Grades 9-12

Welcome to our Anniversary Educational Series

We invite you on a virtual field trip of the St. Louis Mercantile Library. Below you will find a series of videos and assignments that take you on a tour of our library, introduce you to our staff, and teach you about what we do. You will also learn what primary and secondary sources are, how you can find them, and how you can use them to conduct historical research. The content on this page is appropriate for grades 9-12. Use the left-hand navigation bar to explore other grades or visit the main page to learn more about the program.

Program Introduction  

The St. Louis Mercantile Library is a research library with diverse special collections. It is the oldest library west of the Mississippi River and the grandparent of St. Louis cultural institutions. We welcome you to explore our collections and use them to enhance your research and academic studies. We also hope to share our love of learning with you and show you how history can come alive. We invite you to get lost in the stories of individuals and communities preserved within our walls. You will find stories of creativity and innovation, perseverance and determination, and growth and change. We hope these stories inspire you, that you see yourself in them, and that you learn from them.

Below you will find the program divided into three parts. It should take about 90 minutes to complete the entire field trip.  

• In Part 1 you will take a tour of the library. 
• In Part 2 you will learn about primary sources and how to use our digital library to conduct research. 
• In Part 3 you will learn  how to analyze primary sources by exploring themes in our collections relevant to Missouri K-12 learning standards.  If you are doing this program for school, make sure you choose the theme assigned by your teacher. The video of Part 3 is followed by a hands-on assignment that walks you through finding and using primary sources to conduct historical research.

The program concludes with Part 3, but you will find additional videos, assignments, and resources under the extras section at the bottom of the page. You will also find a feedback survey. We thank you for visiting us and hope you enjoy your virtual field trip.  

List of key terms and definitions you will hear on your field trip