We encourage faculty to bring their classes to Special Collections & Archives. Class sessions can be conducted in person or over zoom, and can include activities using materials in our collections, introductions to using archival or primary sources, overviews of our holdings in specific subject areas, or information about how to locate archival and other primary sources.
Ideally, students visiting our department for a class will have time with collection materials. Though handling of some materials may be restricted, our goal is to provide a hands-on experience for students.
Assignments
Assignments that make use of Special Collections & Archives materials support critical analysis and engage students in critically considering and interpreting various types of resources in numerous disciplines.
If you plan to create an assignment using Special Collections & Archives materials, especially one that makes use of our Guided Resource Inquiry (GRI) Tool, please contact us at asksca@csun.edu to discuss the assignment's details, confirm that materials are available for use, and determine whether materials might be placed on reserve in Special Collections & Archives for your class.
Tutorials and Other Tools
We provide a number of online guides and tutorials focused on understanding, finding, and using materials in Special Collections & Archives. These can be used either in whole or parts as relevant to courses or assignments.
- Special Collections & Archives (SC/A) Subject Guide: The SC/A Subject Guide will help you or your students get started doing research in Special Collections & Archives.
- Tutorials: A suite of interactive, video, and other online tutorials relevant to Special Collections & Archives is available for use by students, faculty, and other researchers. Many can be embedded into Moodle.
- Course Guides: Guides focused on specific assignments in individual courses can also be created to support your students' work.
If you're interested in having a course guide created for your course, or have questions about using or embedding any of these tools in Canvas please contact us at asksca@csun.edu.
Information
For more information about library instruction in Special Collections & Archives contact us at asksca@csun.edu. For more information about library instruction, or to request a class session anywhere in the library, please visit the Library Instruction Request Form.