what current needs there are, and what kinds of time commitments are needed. There will also time for Q&A/discussion, along with a Padlet activity to find out more about support wants/needs from the TPS Collective.

Kids Are Researchers Too! Building Family Programs at the World’s Biggest Library (Session ID: R3b)
Session type and duration: Presentation with Q&A, 60 min
Organized by: Dianne Choie, Katie McCarthy
Through the framing of children as “budding researchers,” we have developed programming at the Library of Congress that highlights primary sources for an intergenerational audience. We’ll share how we connect research resources, stories of cultural and historical significance, opportunities for digital exploration, and fun engagement for visitors of all ages in our new Family Days program. Attendees will learn how we developed our three points of engagement: creative making, collections connections, and continued online exploration at home. We’ll explain how we select and present primary source materials that are both relevant to families and entry points for deeper research. We’ll also discuss how we developed partnerships with internal stakeholders like leadership, librarians, and other staff. Through Family Days, we aim to take some of the mystery out of a huge research library through thoughtful, fun, and accessible programming. Establishing trust with young audiences is key to successful, ongoing, mission-aligned museum and library programming. By creating a welcoming environment for budding researchers and creators, we foster a future generation of engaged and supportive visitors. Note: This is a version of a presentation given at the American Alliance of Museums conference in May 2025.

Article Discussion Group (Session ID: R3c)
Session type and duration: Participant based discussion, 60 min
Organized by: Katie Banks, Matt Herbison
Join us for a discussion of the article “Teaching with Archival Materials Using a Trauma-Informed Framework” by Jennifer Follen, 2025 (click here for a free copy https://doi.org/10.29173/cais1924). We ask that you read the freely accessible article before this session and come ready to discuss this article. We will provide questions and prompts for you to think about, but we welcome any insights and discussions this may lead to. All practitioners of TPS are welcome! Come to this session ready to share and learn from each other! This is part of the year-round Article Discussion Series of TPS Subcommittee of the SAA RAO Committee.

Lightning Talks Session #2 (Session ID: R3d)
Watch a recording of this session on youtube.
Session type and duration: Lightning talks + discussion/Q&A, 60 min

Speaker: Christine Forbes
Title: Using #ThrowbackThursday to Teach and Share Archival Treasures
Description: Utilizing the popular social media hashtag #ThrowbackThursday, I initiated a series to showcase materials from our university archives. During this lightning talk, I’ll share tips and the tools I used to sustain this series throughout the academic year.

Speaker: Steve Duckworth
Title: Expanding the Archive’s Reach: Engaging Medical Students with Primary Source Thinking
Description: This presentation explores a medical school enrichment session that encouraged students to critically examine how contemporary medical knowledge can be rooted in outdated and racially biased science. While no physical archival materials were used, the session leveraged archival thinking and the expertise of library and archives professionals to foster critical engagement with sources, demonstrating how archival pedagogy can adapt to non-traditional settings, increase student awareness of library services, and enhance the perceived value of archives in clinical education. 

Speaker: Christopher Anglim
Title: Using the University’s Literary Treasures to Teach Archival Literacy and Literary Criticism
Description: In this session, we will discuss how we have our students explore decades of student literary journals from the UDC archives, along with other sources of UDC literary writing, to teach literary criticism and archival literacy. Students will learn how to effectively use the University’s archives, fostering both critical analysis skills and a deeper appreciation for literary works, as well as learning archives literacy and using archives for academic research . This initiative has proven to be highly engaging, resulting in positive learning outcomes for participants.

Diversity, Equity, Access and Inclusion

TPS Fest is committed to providing an equitable, diverse, and inclusive experience to all attendees and participants. The TPS Fest DEIA Toolkit serves as guidance for presenters and facilitators to refer to for sessions. Access the toolkit as a Google doc or as a PDF below.

Get Involved

How can you get involved?
This event only happens because of volunteers and attendees like you. That means:

• newcomers
• experienced professionals
• students
• YOU!

We need volunteers to help out with hosting Zoom sessions, with chat moderation, and with note taking for each session.

Email tpsfest@tpscollective.org to become a volunteer today!

FAQs

What is new for the TPS Fest 2025?

Based on participant feedback received in 2024, we’re trying a different schedule model. This year, the schedule is spread across several weeks rather than three days in a row. TPS Fest always includes components of experimenting to work better for more participants, and we’re excited to give this a try for 2025! This will be a pretty big experiment breaking from recent years — we’ll see how we like it!

Who is the community that makes this happen?

The TPS Fest is loosely organized by people connected to the TPS Collective, which has fairly clear connections to groups like the Society of American Archivists and RBMS and less clear connections to lots of other organizations. TPS Fest is organized by people like YOU!

Our work centers on the TPS community values, found on this webpage: https://tpscollective.org/what-is-the-tps-collective/