National History Day: University Library partnership strengthens Iowa grade-school research

A growing partnership between the Iowa State University Library and National History Day is helping Iowa middle and high school students build college-ready research skills, gain confidence with historical sources, and experience a university campus. 

Led by Becca Yowler, unit lead for arts and humanities, research and instruction, and Olivia Garrison, reference and instruction archivist, the program brings school groups to Parks Library for structured research visits ahead of regional and state contest deadlines. In the 2024-2025 school year of the 70 students who visited Parks Library, 23 went on to compete at the state level and two students from Marshalltown won their event at the national level, with others earning honorable mention or reaching the finals. 

“The biggest impact I see from our partnership with the University Library is all the participating students gain confidence,” said Ethan Atwell, National History Day in Iowa program coordinator. “They become confident in conducting research, historical analysis, innovative thinking, interacting with professionals, and navigating a college campus. That confidence then makes those students more prepared and resilient for college or careers.” 

For the 2025-2026 school year, a new cohort of students is developing projects under the National History Day theme “Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History.” School contests will be held in January and February 2026, followed by regional contests in February and March and state and national contests from April through June. The 2026 National History Day in Iowa state contest will take place on the last Monday in April. 

Guided research experience  

Each visit to Parks Library designed to introduce the grade school students to multiple research methods. Instruction is led by Yowler and Garrison, with support from partners at the State Historical Society of Iowa, including Atwell and Rachel Hansen, K–12 education coordinator. 

With Yowler, students build foundational research strategies: 

• Writing a focused research question 
• Identifying keywords and related terms for searching 
• Selecting appropriate databases for their topics 

Students then engage in guided database searching using Quick Search, America: History and Life, and other history-focused resources. Yowler also introduces Library of Congress call numbers and how books are arranged in the stacks.  

With Garrison, students focus on primary sources and archives: 

• Learning what primary sources are and how they differ from secondary sources 
• Using archives finding aids to understand how collections are described and organized 
• Completing an exercise in which they investigate a primary source and discuss what it reveals 

“Starting archival research can feel like learning a different language and takes skills that are very different from doing other types of research,” Garrison said. My biggest hope is that we can take some of the intimidation factor out of the equation when using archival resources for these students.” 

During many of the library research days in October and November, Atwell and Hansen joined Yowler and Garrison on site. Atwell led a session on writing thesis statements and has returned during other visit days to assist students with topic refinement and historical argumentation. 

Campus experience and student engagement 

In addition to formal instruction, the visits give students a chance to experience Parks Library and campus spaces more informally. Between sessions, students: 

• Explore the Parks Library tiers 
• Play giant chess in public areas 
• Visit Bookends Café 

“This year, some students even tried falafel for the first time at Heaping Plato during lunch,” Yowler said. “Little moments like that add to the sense of discovery that comes with being on a college campus.” 

These experiences contribute to students’ perceptions of Iowa State as a welcoming environment. One senior student in this year’s group has included Iowa State on her shortlist and cited her visits through the National History Day program as part of that decision.

“For the library, we get to have the excitement and energy of younger students in the building, and we get to hone our teaching skills,” Yowler noted.