PACSCL Resources for National History Day/Philly

nhdphilly

 

It's not too early to plan for 2010: Start now to explore topics for "Innovation in History"

PACSCL welcomes you to our NHD Philly Resources Page

National History Day is a nationwide program to help middle-school and high-school students engage with history. PACSCL is pleased to support the program in the Greater Philadelphia area.

NEW! Use our collection of search tools from our Phillyresearch.Net website section !

Just point, click and research -- library catalog search tools, special Google searches, and more. Use the PhillyResearch.net tab above, or bookmark http://www.PhillyResearch.net.


Dear National History Day Participant:

Contestants at 2005 eventThanks for deciding to pay a real or virtual visit to libraries that hold rare or unique materials relating to the history and culture of our city, our region, our nation, and the world.

Our libraries hold more than 4,000,000 rare books, 260,000 linear feet of manuscripts and archival materials (that would make a stack of paper more than 45 miles high!), and 9,000,000 photographs, maps, architectural drawings, and works of art on paper. Many PACSCL libraries have rare or unique audio and video recordings as well.

Judging at 2005 eventMaterials in PACSCL member collections can help you add an important dimension to your project, deepen your understanding of your topic, and sharpen your competitive edge. Use these resources on the PACSCL website and on the NHD/Philly homepage to help you get started.

  • Member profiles and weblinks. These short descriptions of our member libraries will help you to decide whether or not their collections may have items that will help to make your project a standout. Once you've read the descriptions, take the link to the library's website. Look for section labels such as "collections," "finding aids," "digital collections," and "online exhibitions." These area will give you an idea of the kinds of materials a library will have to offer. Or streamline the process by using the new PhillyResearch.net search tools (above).
  • Library catalog page. This is a link to our members' online catalogs. Use it as a reference to search our member library holdings -- but remember, not all of our members have online records for all of their materials.
  • Tips for using a rare book and manuscript library. It's a little different from your media center or local library, but once you get the hang of it, you'll find that research with our member libraries is surprisingly easy and exciting. (We put this together for the NHD/Philly site.)
  • The NHD/Philly homepage.

The links on the right take you right to our members' websites.