https://caspercollege.cvlcollections.org/files/original/1164ed13b868a7632c9b4698ca86cf4e.pdf 884a952d5c7cb892d3f36ca4aaa402bd PDF Text Text 1 Critical Analysis Skills (Interrogation of the Source) These skills focus on directly engaging with the content and form of the records to extract meaning and assess reliability. • Multimodal Source Evaluation: Students learn to analyze both textual and visual evidence. o • Interrogating Bias and Perspective: By analyzing Morrison’s different roles (journalist/photographer vs. politician), students learn to critically evaluate perspective. o • They can ask: Was the photo intended for a newspaper audience (public) or a family album (private)? Did his political affiliations influence what he chose to photograph or document? This teaches them to assess the purpose and audience of a source to determine its reliability and objectivity. Contextualization and Historical Empathy: Handling original WWII correspondence or papers documenting the Cole Creek Wreck forces students to situate the material within the broader historical, social, and cultural context of 20th-century Wyoming. o • They must apply visual literacy skills to the photographs (e.g., identifying framing, composition, subject placement, and cropping) while simultaneously applying textual analysis skills to the political papers and personal letters. This teaches them to draw comparisons and note contradictions between media formats (e.g., how a public photo of a politician compares to his private written correspondence). This requires using secondary knowledge to understand the source's creation and fosters historical empathy—the ability to understand past people on their own terms, without imposing modern values. Identifying Silences and Gaps: Students must recognize what is missing from the collection. o If Morrison's political papers heavily focus on one issue, students must ask: What voices are excluded? Whose perspective is not documented? This addresses the critical PSL skill of understanding archival silence and the power dynamics inherent in the historical record. Casper College Goodstein Foundation Library Western History Center 125 College Drive, Casper, WY 82601 �2 Archival Research Strategy Skills (Finding and Accessing) Working with the physical collection and its finding aid develops practical research skills distinct from library database searching. • Interpreting Archival Description (DACS): Students must use the collection's finding aid, which is organized according to the DACS principles discussed earlier (provenance, multi-level description). o This teaches them how to navigate a hierarchical structure (fonds, series, file) to locate specific items, a skill essential for any archival research. • Developing Flexible Search Strategies: Since archival descriptions are broad (listing folders, not every item), students learn to read between the lines of the inventory and use their knowledge of the creator to anticipate where relevant material might be located. For example, knowing he was a State Rep, they can prioritize the "Political Papers" series. • Handling and Materiality: Being in a reading room requires students to follow protocols for handling fragile materials and originals (gloves, pencils only, correct supports). o This direct, physical interaction develops an appreciation for the materiality of history (e.g., the texture of old paper, the degradation of an old photo negative), reinforcing that the object itself carries meaning. Use and Incorporation Skills (Synthesis and Argumentation) These skills are applied outside the reading room but are wholly dependent on the preceding steps. • Synthesis of Multi-Format Evidence: Students must synthesize information from disparate formats—a photograph of a political rally, a typed legislative bill, and a handwritten personal letter—to build a single, cohesive historical argument about a topic like Casper's post-WWII development. • Evidential Support: Students learn how to use primary sources as direct evidence to support their claims, differentiating between quoting/transcribing written text and describing/analyzing a visual image. Casper College Goodstein Foundation Library Western History Center 125 College Drive, Casper, WY 82601 �3 Proper Citation: The final step involves learning to create accurate archival citations, which must include the specific box, folder, series, and collection title (e.g., Charles "Chuck" Morrison Photographs and Papers, Western History Center, Casper College), demonstrating an understanding of the chain of custody and intellectual property. References References Charles "Chuck" Morrison Photographs and Papers, NCA 01.v.1998.01 WyCaC US. Casper College Archives and Special Collections (Western History Center). Google. (2025). Gemini (2.5 Pro) [Large Language Model]. https://gemini.google.com/app/30ca229f60e659e3?utm_source=app_launcher&ut m_medium=owned&utm_campaign=base_all Casper College Goodstein Foundation Library Western History Center 125 College Drive, Casper, WY 82601 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Analysis and Archival Research Skills for Chuck Morrison Description An account of the resource The analysis and research skills in this document focus on directly engaging with the content and form of the records to extract meaning and assess reliability. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Hanz Olson Language A language of the resource ENG Extent The size or duration of the resource. 3 pages