Blog

Hello! This blog is meant to provide updates on our projects, showcase events that we are a part of, and show you how we are getting physically involved in community engagement and education.

Written and managed by Addi McDowell

Before The Addison was founded, I began my journey in rare books education by delivering rare book instruction sessions to Greenbrier High School. In total, I served 16 classes (13 total sessions) of varying subjects including AP Seminar/Research, Spanish 2, World Literature, and AP World History.

This was an absolutely amazing experience, and I learned so much about the different challenges that come with working in the K-12 system. For instance, student apathy is a well-known issue throughout the U.S., and though there were a great many students who were excited for the change of pace, there were plenty who were unwilling to engage. I am eager to start working on methods to remedy this problem.

Another issue I faced was the perception that students are incapable of learning through rare books unless they are “advanced” or in AP classes. I am a firm believer that everyone is capable of learning; rare book resources can be a suitable learning tool for anyone regardless of age, IQ, or ability. It was a bit disappointing to see that teachers were unwilling to book me for their “regular” classes, but I hope to visit again next year to change their minds!

Overall, being able to bring these resources to students from my hometown was incredibly inspiring. I had multiple students ask me for resources on the museums and rare books fields, and I was so excited to witness their enthusiasm.

If you would like to watch one of my sessions, I have posted a 3-Part video series on my YouTube channel.

Find the YouTube video here!

At this time, all of this contact information will lead you to Addi McDowell, the creator of this website and curator of most of the exhibits.