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Rare and Manuscript Collections

By Appointment - Full Hours /

Instruction & Outreach Services

Instruction

The Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections hosts class sessions for departments and programs across the university and beyond. We offer course-related instruction for students at all levels that incorporates unique and rare historical documents, including rare books, manuscripts, archives, photographs, and other original artifacts on a wide range of topics. Our goal is to integrate diverse and inclusive library resources and research strategies with your course learning outcomes and syllabi.

Our librarians work in collaboration with faculty and instructors to tailor sessions to the subject matter of each course and to the specific needs of each group. Please fill out our instruction request form to discuss options and availability for a class visit. A member of our team will respond to your request to work out details and logistics. Commonly requested types of instruction include but are not limited to:

  • Exhibitions tours
  • Lectures
  • Seminar presentations
  • Hands-on workshops

We can also assist with developing research assignments for your courses. While we offer a variety of options for your class session, please note that due to considerations related to collection safety some offerings may not be possible due to requested materials and class size.

When requesting a class session, please keep in mind:

  • Sessions are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. While we will do our best to schedule your class session as close as possible to your preferred dates, due to high demand and limited space we cannot guarantee availability. We recommend faculty and instructors contact us as soon as possible regarding instruction requests – preferably before the semester begins but a minimum of three weeks in advance of your preferred dates.
  • We have two classroom spaces available for sessions: Kroch 2B48 and Kroch 2B49. Kroch 2B48 can accommodate up to 30 students. Kroch 2B49 can accommodate up to 12 students. For classes larger than 30 students we ask that instructors schedule multiple class sessions or utilize the course’s discussion sections for visits. Capacity limitations are based on both the size of the classroom spaces as well as considerations related to collection safety.
  • Faculty and instructors are required to attend class sessions with their students. TAs or substitutes can accompany a class.

Outreach

We also offer tours and workshops for groups and organizations within Cornell as well as the surrounding community. Please contact us at rareref@cornell.edu to submit a request or with any questions you have about options. All tours and workshops are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis but scheduling priority is given to requests for instruction sessions.