Though I spent all of last semester thoroughly-immersed in the historiography* of American public libraries, and now know more than I thought there even was to know on the topic, I must admit that I was a relative newbie to the study of library history not too long ago. In fact, I had been assuming that my graduate research would focus on the Jewish history of Indiana, as I had spent about six months processing backlogged Jewish history collections at the Indiana Historical Society.
#OverlyHonestHistorians : Graduate history students often select our topics of study based on proximity to available archival collections.
#OverlyHonestArchivists : I’ve often dreamed of utilizing my intimate knowledge of collection materials to become the historian of that organization’s/individual’s/city’s story.
Clearly, my intentions to write the next great history of Jews in Indiana were not followed through, as my interests shifted to library history last summer. While completing a fellowship in DC, I took advantage of my school’s online courses to continue my coursework, enrolling in an online class titled “The History of Libraries.” Now, I was not new to the online class environment at IUPUI, and my understanding is that many graduate programs (especially MLS/MLIS programs) are adding more and more online classes each semester. But this course was entirely different than any I had experienced before. Usually run through IU’s Oncourse site, online classes are generally the mecca for forum-posters and access points to static class readings and resources. That was not the case with Annette Lamb’s “History of Libraries.”
Prof. Lamb and her husband have lived in a motorhome since 1999, traveling around the country and teaching online courses at IU, Indianapolis through their website, Eduscapes. The interface for and interactivity of “History of Libraries” was a breath of fresh air compared to the usual online course experience. As the figurative “Library History 101” of the IU course catalog, Annette’s class provided me with the perfect introduction to library history from 10,000 BC to today.
The course is broken into sections based on specific time periods (the list on the lefthand side of the homepage will give you an idea of these periods), and each section of the course includes numerous images and links/full citations to a number of scholarly resources related to libraries of all types: public, academic, special, government, archives, personal, presidential, etc. Lessons also cover a variety of topics: manuscripts, rare books, library services, library education, the professionalization of librarians, digital technologies, collection formats, the future of libraries, etc.
The greatest thing about this course and others offered by Annette and her husband? They are available online, all the time, TO ANYBODY. While you may not want to complete the assignments described in the syllabus and lessons, there’s still a wealth of information to be learned and resources to be accessed by simply reading through each page. And this includes all of the other courses that they teach through Eduscapes as well:
Each of the icons above links to a full graduate-level course on a variety of topics relevant to LIS professionals.
This is just the first of many digital resources that I will explore through my blog, and I welcome any and all suggestions that you have of digital history resources that should be shared! I am also curious to learn more about other graduate student experiences with online courses. Any notable online teaching methods and innovations that you’ve come across? Ideas on how the internet can be utilized successfully to create an online teaching environment?
*historiography – history of historical viewpoints of a certain topic over time
Library Historian 
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