Archival Instruction Activities, Assignments, and Guides

The following resources may be helpful in incorporating archival content into the classroom. Archivists are available for consultations on designing instructional activities that are compelling and relevant to specific course goals. Inquiries may be sent to archives@purdue.edu.

Worksheets and Activities

• Database Exploration Activity
• Document Analysis Worksheets from the National Archives
• Evaluating Digital Surrogates Handout
• Finding Aid Activity
• Primary Source Analysis Activity from Library of Congress

Sample Assignments

• Rare Book Analysis Assignment
• Topical Research Profile Assignment

Topical Teaching Guides Using Materials at the Purdue Archives

• Activism and Social Justice
• African American Studies
• Education
• Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Examples of Past Student Work

• Class Blogs: More Than a Memory; Women and the Gender Revolution
• Digital Exhibit: Voices, Identities, & Silences: Investigating 150 Years of Diversity in the Purdue Archives
• Physical Exhibit: Into the Archives: Faculty & Student Research in Local Collections
• Digital Publication: Flight Paths: Purdue University’s Aerospace Pioneers
• Physical Publication: Little Else Than a Memory