Florence Nightingale Collection Letters to James George Fife

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Students examine the collection of letters sent by Florence Nightingale to James George Fife, a Royal Engineer working on Indian irrigation systems. The letters reveal the deep concern for the Indian people that Nightingale possessed and the policies the British government used when dealing with colonial affairs. Across a series of activities and tasks, students will develop an argument on the feelings and treatment of colonial citizens and culminate the lesson by creating an essay summarizing their evidence and argument. Written for grades 9-10, aligned with ELA History and Social Studies standards.

Material Type: Lesson, Primary Source

Authors: George Zedan, Wayne State University, Wayne State University Digital Collections

Florence Nightingale Personal Correspondence Classroom Activity

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This collection of letters shows Nightingale’s concerns and her challenges with developing policies that would be beneficial to the poor and sick. Nightingale’s primary concern here is sanitation and the care of wounded soldiers. The letters also contain a peek into Nightingale’s private life, describing her views on poetry, plants, and her love of the countryside. Across a series of activities and tasks, students will use the letters as a catalyst to respond to domestic issues and politics during the 1800's.

Material Type: Lesson

Authors: George Zedan, Wayne State University, Wayne State University Digital Collections

The Lincoln Letters: Personal Correspondence Classroom Activity

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Students examine the collection of letters sent to President Abraham Lincoln from citizens. The students read and analyze the letters to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by President Lincoln separate from the ongoing Civil War. Across a series of activities and tasks, students develop an argument on the importance of politics and favors in the Lincoln administration and culminate the lesson by creating an essay summarizing their evidence and argument. Letters used in the lesson are from the Wayne State University Digital Collection, The Lincoln Letters.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Authors: George Zedan, Wayne State University, Wayne State University Digital Collections

Prisoners at Home: Everyday Life in Japanese Internment Camps

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On December 7, 1941, Imperial Japan attacked a US naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Pre-existing racial tensions and “yellow peril” hysteria magnified as the American public grew increasingly suspicious of Japanese Americans and uncertain of their loyalty. They were regarded as potential spies and anti-Japanese propaganda quickly spread. Then, on February 19, 1942, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066. 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry (two-thirds of whom were US citizens) were forced to evacuate from their homes and report to assembly centers. From there, they were moved to one of ten internment camps, or War Relocation Centers, located in remote areas of seven states—California, Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, and Arkansas.For the next three years, Japanese Americans acclimated to life behind barbed wire and under armed guard. Uprooted from their lives, they found themselves in strange and uncomfortable environments. They had to adapt to their new situation by adjusting to new living conditions, attending new schools, and finding inventive ways to pass the time. They attempted to maintain a sense of normalcy by attending religious meetings and by finding employment.This exhibition tells stories of everyday lives in Japanese Internment camps during World War II. It was created as part of the DPLA’s Digital Curation Program by the following students as part of Dr. Joan E. Beaudoin's course "Metadata in Theory and Practice" in the School of Library and Information Science at Wayne State University: Stephanie Chapman, Jessica Keener, Nicole Sobota, and Courtney Whitmore.

Material Type: Diagram/Illustration, Primary Source, Unit of Study

Authors: Courtney Whitmore, Jessica Keener, Nicole Sobota, Stephanie Chapman

In Focus: The Evolution of the Personal Camera

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For many Americans today, snapping a photo is as easy as pulling out a smartphone. However, that digital photo is the result of decades of experimentation and development, from first forays into bulky and difficult-to-use professional cameras to instant-photo Polaroids. Since the advent and eventual commercialization of photography throughout the nineteenth century, cameras have continuously redefined the American public’s conception of how images and history can be captured and shared. Looking to the early cameras of the 1800s to today’s cell phones and social networking apps, this exhibition explores how the personal camera has shaped American consciousness and culture over the course of its development. This exhibition was created as part of the DPLA’s Digital Curation Program by the following students as part of Dr. Joan E. Beaudoin's course "Metadata in Theory and Practice" in the School of Library and Information Science at Wayne State University: Ellen Tisdale, Rachel Baron Singer, Amanda Seppala, Michell Geysbeek, and Jay Purrazzo.

Material Type: Diagram/Illustration, Primary Source, Unit of Study

Authors: Amanda Seppala, Ellen Tisdale, Jay Purrazzo, Michell Geysbeek, Rachel Baron Singer

America during the 1918 Influenza Pandemic

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In the spring of 1918, the United States was embroiled in World War I, fighting alongside the English, French, and Russians against the Central Powers of Germany and Austria-Hungary. In total, 70 million men were at war on multiple fronts across Europe, Russia, the Middle East, and Northern Africa. The tide was finally turning for the Allies after a crushing offensive by German forces mere weeks earlier. Then, a fierce enemy intervened—an outbreak of influenza that would decimate entire regiments and towns, kill civilians and soldiers alike by the millions, and rapidly become a global pandemic. This disease weakened forces on both sides, changing not only the course of the war but also the economies and population stability of every affected nation. In the long term, this particular outbreak would inspire research on an unprecedented scale and lead to advances in science and medicine, forever altering our understanding of epidemiology. From the spring of 1918 to early 1919, no aspect of life remained untouched by the pandemic for Americans at home and on the front. This exhibition explores the pandemic’s impact on American life.  This exhibition was created as part of the DPLA’s Digital Curation Program by the following students as part of Dr. Joan E. Beaudoin's course "Metadata in Theory and Practice" in the School of Library and Information Science at Wayne State University: Bethany Campbell, Michelle John, Samantha Reid-Goldberg, Anne Sexton, and John Weimer.

Material Type: Diagram/Illustration, Primary Source, Unit of Study

Authors: Anne Sexton, Bethany Campbell, John Weimer, Michelle John, Samantha Reid-Goldberg

SIFT Tutorial

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SIFT is an evaluation strategy developed by digital literacy expert Michael Caulfield (Washington State University Vancouver) to help you judge whether or online content can be trusted for credible and reliable information. The SIFT strategy is quick, simple, and can be applied to various kinds of online content: social media posts, memes, statistics, videos, images, news articles, scholarly articles, etc. SIFT stands for: STOP INVESTIGATE THE SOURCE FIND BETTER COVERAGE TRACE CLAIMS, QUOTES, AND MEDIA BACK TO THEIR ORIGINAL CONTEXT

Material Type: Unit of Study

Author: Michael Caulfield

Mathematics for Biomedical Physics

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Mathematics for Biomedical Physics is an open textbook, published by the Wayne State University Library System, geared to introduce several mathematical topics at the rudimentary level so that students can appreciate the applications of mathematics to the interdisciplinary field of biomedical physics. Most of the topics are presented in their simplest but rigorous form so that students can easily understand the advanced form of these topics when the need arises. Several end-of-chapter problems and chapter examples relate the applications of mathematics to biomedical physics. After mastering the topics of this book, students would be ready to embark on quantitative thinking in various topics of biology and medicine.

Material Type: Textbook

Author: Jogindra M Wadehra

Urban Health: A Practical Application for Clinical Based Learning

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Urban Health: A Practical Application for Clinical Based Learning is an openly licensed, peer-reviewed textbook for clinical-based nursing educators covering barriers in urban health and their impact on patient health outcomes. The authors explore perspectives of urban communities, urban patients, and urban healthcare providers to offer insight into how healthcare providers can address disparities in urban healthcare, provide meaningful care with the lived experiences of urban patients in mind, and improve patient-provider communication by moving towards a more solution-driven, team-based care approach. Features include learning activities, exemplars, and case studies.

Material Type: Textbook

Authors: Cynthera McNeill, Tara Walker, Umeika Stephens