On April 10, the Oliver Wendell Holmes Library (OWHL) hosted a Newspaper Workshop, where students learned how to use the OWHL’s vast collection and databases of newspapers. This event kicked off the OWHL’s new workshop series aimed at helping students utilize and understand the available resources in the library.
With an influx of history classes hosted in the library and current Uppers starting their History 300 papers, the librarians have become more involved with student work and research. Camille Torres-Hoven, Director of the OWHL, spoke on how the workshop sought to address recurring questions among students about using newspapers as primary sources.
“We had recognized a need to do something beyond history classes coming to the library to help students understand how to use primary sources. One of the questions that kept coming up in [the] research appointments we have with students was how to use and find newspapers. So, we thought that this would be a good way to one, address the need for things that need to happen outside of instruction, and two, to shine a light on the question of newspapers,” said Torres-Hoven.
Chloe Song ’26 was motivated to pitch the idea of a workshop when she discovered a demand for help accessing and finding newspapers specifically for research projects. Song helped facilitate the workshop as part of the OWHL Student Advisory Board and spoke on how the opportunity aligned with the Board’s goals to shine light on the OWHL’s extensive resources.
“One of our biggest missions is to advocate on behalf of all Andover students [and] help students gain more accessibility to the OWHL’s resources… I felt passionate about helping other students in my position, as an Andover student who’s constantly researching in the history classroom and realizing that it’s very [difficult] to navigate the OWHL’s website, databases, catalogs, and sources. In my research project, I used a lot of newspapers, but I realized I needed a lot of help with getting access to them,” said Song.
Tessa Hite, Reference and Student Support Librarian at the OWHL, also facilitated the workshop, going over how to navigate the dozens of newspaper databases accessible through the OWHL. She spoke on how important newspapers are in allowing students to gain a perspective on a specific event or time period, as they framed public opinions and perceptions that were prevalent at the time.
“This [workshop] focused on newspaper databases because it’s a great way to find primary sources and learn more about how certain historical events were framed within the time periods that people are studying. We talked about tips and tricks for finding sources within the databases, and then once you have them, how to actually use and analyze them in your paper. OWHL has access to more than 50 newspaper databases that spotlight a range of voices, so there are a lot of different entry points for many topics. The aim was to build research skills that you could use across the board, whether you are searching in the OWHL catalog or outside databases,” said Hite.
Orla Naughton ’25 attended the workshop and attested to how the interactive workshop provided her with a new lens to research that can be done with the OWHL databases. She commented on how the workshop not only allowed her to find specific sources for her research but also gave her the tools and information she needed for other courses and papers as well.
“Dr. Hite taught us how to use newspapers as primary sources and led us through how to use the OWHL guides to find those newspapers… Then, within the databases, she was really showing us how to refine our searches. Dr. Hite also showed us how to [explore] other lines of inquiry we can take when looking at newspapers… On top of my [history] paper, my English teacher, M. Martin, recommended my class to go [to the workshop] to get an understanding of the perspectives that newspapers can give for our next project. Sitting for an hour and being able to talk with a smaller group and ask the instructor questions really provided a good lens into what working on research assignments would look like,” said Naughton.
Torres-Hoven emphasized how the OWHL was a resource for anything research-based, not just papers for classes. She welcomed all students, including those who were forming ideas, presentations, and other interesting avenues.
“A lot of students are under the impression that you come to the librarians when you have a topic. We’re happy to talk to you and help you tease ideas out before you have a topic. We’re here to work with CaMD Scholars, Brace Scholars, clubs looking to make a journal or magazine, and all PA community members. It doesn’t have to be just History 300 people. It was this kind of misconception that we are only here for history that made us want to do [an open workshop], While we love the History 300 paper and all the work we do at the History Department, we’re here for all PA community members,” said Torres-Hoven.
