A presentation on how to use Chronicling America in classroom, geared toward school librarians and teachers. The presentation includes how to use Chronicling America and examples of different activities for students.

1. Chronicling America:
Using Historic Newspapers
in the Classroom
Vermont Digital Newspaper Project
Erenst Anip, Project Librarian
Karyn Norwood, Digital Support Specialist

2. Vermont Digital Newspaper Project
Part of the National Digital
Newspaper Program
digitizing historic Vermont
newspapers
between 1836-1922
Vermont Content Online:
59 Vermont titles
260,000 pages
Every county represented
(except Grand Isle)

3. Online tool to search historic
newspapers from across the
country.
9 million pages from 1836-1922
available to search by text.
You can search, save,
download, print, and clip
articles for free.
Chronicling America:
What is it?

4. BREAKING: Vermont to add 100k
more pages before 2016 ends
•Orleans County Monitor (1913-1922)
•Rutland Herald (1855-1873)
•Brattleboro Reformer family (1879-1922)
•Londonderry Sifter (1884-1921)
•Manchester Journal (1861-1922)
•Herald and News (1888-1910) (West Randolph, Orange County)
•Barre Daily Times (1903-1922)
•Bellows Falls Times (1855-1903)

6. So, let’s dive right into it!

7. library.uvm.edu/vtnp
or search:
VTDNP
or
Vermont Digital
Newspaper Project

8. Vermont Digital Newspaper
Project Website
Educator Resource Page:
library.uvm.edu/vtnp/

9. •Downloadable lessons and activities
•Links to other resources and lessons from other states
•General Tutorial section
Online
Resources

10. Other
online tools:
flickr.com/vtndp
pinterest.com/vtdnp
library.uvm.edu/vtnp
facebook.com/vtdnp
slideshare.net/vtdnp

11. Let’s Explore
Chronicling America!
chroniclingamerica.loc.gov
chroniclingamerica.com
or search: Chronicling America

12. the basics of Chronicling America

13. How to search?
● Simple search
● Advanced search
We have downloadable
PowerPoints and how-tos on our
website!

14. Search Pages Tab
Pick a state or
search all states
Pick a year range or
specific year.
Remember, years are
between 1836-1922.
Enter a search word(s) here.
Remember historical
language!

15. Try a simple search!
Pick a state or
search all states
Pick a year range or
specific year.
Remember, years are
between
1836-1922.
Enter a search word(s) here

16. The search tool searches the text to find the word/phrase you
entered. Your keywords show up highlighted red.

19. Capturing images/text options
➔ View the text from the page
➔ Download as a PDF
➔ Download as a JP2
➔ Use the clipping tool to save a section of a page

20. Bibliographic Citations:
MLA:
Author's Last Name, First Name Middle Initial. "Article Title."
Newspaper Title Date of Publication: Pages. Name of
Database. Web. Date of access.
Example:
"The Pioneer Shops." Burlington Weekly Free Press 9 April 1869: 1.
Chronicling America. Web. 20 November 2014.
At the bottom of every newspaper page (great for keeping track of pages!):

21. Hold down Ctrl to select multiple states or newspapers!
Advanced Search Tab

22. Advanced Search
Example:
James P. Taylor, Green
Mountain Club, & the
Long Trail
James P. Taylor (1872-1949)
Founder of Green Mountain
Club (1909)
Long Trail built between 1910-
1930, oldest long-distance
walking trail in the country.
Could do a project on Taylor
or the Green Mountain Club

23. ● Try a simple search first, with keywords
● Could limit to Vermont, years 1900-1922
● Search words to try in combination, proximity, or as phrases:
● Taylor, Long Trail, Green Mountain Club, J.P. Taylor, James Taylor.

24. Technology then & now:
not perfect!
❏ Typos or errors
❏ Microfilm quality
❏ OCR rarely 100% accurate

25. Example Activities

26. 100 Years Ago Today

27. 100 Years Ago Today

29. 1. Have students enter the words “John Brown
Harpers Ferry” in the search box, limiting
the years between 1859 and 1861 (more/less
years, depending on the spectrum).
Students can also search by a specific state.
2. Students could divide up into North & South
(or particular states) and argue
perspectives found in the newspapers, or
individually find and analyze examples of
differing perspectives found in the papers.
John Brown &
Harper’s Ferry
Raid, 1863
•John Brown’s ill-fated raid on
Harper’s Ferry, VA, took place on
October 16-18, 1859.
•Brown and 20 others captured
the armory with the intention to
arm nearby slaves and begin an
insurgency that would end
slavery in the south.
•Brown and his men were
cornered in the armory by militia
and US Marines.
•Brown was soon defeated.
Among the dead were two of
Brown’s sons. John Brown was
hanged in Virginia on December
2, 1859.

31. Research Projects
•Local historic buildings
•Famous people
•Events
•Technology
•Culture
•Differing perspectives

32. Recommended
Topics

33. Good place for students to start: the Topics Page!

34. Each topics
page includes:
➔ important
dates
➔ suggested
search
terms
➔ sample
articles

36. Have students
do research
and write a
blog post!

37. Idea: a contest
for the oddest
clipping

38. Idea: students
to curate an
online album on
Pinterest or
Flickr

39. Have students create an
exhibit or display

40. Extra Inspiration:
www.loc.gov/ndnp

41. Thanks for coming!
Contact us:
Website: library.uvm.edu/vtnp
Erenst Anip, Project Librarian: eanip@uvm.edu
Karyn Norwood, Digital Support: knorwood@uvm.edu
Phone: 802-656-0819