Scaffolding the collection manager-instructor relationship: Partnerships for primary source instruction

Abstract

Whereas the literature on incorporating primary sources into undergraduate education is large and growing, a sustained discussion of the relationship between the collection manager—be it librarian, archivist, or curator—and the course instructor is conspicuously absent. Unlike secondary source material, which can generally be accessed independent of collection managers (or any other gatekeepers), primary source material is often mediated, making it almost impossible for course instructors wishing to use these sources to bypass collection or repository personnel. The partnership between them is therefore vital.