Have questions about the online collections of the Library of Congress and effective ways to use them in the classroom? Help might be just a few clicks away.
The Ask a Librarian page from the Library of Congress.
The Ask a Librarian feature on the Library’s Web site puts you in touch with Library staff—including me—and is an excellent place to turn for information you can’t find elsewhere on the Library’s site. If you look at the top of the Library’s home page you will see three boxes. The first one is titled “Ask a Librarian.” When you click on “Ask a Librarian,” you are taken to a page that lets you choose how you want to direct your question.
If you are a teacher, or have questions about teacher resources from the Library, you should select “Resources for Teachers.” Fill out the form found on that page to ask a question. Please make sure to list any resources you have already used in your research. If you list a source I might have already used in my research, I can move on to other possible resources. You should receive a response from me or another Library of Congress staff member within five business days.
What kinds of questions do I find in the Resources for Teachers email box? Some students mistakenly believe Ask a Librarian is a homework helper service. I’ll refer them to appropriate resources but leave the actual homework to the students themselves. Some users ask me for assistance with research on education policy. I refer those questions to experts in other parts of the Library. A lot of people ask about cataloging books in their libraries. If they need a call number I’ll try to locate the call number, but if they need more detailed information I refer it to a Library staff member who specializes in cataloging.
I also get some interesting questions. One question asked about the largest denomination of money on Yap. I did find some resources that helped that user.
The questions I can provide the most help with are questions about the Library’s teacher resources and strategies for using them. Some people need assistance in locating primary sources for classroom use. Others are looking for lesson plans for a specific topic. I get a lot of questions asking about copyright and how to properly cite our resources. Some are interested in our professional development programming. I love helping teachers find the resources they need.
Have you used the Ask a Librarian feature in the past? If so, please tell us about it in the comments.
October 24, 2011 at 6:06 pm
i was in the space industry. mostly with nasa contractors. i was there for the first 22 years. i have been asked to teach a course on being there for the first years at the local jr college. i have data back back thru 3000bc on rocketry. i could use some video and other data to enhance my own experience.
October 25, 2011 at 11:51 am
Where can I find information on calligraphy in the middle ages, ie: books of hours of the 15th century?
October 27, 2011 at 1:54 pm
To John Benson,
Thank you for your comments. You may wish to contact our Motion Picture and Television Division to see what resources they have. I also suggest that you may wish to contact the National Archives and Records Administration’s Motion Picture, Sound and Video division for assistance. Also NASA may have some films for you to review.
If you have additional questions I encourage you to use the Ask a Librarian form for the appropriate reading room.
Good luck with your class.
October 27, 2011 at 1:57 pm
To Gail Miller,
You may wish to use the Ask A Librarian form for the Rare Books and Special Collections Division of the Library to ask your question. When you send your question please make sure to provide detailed information on the kind of information you are looking for and where you have already searched for your information.
Good luck.