The Society of American Archivists (SAA) provides definitions in their Dictionary of Archives Terminology.
Archival Literacy - competence in or knowledge of archival terminology, organization, and reference tools
Primary Source Literacy - the knowledge and competency in finding, interpreting, evaluating, and using primary source
It is important to understand both definitions, as you cannot have one without the other. Instructors must have a firm grasp on both in order to embed these practices in their courses; likewise, students must learn proficiency in both to successfully conduct ethical archival research.
The teaching materials on this page (see the "Teaching Materials" tab) are designed to be presented to students in order to help cultivate the skills of archival and primary source literacy. There is a mix of in-class activities and assignments that can be utilized for in-person, online, and asynchronous courses. There are options to to focus on smaller activities or to embed an archival and primary source literacy section in your course. As an instructor, if you are unfamiliar with the Purdue Archives and Special collections, the archival process, searching and accessing, an/or archival terminology, you are strongly encouraged to contact Kristin Leaman, leamankb@purdue.edu, prior to using activities and assignments. This will ensure that things go smoothly for you and your class. Kristin can also put you in contact with an archivist in the Purdue Archives and Special Collections, which is also critical for the success of these activities and assignments.
Below are information literacy activities designed by the Purdue Libraries. If you have questions about implementing these activities into your course, please email Kristin Leaman: leamankb@purdue.edu and Adriana Harmeyer: aharmey@purdue.edu.