Instructify

The Library of Congress is an impressively gigantic organization. It occupies three large buildings on Capitol Hill. It contains more than 138 million items in its collection. It holds materials in 470 languages. And the Librarian of Congress has the very librarian-ish name James H. Billington. Impressive!

Given these facts, is it any surprise that the Library of Congress’ website is also impressively gigantic? It’s easy to be overwhelmed just by looking at their home page, which seems heavy with the knowledge accumulated over this nation’s 232-year history.

But wait! Don’t close your browser. The website is a treasure trove of valuable teaching resources for those willing to find them. The navigation bar includes a link to resources for teachers, including lesson plans and activities; an encyclopedia of sheet music, film, and audio; and a collection of American song and poetry, presented in primary source documents and recordings.

Resources for teachers also include the Library’s American Memory collection , which contains over 13 million historical images, audio recordings, letters, maps, and more – all digitized with students and teachers in mind. This collection in itself can be fairly daunting, so check out LEARN NC’s educator’s guide to the collection.

Take some time to explore the collections – you won’t regret it. And tell the good Mr. Billington we sent you. -EMILY JACK

Library of Congress

American Memory

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View Library of Congress Photos on flickr