Class Visits
We use hands-on, immersive teaching methods and work with faculty across all disciplines to study the history, care, and use of handwritten, printed, and digital materials.
Our teaching philosophy is hands-on and experiential. We engage students with original primary materials and provide them with the tools they need to analyze, admire, interpret, and use primary documents as a window into the past, the present, and the future.
Class visits last year:
Class Visit Frameworks
Speed dating/round robin
Materials are divided between our five tables and students are divided into groups to use their analytical “close looking” skills. Groups rotate around the room then reconvene to share insights and discoveries about the materials, relating back to class discussion topics.
Scavenger hunt
Using a dedicated worksheet, students move between objects individually or in groups to answer questions or find examples of concepts in the physical materials selected. Winners get a prize in the form of Special Collections merch!
Lecture
Faculty members use a screen for presenting lectures with the option for a document camera to project Special Collections materials on screen. Students also use our screen and document camera, individually or in groups, to present their observations and findings after a speed dating/round robin or scavenger hunt visit.
Writing lab
Students experiment with various writing forms, from quill and fountain pens to typewriters. This exercise offers hands-on experience with how different technologies influence writing and allows students to better conceptualize the history of writing and knowledge production.
Book arts
Students learn book production history through making. We offer workshops where students sew, fold, and create their own books and/or zines. Learn more about our book arts workshops.
Return visits for student projects
Students practice archival research methods with curated materials in a class session, then make follow-up appointments to engage with items further for a longer-term project.
Embedded class structure
Courses that extensively utilize rare books, manuscripts, or archives in student assignments, as well as those that explore the histories of teaching, learning, and living at Middlebury College can schedule multiple visits to Special Collections. Support for embedded courses includes syllabus workshopping and assignment design, collaborative acquisitions, and support for class events, like open houses and exhibitions, all in close collaboration with Special Collections staff.
Before You Visit
We’ve gathered important information for your and your class or research group to review before your visit. Please see Visiting Special Collections so you’ll be better prepared to make the most of your time with us.
To bring your class to Special Collections, contact specialcollections@middlebury.edu.
