Teaching and Learning at the Kislak Center
Through classroom visits to the Kislak Center, we invite students to see themselves as scholars, empowering them with knowledge and inspiring their curiosity. Students access rare and unique materials from our catalog in a hands-on classroom setting supported by members of our curatorial team. By focusing on the real-world object in front of them, students are encouraged to develop vital research skills, including how to source, challenge, or corroborate information, how to analyze collections and archives to make meaning, and how to develop a deeper understanding of provenance, stewardship, and why history is relevant today.
Why Teach with Special Collections:
By working with special collections materials, students not only connect with the past through real historical objects; they also develop the skills necessary to be researchers and thought leaders in their communities.
Class visits can offer different forms of engagement. Whether the visit is an introduction to rare book libraries, a guided tour through curated materials on a special topic, or an intensive, graduate-level seminar on advanced methods, all visitors are invited to consider how individuals and communities have used texts and objects to pass on and shape information.
Most visits include a curated set of materials on a special topic. Past visits have also included skill-building sessions, including:
- How to understand the organization of the archive, utilize finding aids, and search the library catalog
- Navigating archival silences and gaps in the historical record
- Paleography and material text literacy
- History of the book and printing technologies
- Creative projects rooted in archive and rare book collections
- An introduction to provenance research and ethical stewardship
- Collection development and preservation
- Curating exhibits
- Collecting modern archives
- Working with pre- and early-modern texts
How it Works:
Instructors are invited to bring their classes to the Kislak Center on the 6th floor of Van Pelt Library for a one-time visit or a series of visits over the course of an academic semester. These visits typically occur on weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., but accommodations are made for evening classes or special events.
- We ask that instructors inquire about a class visit at least one month before the proposed visit so that we can best accommodate your group and ensure the availability of our collection materials.
- To schedule your visit, please email us at kislakclasses@pobox.upenn.edu.
- The size of our classroom spaces varies and can limit the number of students who can visit at one time.
- Once the visit has been scheduled, a curator will work with an instructor to select materials and help them make requests through their Aeon research account.
Semester-Long Courses
Instructors planning a seminar with special collections at the core of their class design are invited teach their class in one of the seminar rooms on the 6th floor of Van Pelt Library.
Virtual Courses
The Kislak Center, with the Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies and our K-12 initiative, supports classrooms beyond Penn's campus by presenting materials from our collection via Zoom and through our free lesson plans and suggested readings.
Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies
The Library at the Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies has opportunities for teaching and classroom learning. Please reach out with advanced notice to inquire about accessing collections.
Classroom Protocols for Teaching with Special Collection
When collections are present, all classrooms must follow special collections practices. All materials are subject to curatorial approval and may have restrictions. Curators will determine the handling protocols for the materials, and a Kislak Center staff member may stay in the classroom while collections are being used.
Instructors must notify students of the following:
- No food or drink is allowed in the room when collections are present.
- Bags must be left along the sides of the classroom.
- Students are asked to arrive with clean hands.
- Students must use pencils, not pens, to take notes.
- Photographs are permitted without flash.
Student Follow-up Visits to the Reading Room
- Students are encouraged to continue their study of special collections for class projects in the Kislak Center Reading Room, and may do so by making an appointment with their Research Account.
- When students arrive at the Reading Room, a staff member will be available to answer questions and guide them in using the collections and following reading room practices.
- Teachers may meet with students about special collections materials in our small study rooms located in the Reading Room. Please consult with Sarah Heim, Public Services Librarian, to make advance arrangements.
