Teach with Us

Special Collections has an active instruction program that provides students at all levels and in a wide range of disciplines with hands-on educational opportunities using materials from our collections. We welcome all UVM classes, as well as classes from other area colleges and schools.

Instruction Services

• Class sessions in Special Collections.
  • Special Collections librarians provide introductions to archival research and teach class sessions focused on our holdings in a particular subject area. We often co-teach sessions with class instructors, working with them to offer inquiry-based investigations.
  • Class instructors may reserve our classroom to teach with Special Collections materials. We can help you locate materials to support your teaching,
• Classroom visits. Special Collections librarians visit your classroom to introduce students to our resources, research tools, and procedures and give presentations on specialized topics.
• Course guides. We create web-accessble guides to help students identify Special Collections resources and tools useful for a class or assignment.
• Assignment support. We identify and reserve material that students use on their own time in our reading room. Students can also make their own requests.
• Research consultations. Special Collections librarians meet with individual students or small groups to discuss research strategies and suggest resources.

Plan a Visit

• Please contact our instruction coordinator as far in advance as possible, but at least two weeks before you hope to schedule a class session.
• A Special Collections librarian and the class instructor work together to establish goals and learning objectives and to design a class session.
• Share the course syllabus, assignment and any other material that will help the Special Collections librarian select appropriate material.

Policies

• Students using our closed stack materials for assignments will be required to register, present identification and follow our reading room guidelines.
• We will accommodate early morning, early evening and weekend classes whenever possible.
• The class instructor should plan to be present during a Special Collections session.