Mapping to MN State Standards
The resources on this page have been selected by eLibraryMN and Minnesota Digital Library librarians and curators to support the MN English Language Arts and the Social Studies standards, both current and pending, specifically related to Immigration topics. Resources in eLibraryMN and EbooksMN have unlimited simultaneous user access and are freely available to anyone geolocated in Minnesota. The primary source resources detailed are available to all, regardless of location.
Please reach out with questions or suggestions about linking to, using, or sharing these resources.
Academic Research
Below is a collection of available topic overviews that link to many related articles and resources within ELM.
Brittanica's Immigration Resources
When using this resource, remember that you can adjust reading levels as students need by clicking the 'Reading Level' numbers.
Explora High School Immigration Resources
A search in Ebsco on the term "immigration" yields a variety of results. Use limiters to focus on peer reviewed content or certain date ranges, formats, or lexiles.
Gale High School Immigration Resources
Make sure to check out all types of resources available in Gale- biographies, magazines, video, audio primary sources, and more.
Points Of View Reference Center Scroll down to the 'Immigration' topic heading
POV Reference Center features many Point/Counterpoint topic explorations about current events. Check out the many point/counterpoint examples related to Immigration: Border Walls, Dreamers and Legal Residency, Family-Based Immigration, Federal Identification Cards, Foreign-Worker Visas, Immigration Restrictions, Sanctuary Cities, U.S. Borders
Ebooks
This is a curated group of fiction and nonfiction ebooks related to Immigration. All titles are available to students geolocated in MN without login. Linking directly to chapters is also possible. To link directly to the titles and share in your LMS or libguides, copy the link to the title(s) you want from our persistent link spreadsheet (if you are not accessing through the MackinVia app). Reach out to us with questions about linking.
Call Me American: the Extraordinary story of a young Somali Immigrant
The author shares the story of his life from his birth under a neem tree in Somalia to his journey to America.
The Late Homecomer
A memoir recounting a Hmong family's journey from war-torn Laos to America. Describes the hardships they experienced in refugee camps in Thailand as well as their struggles to adjust to life in a new land.
From Here: A Memoir
Chronicles the life of refugee advocate Luma Mufleh, and details the challenges she faced growing up as a gay Muslim woman in 1980s Jordan in a conservative religious society, where she could've been killed if anyone discovered her sexuality.
The Dreamers and DACA
Examines Dreamers and DACA, the Obama-era bill that forgives immigrants who were brought to the United States as children and whose legal status may be in question.
Citizenship, race, and the law
Examines the intersection of race, citizenship, and the law through history, discussing court cases, government actions, and efforts to end discrimination based on race
The refugee crisis
Examines the current refugee crisis around the globe, discussing the situations in various countries, the reasons refugees risk their lives on dangerous journeys, their right to asylum, and responses to the crisis. Includes sidebars, a glossary, resources for further information, maps, and color photographs.
Primary Sources
Resources below are recommended by MDL curators from partners in primary source history.
Patriotic scene at Jewish Community Center
Photograph of actors depicting immigrants gathered around the Statue of Liberty.
Ole E. Rølvaag's 1896 Immigration Diary
Diary written by author Ole E. Rølvaag as he left Norway for America in 1896, with an English translation at the end.
Northeastern Minnesota “Land of Certainties”
Booklet published by the Minnesota State Board of Immigration around 1919 describing northeastern Minnesota in an attempt to attract more immigrants.
Interview with Howard Woo
Oral history recording with Howard Woo, probably the first Chinese child to live in Minnesota.
Interview with Cy Thao
Cy Thao fled Laos with his Hmong family, lived in a refugee camp, and moved to Minnesota in 1980.
Collection: Minnesota Immigrants
Oral history interviews with various groups of immigrants to Minnesota detailing their experiences.
Primary Source Set: Mining on the Iron Range
Learn about the Iron Range, the immigrants who settled there and how iron mining has helped shape Minnesota.
Online Exhibit Series: Minnesota Immigrants
Interlibrary Loan/Resource Sharing
For in depth research into these topics, sometimes you need to request materials from other libraries. These can be digital or they can sometimes be printed books. There are two main options for requesting these materials. One, MNLINK, allows you to search all Minnesota libraries for the requires the use of a public library card and PIN. While many educators use their own library card to help students, it is recommended that students use their own. However, this is not always possible, so there is a second option: Minitex Resource sharing for schools. This allows one staff member per school to request items on behalf of students and have the items sent directly to the school building. If you have questions about which option is better for you and your students, reach out to us and we can help.