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calsfoundation@cals.org
Place-Based Learning at Library Square
In March 2024, the Arkansas Humanities Council hosted the inaugural Next Gen conference to connect emerging humanities professionals with careers in the field. During the conference, gifted and talented (GT) educators Brenda Rush (Malvern School District) and Laura West (Hot Springs School District) gave a presentation on place-based learning. This educational technique goes outside the classroom to allow students to learn new skills specific to a location. It also exposes them to new places or helps them learn more about places they might already know. Research shows that place-based learning fosters civic engagement and increases students’ investment in the well-being of the places they visit.
Following Rush and West’s presentation, community outreach archivist Danielle Afsordeh (CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies/Roberts Library) and programming and administrative assistant Emily Housdan (UA Little Rock Downtown) invited the two educators to take a place-based learning trip to Library Square in the River Market area of Little Rock. After Rush and West toured the CALS Roberts Library and its across-the-street neighbor UA Little Rock Downtown, they began planning potential activities with staff.
On September 23, Rush, West, and thirty-one GT high school students from Malvern and Hot Springs arrived at Library Square. Because this was meant to be a place-based learning trip and not just a field trip, staff from the CALS Butler Center, UA Little Rock Downtown, and the UA Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture (CAHC) created activities using Arkansas history materials that are found only at Library Square. Using a historic mural at UA Little Rock Downtown and the archival collection of an emeritus UA Little Rock professor at CAHC, the GT students learned why the documentation and preservation of Arkansas history matters and what the past can tell us about the world today.
For half of the place-based learning trip, the students visited UA Little Rock Downtown and learned about Joe Jones, his 1935 mural The Struggle in the South, and the mural’s original home in Commonwealth College before it was restored and put on display at UA Little Rock Downtown. Dr. Marta Cieslak, historian and UA Little Rock Downtown’s director, presented a brief history of Commonwealth College as an experimental institution championing workers’ rights. This historical context helped the students understand why Joe Jones, a St. Louis artist and an active member of the labor movement, chose to depict ordinary working Arkansans during the Great Depression in his mural, which was painted on the walls of the Commonwealth College dining hall.
After the short historical introduction, Cieslak and the students examined The Struggle in the South and reflected on the challenges the workers of the South faced during the Great Depression. The students also discussed issues that workers face in the United States today, including the experiences of their own families.
Following the analysis of the mural, Housdan led the students in creating mini zines inspired by the mural. She provided them with archival visual materials from the collections of CALS Butler Center and CAHC that were thematically linked to the mural. Using the archival materials alongside visuals from today’s newspapers and magazines empowered the students to connect the past with the present in creative ways.
For the other half of the trip, the students visited the CALS Roberts Library to learn about archival appraisal. Afsordeh and archivist Emily Summers (CAHC) framed the activity around a collection from Dr. Johnye Strickland, a UA Little Rock professor who taught for over 40 years and founded the university’s Oral History Program. Using curated materials from the collection, students explored the complexities of archival decision-making when determining what should be retained for long-term preservation and what should be removed.
In the activity, the students examined materials and decided whether to keep, toss, or place items “on the fence” for further review. They were encouraged to explain their reasoning, ask for additional information, and work together to make collective decisions, simulating the collaborative nature of professional archival work. The students assessed factors such as the availability of similar materials at other institutions, the ability or inability to access information on legacy technology, and the relevance of items to the collection’s scope.
They also learned that sometimes archivists keep only a portion of a folder—such as removing duplicate items while retaining unique content. Through this exercise, the students utilized critical thinking skills and practiced navigating the common conflicts in archival work, where some may want to keep everything while others may advocate for discarding unnecessary materials. By evaluating the nuances of each decision, the students gained insight into the tension between preservation and curation as well as a deeper understanding of the challenges and responsibilities archivists face in preserving meaningful historical records.
These hands-on experiences at Library Square let the students witness the value of historical work in interpreting and preserving history for future generations. Educators interested in offering similar place-based learning experiences are encouraged to connect with staff at UA Little Rock Downtown, CAHC, and the CALS Butler Center to design their own customized trips.
To get started, contact CALS community outreach archivist Danielle Afsordeh at dtafsordeh@cals.org.
By Danielle Afsordeh (Community Outreach Archivist, CALS), Marta Cieslak (Director, UA Little Rock Downtown), Emily Summers (Senior Archivist, CAHC), and Emily Housdan (Programming and Administrative Assistant, UA Little Rock Downtown)
