Archival Literacy and Primary Source Literacy

A Collaborative Instructional Toolkit for Introductory Composition and Beyond

Authors

  • Kristin Leaman
  • Adriana Harmeyer

Abstract

This article is a case study that addresses challenges archivists and introductory composition instructors can experience when working to embed archival and primary source literacy into a course and models how to successfully overcome related obstacles. Building on the excellent work of James Roussain, it employs the archivist-as-educator model not only to teach the students but also to train the disciplinary instructor. Teaching instructors archival and primary source literacy and training them how to teach these types of literacy enhances student success. Acknowledging the literature that discusses the ineffectiveness of one-shot guest lectures, the authors have designed and piloted an archival and primary source literacy toolkit that provides a scalable and effective model for embedding a module and assignment into an introductory composition course at a large research university. The inquiry-based active-learning activities in the toolkit are scaffolded to prepare students for the assignment. Furthermore, the toolkit provides guidance on how instructors and archivists can collaboratively develop the skills they need to successfully embed the module into introductory composition courses.

Author Biographies

Kristin Leaman

Kristin Leaman is an assistant professor in the Purdue University Libraries and School of Information Studies and holds a courtesy faculty appointment in the Department of English at Purdue. Previously, Leaman was a special collections cataloguer at the Lilly Library, Indiana University, and an archivist at the Indiana University Archives. In her current role, Leaman teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in information studies and English; her teaching and research interests are information literacy, archival and primary source literacy, book history, and medieval studies. She also focuses on the inte- gration of information literacy and archival and primary source literacy into courses in humanities. Leaman is a member of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Instruction Section Teaching Methods Committee and the ACRL Rare Books and Manuscripts Section (RBMS) Instruction and Outreach Committee, and she is the Purdue University faculty representative for the Newberry Library’s Center for Renaissance Studies consortium. She holds a PhD in English literature with a focus in medieval studies from Purdue University and an MLS with a specialization in rare books and manuscripts from Indiana University.

Adriana Harmeyer

Adriana Harmeyer is Archivist for University History and Clinical Assistant Professor in the Purdue University Archives and Special Collections, part of Purdue University Libraries. In this role, Harmeyer oversees university-related manuscript collections, records, rare book collections, and medieval manuscripts. She educates students on the use of these materials, integrating primary source literacy and archival literacy into courses across a variety of disciplines. Harmeyer is an active member of the Society of Indiana Archivists and the Midwest Archives Conference; she previously edited the newsletters of both organizations and is currently the editor of the scholarly journal Archival Issues. Harmeyer holds a BA in history from Marshall University and an MSI focused on archives and records management and preservation of information from the University of Michigan School of Information. Harmeyer recently co-authored the book chapter, “Special Collections as Muse: The Use of Rare Books and Archives to Inspire Creative Works,” in Creators in the Academic Library, edited by Rebecca Zuege Kuglitsch and Alexander C. Watkins (Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, 2023) and is co-author of the book Purdue at 150: A Visual History of Student Life (West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Press, 2019).

Jackie Shane performing with Frank Motley in Toronto.

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Published

2025-05-07

How to Cite

Leaman, Kristin, and Adriana Harmeyer. 2025. “Archival Literacy and Primary Source Literacy: A Collaborative Instructional Toolkit for Introductory Composition and Beyond ”. Archivaria 99 (May):68-94. https://www.archivaria.ca/index.php/archivaria/article/view/14021.

Issue

Archivaria 99 (Spring 2025)

Section

Articles

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