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Jewish Public Library

Educational Programming

Programs and Workshops

The Jewish Public Library Archives develops and engages in diverse programming efforts, tailored to meet individual and group needs. With over 250 years of history in the stacks, the opportunities are abounding with potential.

Grade 11 Students at Adath Israel Academy, Jewish Public Library Photograph Collection, PR003171
Lecture Series

The Jewish Public Library Archives (JPL-A) brings lectures and programs to a variety of community organizations, including Jewish and non-Jewish institutions looking for educational and recreational experiences. Themes include but are not limited to, Jewish Labour and Industrial History in Montreal, Jewish Visual Identity and Fashion, Montreal 375, Local Women’s Jewish History, Left-Wing Judaism in Montreal, Jewish Agricultural History, Archival Mysteries, and more.

Elementary, Middle and High School

The JPL Archives collaborates with Montreal’s day schools to introduce students to the various local Jewish histories that are held in its collections, providing them with an opportunity to consider their own role in this continuing story as well as the chance to explore their family’s unique past.

Students are exposed to local Jewish heritage and legacy directly through tangible material – photographs, documents and artifacts. They connect on a more intimate level to their past and are also challenged to practice skills such as establishing authenticity and reliability, creating their own narrative of past events, identifying cause-and-effect relationships and more.

The JPL Archives works with teachers to identify themes and curriculum topics that have connections with material in its collection. This may take the form of in-class workshops, visual exhibitions, art/writing projects, student presentations, and more.

Please contact us for more information or to discuss possibilities for your class.

College and University Engagement

The JPL Archives works closely with professors at Marianopolis, McGill, Concordia, and the University of Montreal to support undergraduate student learning, often with the intent of having students write class papers using original research. The JPL-A is also a proud partner of McGill’s ExCLR program through the Social Equity and Diversity Education Office.

Information literacy workshops provide students with a basic understanding of the differences between primary and secondary sources, the role archives play within the broader information service sector, as well as how to interpret and evaluate archival records when conducting historical research. Building upon these critical literacy skills, students are encouraged to participate in in-class workshops, engage in original archival research, and draw conclusions.

This workshop is adaptable to meet varying course requirements in the humanities and social sciences. The JPL Archives is happy to work with university professors to develop a program for their students.

Please contact us for  more information.

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