Teaching with Primary Sources

Primary sources can transform student learning and enhance a variety of courses, from the humanities to the sciences. Curators and subject specialists can help you meaningfully incorporate materials from local and online collections for in-person or virtual learning.

The library can help you:

• Design in-person or virtual sessions with interactive activities tailored to your course goals to help students explore and engage with primary sources. Library staff can select materials and lead the session or work with you to develop successful strategies.
• Create worksheets, writing prompts, and other resources to guide students through the analysis of a single document, or present a collection of items to explore based on your course topic.

For general questions relating to classes and teaching, please contact Heather Cole, the Head of Special Collections Instruction.

Please fill out this form to request a class session in the Hay.

We ask that instructors not assign students to visit the John Hay Library reading room without first speaking with Heather Cole, the Head of Special Collections Instruction, or emailing hay@brown.edu.

Hay Library staff collaborate with faculty at Brown and other universities to provide hands-on, in-depth and interactive introductions to using primary sources, as well as semester-long opportunities for research and engagement. We often hear that Hay visits are the highlights of the semester!

To request a class session, please fill out this form. If you have not previously taught a session at the Hay, or are teaching a new class, we recommend meeting with a Hay Library staff member to discuss requesting materials and class format.

Classes can take many forms, and we're happy to tailor the session to your class goals. Classes are most successful when tied to an assignment or final paper/project, whether worked on in the class session (such as a writing prompt), involving individual student visits to the special collections reading room (please talk to staff before assigning these visits to your students), and/or follow up visits with the entire class.

Our schedules and rooms fill up quickly; we ask that you request your class session at least two weeks in advance. Requests for materials must arrive at least one week in advance of the session to give staff time to gather everything. To request material, please create in account in our online system, and use links in BruKnow to request individual items. (Let us know if you need help requesting).