Library of Congress

Teachers

The Library of Congress > Teachers > Frequently Asked Questions About the Teachers Page

Questions

  1. What is the Teachers page?
  2. Do I need to register or pay a fee to use Library of Congress teacher resources?
  3. What are primary sources?
  4. How do I locate primary sources to use in my classroom?
  5. Where can I find reproducible tools for using primary sources with my students?
  6. Where can I learn about the Library and its collections?
  7. Where can I get information about copyright?
  8. How do I cite digital resources found on the Library’s Web site?
  9. How do I create a link or bookmark to an item in one of the Library's collections?
  10. May I link to teacher resources pages or other Library of Congress pages from my own Web site?
  11. Do you offer regular updates for teachers?
  12. I found a broken link, a spelling error, or something else that isn't quite right. Will you fix it?
  13. Where can I go for more help?

Answers

  1. What is the Teachers page?

    This page provides tools and materials for using the Library’s unique collections of primary source documents in the classroom. These teacher-created materials include lesson plans, document analysis tools, online and offline activities, timelines, presentations and professional development resources.

  2. Do I need to register or pay a fee to use Library of Congress teacher resources?

    No. No login, registration or subscription is required. Everyone has free access to www.loc.gov.

  3. What are primary sources?

    Primary sources are the raw materials of history — original documents and objects which were created at the time under study. They are different from secondary sources, accounts or interpretations of events created by someone without firsthand experience.
    To learn more about primary sources in the classroom, see Using Primary Sources.

  4. How do I locate primary sources to use in my classroom?

    Try one of several easy starting points at Finding Primary Sources.

  5. Where can I find reproducible tools for using primary sources with my students?

    You’ll find a printable analysis tool and guiding questions to help students analyze several types of primary sources at Teacher's Guides and Analysis Tool.

  6. Where can I learn about the Library and its collections?

    For general questions about the Library of Congress, see the Library of Congress FAQ.
    For questions about using the American Memory collections, see the American Memory FAQ.

  7. Where can I get information about copyright?

    Find answers to common questions about copyright and fair use for educators at Copyright and Primary Sources.
    Additional details on copyright can be found at the Web site of the Copyright Office.

  8. How do I cite digital resources found on the Library’s Web site?

    See Citing Primary Sources for examples of citation formats for online materials.

  9. How do I create a link or bookmark to an item in one of the Library's collections?

    Some online materials require a special procedure for finding a permanent URL. Step-by-step instructions for bookmarking American Memory items are found in Bookmarking/Linking. These instructions also work for many items in other Library of Congress collections, including Prints and Photographs.

  10. May I link to teacher resources pages or other Library of Congress pages from my own Web site?

    Yes, we welcome links to our Web site. We ask that links not give the impression that the Library of Congress expressly or implicitly endorses any particular product or service.

  11. Do you offer regular updates for teachers?

    Yes. Sign up using E-Mail Updates or RSS.

  12. I found a broken link, a spelling error, or something else that isn't quite right. Will you fix it?

    When you find something that is not working, please send us a note by selecting the Contact link at the bottom of every Library Web page, then Web Site Comments.

  13. Where can I go for more help?

    If you have questions, use the teacher resources Ask a Librarian page. You can find this page from the Contact link at the bottom of every Library Web page.

Top