Examines the evolving theory of archival literacy in relation to domain knowledge, primary sourceliteracy, and information literacy to facilitate meaningful use of archival and manuscript collections.

Elizabeth Yakel is a professor at the University of Michigan School of Information, where she teaches in the areas of archives and preservation. Her research centers on the users of archives and special collections and investigates the ways in which primary sources can be made more accessible to broader audiences. She is currently researching the role and impact of archival literacy in teaching with primary sources. She is a Fellow of the Society of American Archivists (SAA) and has served on the SAA Council.

Doris Malkmus earned a doctorate in history at the University of Iowa and master’s in information science at the University of Michigan. She served as instruction archivist at Penn State and has chaired two working groups for the Society of American Archivists’ Reference, Access, and Outreach Section—one that created a National History Day toolkit and another that is creating a forthcoming interactive website for teaching with primary sources.

Introduction - 1
How We Got Here - 6
Landscape and Stakeholders - 17
Teaching Primary Source and Archival Literacy Skills -26
Assessment: Measuring Impact - 38
Standards Relating to Archival and Primary Source Literacies - 47
Future Directions and Needs - 56