Primary Source Sets now Available!

From Ohio Digital Network and the State Library of Ohio:

The State Library of Ohio and Ohio Digital Network are pleased to announce the creation of eight primary source sets, available for all to use and access at the Ohio Digital Network website. Curated by members of the Ohio Digital Network Outreach Working Group, each of the following themed set of resources focuses on Ohio and American history, and includes links to the primary sources on the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) website:

  • African American Ohioans in the Arts
  • Flooding in Ohio: Using Historical Floods to Prepare for the Future
  • Flora and Fauna of Ohio
  • Historic Ethnic Groups in Ohio
  • Industry in Ohio
  • Maps
  • The Underground Railroad in Ohio
  • Women’s Suffrage and the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment

A primary source is an account of a topic or event from someone who experienced it or had a direct connection with it. Examples include photographs of an event, letters or manuscripts written by someone who experienced or took part in what they are writing about, an oral history of an event or an audio or video recording of it, and more. Primary sources are invaluable as research tools for all levels of scholarship and can provide great insight into our shared history.

These eight primary source sets also include additional resources for further research, and a teaching guide that includes both classroom discussion questions and activities to generate critical thinking skills and deeper reflection of the topics at hand.

The Women’s Suffrage and the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment source set provides timely resources in four sections: Suffragettes and Their Homes Depicted, Propaganda for the Movement, Letters & Documents, and Women’s Opposition to the Suffrage Movement.

Screen view of Women’s Suffrage and the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment source set.
Screen view of Women’s Suffrage and the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment source set. https://ohiodigitalnetwork.org/womens-suffrage-and-the-100th-anniversary-of-the-19th-amendment/

The African American Ohioans in the Arts source set highlights four influential African American Ohioans in the arts: Art Tatum, a jazz pianist from Toledo, Ruby Dee, an actress and civil rights activist from Cleveland, Dorothy Dandridge, an actress, singer, and dancer from Cleveland, and Paul Laurence Dunbar, a poet from Dayton.

Screen view of African American Ohioans in the Arts
Screen view of African American Ohioans in the Arts source set. https://ohiodigitalnetwork.org/african-american-ohioans-in-the-arts/


The Flooding in Ohio: Using Historical Floods to Prepare for the Future source set is divided into three sections, Disaster Damage, Immediate Response, and Long-term Aftermath/Future Damage Reduction Efforts. The set is meant to provide an overview of natural disasters, but emphasizes flooding. While it is primarily devoted the 1913 flood, other notable floods are also included.

Disaster Damage in Flooding in Ohio
Disaster Damage in Flooding in Ohio: Using Historical Floods to Prepare for the Future source set. A photographic story of the flood in Dayton, Hamilton, and Cincinnati, March, 1913 : best flood pictures. 1913. Retrieved from the Digital Public Library of America, http://digital.cincinnatilibrary.org/cdm/ref/collection/p16998coll11/id/1045.
A Teaching Guide Flooding in Ohio
A Teaching Guide Flooding in Ohio: Using Historical Floods to Prepare for the Future source set that includes discussion questions and classroom activities. http://ohiodigitalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/Flooding-in-Ohio-Discussion-Questions.pdf

If you are interested in seeing more, contact us with topic suggestions or feedback!