Photos by Lloyd DeGrane
The Special Collections Research Center supports the teaching mission of the University. Each year the Special Collections Research Center hosts a diverse range of classes, which visit to make use of our collections of rare books, archives, and manuscripts.
The Marie Louise Rosenthal Seminar Room is a technology-friendly classroom designed to provide instructors an opportunity to conduct hands-on, in-depth use of the collections with their students in a classroom setting.
Featuring a document camera, plasma screen displays, media players, and easy laptop connections, the seminar room allows instructors to integrate both paper-based primary resources and online electronic resources into their teaching.
To make arrangements for your class visit, stop by the Special Collections Research Center or email your request to specialcollections@lib.uchicago.edu.
Please make your reservation at least one week in advance.
The Seminar Room can be reserved for individual sessions, or, if a class will be making use of Special Collections materials throughout the quarter, for the entire quarter.
Special Collections provides a variety of support services for teaching faculty.
Staff enjoy greeting first-time visitors to Special Collections to explain procedures and encourage them to return. However, faculty are welcome to teach in Special Collections with only minimal staff involvement. We can provide you with the materials and space that you need and leave you with your students.
If you would like to have a member of the Special Collections staff speak to your class, we can arrange for a variety of presentations, from a ten-minute introduction to a full class session.
Special Collections staff members often teach class sessions devoted to our holdings in a specific subject area, lead introductory sessions on archival research, and provide general overviews of the history of printing, among many others topics.
Librarians can also help you locate materials in Special Collections to support your teaching. We have extensive knowledge of the collections, so please don't hesitate to contact us for suggestions for item selection.
Special Collections librarians are happy to meet with faculty to create assignments based on the collections. Consulting with Special Collections staff in advance will help us to prepare for student needs.
The guidelines that apply to the Special Collections Reading Room also apply to the Seminar Room. Please distribute these guidelines to your students before class.
A librarian will be present to greet your class. Before entering the classroom, faculty and students will be asked to check their coats and bags and sign in at the front desk. Visitors may use pencil only (we have an ample supply). Food and beverages are not allowed.
Students and faculty are welcome to take notebooks, secondary sources, and laptop computers into the classroom.