Special Research Collections Instruction Services
Service Overview
Special Research Collections develops and delivers customized instruction sessions and learning experiences that engage students in using our distinctive primary source collections. We partner closely with faculty from many departments to design learning opportunities and activities that advance the curricular goals of graduate and undergraduate courses.
What We Offer
Faculty are encouraged to use the Special Research Collections in their classes. We offer in-person or virtual general archival orientation sessions or specialized instruction sessions on class topics for undergraduate and graduate students. Consultations for instruction session planning and integrating our resources into class assignments are also available.
- Class visits to the Special Research Collections
- Virtual instruction sessions
- Instructional planning consultations
Get Started
Planning Class Visits to the Special Research Collections
Supporting faculty teaching goals is part of our primary mission. We offer a variety of learning opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students that include:
- Learning how to find resources in our collections
- Gaining hands-on experience using primary sources
- Using primary sources to complete in-class assignments
Please note, class visits typically require several weeks’ advance notice and prior consultation with our curators. Contact us to schedule an instruction consultation. Please include the class name, desired visit date, and number of students enrolled in the class.
Scheduling Virtual Instruction Sessions
We provide virtual instruction sessions via Zoom for virtual or asynchronous courses. During these sessions, we help students learn how to:
- Search our library catalog and archival finding aid database
- Navigate the OU Libraries website
- Locate resources in our digital collections
Contact us to schedule a virtual instruction session.
Integrating Special Research Collections Resources in Courses
Faculty who plan to have students use our materials for class assignments should contact us to consult with a Special Research Collections team member. Students who need to consult our materials for assignments outside of class visits should be encouraged to make a research appointment well before an assignment due date and should follow the appointment requesting procedures on our Research Services page.
If you plan to have all students in your course reference the same primary source for an assignment, please contact us for options, including holding materials for your class and/or providing digital alternatives.
Contact Information
Special Research Collections Team
FAQ
Contact us! We’re happy to talk through your course and the primary and secondary sources we have available.