INFORMATION FOR EDUCATORS

Pursue Your Own Research

One of the goals of the new Martin Luther King, Jr. finding aid is to create a scholarly resource that makes the catalogue of the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center’s Martin Luther King, Jr. collection available and searchable. When the search engine is completed, you will be able to search the listing for the Martin Luther King Jr. Collection online. At this time, a printed finding aid is available to researchers here at the Gotlieb Center. To set up an appointment to see the King collection, or to ask for more information, please contact us at archives@bu.edu.

Using Martin Luther King, Jr. Primary Resources in Your Curriculum

Utilizing primary source material provides students with a unique opportunity to develop their analytical skills and critical thinking. The experience allows students to establish a personal connection to the topic. It requires them to search for information, carefully gather data, weigh evidence and evaluate differing perspectives while developing their intellectual curiosity, ultimately leading them to want to learn more.

There are many creative ways to design your curricula by using our original and scanned material. You may want to incorporate a particular item, a group of material, or the entire Martin Luther King, Jr. collection into your syllabus for a course. Center staff will help you find the best material to meet your instructional objectives. Students may use these items in our reading room.

The papers in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Collection are relevant to several subjects, including history, language arts, religion, and civil rights. King is an inspirational, iconic figure recognized by most age groups. He stands as a positive role model - one that the students can get to know more personally through his papers. Please contact the Center at archives@bu.edu for further information.

Plan a Class Session for Your Students

An easy way to introduce the primary source material of the King collection to your students is through a single class session held at the Gotlieb Center. An archivist will work with you to customize the session to your specifications and present the material to the students, while providing contextual information and answering questions. Professors often report that these sessions are their students' favorite session in a given course. Many students follow up by undertaking further research at the Gotlieb Center.