In October 2016 Tennessee lawmakers announced a review of the curriculum standards for history in K-12 education. The proposed changes would remove key pieces of state history pertaining to civil rights, women, the labor movement, and the Native American origins of the state’s name. In the wake of these suggested removals, Tennessee libraries, archives, and cultural heritage institutions are in a unique position to help promote our history to educators, students, and the general public. Through promotion of collections and services, Tennessee libraries help fill in gaps that are created by curriculum standards and celebrate our valuable history at the same time. This session will cover ways that libraries and archives of all sizes can promote the collections that they care for through the use of online tools, services, and social media. History no longer has to live behind locked doors. Drag it out, dust it off, and use it to celebrate the history that has made Tennessee great.
