Iowans can now use the internet to access dozens of unique items from Iowa and U-S history. The collection contains 174 items — including rare photographs, maps, audio recordings and documents. Jennifer Cooley, the education and outreach manager for the State Historical Museum of Iowa, says the items are considered “primary sources” which help researchers to answer questions about history.
The online collection was created for K-12 educators, who are required to teach Iowa history as part of their curriculums, though anyone can access the materials. Cooley says primary sources help students to be more active in their learning.
The virtual collection was created through a 100-thousand dollar grant from the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources program. Pending Congressional action, the project will eventually receive a total of 300-thousand dollars.
