After the library session – some thoughts on digitized archival documents

Thanks for your questions and thoughts on the whirlwind tour through the library’s electronic resources and the myriad collections of digitized archival documents. If you find others you want to share, join this site and let us all know!

On Tuesday, we looked at a few digitized archival documents: the Heart of Harlem sheet music composed by Langston Hughes and Duke Ellington in 1928, and Jamel Shabazz’s photograph Downtown Brooklyn from 1984.

Class discussion centered around these questions:

  • What is the point of view of the creator (writer, artist, performer, photographer, narrator)?
  • Identify a question, contradiction, or tension suggested or embodied in this work. How does it contribute to, explain, or even complicate a viewpoint or perspective on the black experience in New York City?

As you select an institution for your research project, remember that your City Tech ID gives you free access to many museums and cultural institutions around New York City; see the entire list here.

Questions about library research? Ask in the comments, or visit the City Tech library in person or online.

~Prof. Leonard, Coordinator of Library Instruction & Information Literacy

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