Learning from the Pros

Our Student Historians are a group of 25 teens from throughout the city who are dedicated to learning about the New-York Historical Society’s collections and resources, and in turn share them with other teens preparing for the U.S. History and Government Regents exam. In order to support them in their goal of creating a U.S. History Exam Review Catalog, the students have met with professionals across the institution to understand the many different roles and professions that are necessary to preserve, exhibit, and interpret the collections.

Here are a few highlights of the teens’ experiences:

On November 18, we toured the permanent installation New York Rising with its curator Valerie Paley, Vice President, Chief Historian and Dean of Scholarly Programs and Director, Center for the Study of Women’s History. She shared how artifacts are thoughtfully selected for exhibitions to shape the stories they tell.

 

On December 2, we were introduced to object-based inquiry by Allyson Schettino, Manager of School Programs, who gave us great insight and inspiration for creating our own tours.

 

 

On December 16, we met with Ted O’Reilly, Director of Manuscripts at the Library, to view prized artifacts and documents, including maps, photographs, and a letter with a lock of Abraham Lincoln’s hair.