"My grandfather belonged to Thomas Jefferson"

The Library of Congress has wonderful online resources, and now some of its most compelling digital materials are available on iTunes U, including oral histories, webcasts, films and more.

One of the most fascinating is a collection of oral histories of former slaves, recorded in the 1930s. To hear the voices of men and women for whom slavery was a way of life, not something read about in textbooks and relegated to the past, is both moving and informative.

It won't be lost on listeners that the venerable institution making these remarkable recordings available was founded by slaveholder Thomas Jefferson. A descendant of one of Jefferson's slaves is featured in the collection.

You can subscribe to the Voices of Slavery podcast at the Library of Congress website, or go to iTunes U and search "Library of Congress." History Day students exploring this topic will find these well worth a listen.

Websites We Like: Drawings of the American Civil War Era

From The Scout Report: The Becker College: Drawings of the American Civil War Era - Back in the nineteenth century, Frank Leslie's Illustrated Weekly Newspaper was the LIFE magazine of its day. Illustrators would work on rendering everything from bucolic rural scenes to maritime settings for various stories and so on. This outstanding digital collection from Boston College contains images from the Becker Collection, which features largely unpublished drawings created for the newspaper. First-time visitors should check out the "About the Collection" area for a bit of background context, and they can go on to look through the "Featured Images" section. The drawings here are amazing, and they include Civil War camp scenes, early warships, life on the frontier, and an amazing rendering of the siege of Charleston. After this, visitors will feel more confident about searching the archive on their own, and they should also check out the detailed artist biographies as well. The site is rounded out by a "Related Resources" area that includes links to the U.S. Military Institute and the Civil War Preservation Trust.

Websites We Like: Hidden Histories of Exploration

From The Scout Report: Hidden Histories of Exploration - Columbus, Hudson, Polo, and Stanley, are all names known far and wide to those who hold an interest in the history of exploration. But how about Juan Tepano, Mohammed Jen Jamain, and Nain Singh? The role of these individuals (and many others) from the annals of world history deserves to be better known, and it is quite appropriate that the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) is the one to tell their tales via this website. The site is meant to complement an exhibition at the RGS that highlights "the role of local inhabitants and intermediaries in the history of exploration." Visitors can learn about these persons and the process of exploration by clicking on the "Exhibition" section. From there, visitors will be guided through a series of narrative essays (such as "Local Knowledge" and "European Dependence"), accompanied by historic photographs, drawings, maps, and diary pages. After taking the online exhibition tour, visitors can click on the "Gallery" section to peruse well-illustrated collections like "French Maritime Expeditions" and an eleven-minute film from 1922 titled "Climbing Mount Everest".

Websites We Like: UW Digital Menus Collection

From The Scout Report: University of Washington Digital Collections: Menus Collection - If you ever wondered what entrees were served onboard the SS Alaska on July 26, 1938, you need wonder no more. This delightful and hunger-inducing collection of menus was created by the staff at the University of Washington Libraries Digital Collection project, and it contains over 650 menus from the Puget Sound area, including offerings from such venerable institutions as the Space Needle Restaurant and Ivar's Acres of Clams. Visitors should start things off by watching the short video they have created which offers a quick tour through some menu highlights. After that, browse through the collection by subject, or click one of the thematic collections, such as "Hotel Menus" and "Fifties Menus". Still wondering about those entrees on the good ship SS Alaska? They included Smothered Belgian Hare Southern Style and Coconut Fritters with Custard Sauce.

Websites We Like: The Digital Locke Project

Talk about innovation in history! Here's a great topic in intellectual innovation for History Day...

From The Scout Report: The Digital Locke Project - The influence of John Locke on human thought is hard to overstate, and scholars continue to mine his substantial corpus for insights into the ways that humans interact. This delightful website brings together a scholarly text edition of many of his works. The project is being overseen by Professor Paul Schuurman, and the database here includes multiple drafts of some of Locke's most powerful works, such as the seminal "An Essay Concerning Human Understanding." Visitors can get started by clicking on the "Texts" button to find the text of his works, along with an "About" area that gives some background material on each work. Those persons who might not be familiar with Locke might also appreciate the "About Locke" area of the site.

NHD Online Discussion: Innovation in History - December 2, noon-2pm PST

To participate, go to www.nhd.org, click on "Online Discussion" in the top left of the homepage. This is geared for students and teachers, and you can send questions to info@nhd.org beforehand. A great opportunity to delve into the theme!