Workshops, Instruction, & Online Learning

What We Do

We consult with faculty, instructors, graduate students, student organizations, teachers, and organizations for our workshops and instruction sessions, including:

  • Design of course assignments that encourage the use and appreciation of original primary sources.
  • Providing individual consultation with students on their research projects.
  • Instructional sessions can be presented in your classroom, in the library classrooms, or via Zoom, depending on the safety and security needs of staff and materials.
  • Other examples include:
    • Panels/symposia
    • Undergraduate curatorial practice
    • Class reading room visits
    • Experimental primary source collaborations
    • Graduate and undergraduate integrated primary source exhibits
    • Graduate and undergraduate internships  

Please note: sessions should be arranged AT LEAST TWO WEEKS in advance to allow for preparation and to insure the availability of staff and classrooms. Food, drinks, and ink are prohibited in classrooms during sessions with Special Collections and Archives materials.

Live Instruction

UCI Libraries Special Collections and Archives provides a variety of instructional programs for undergraduate and graduate classes, youth, and small groups, with a special emphasis on equity, diversity, and inclusion. We will work with you to design a live workshop that incorporates one or more learning outcomes, including:

  • General information about how to locate and use special collection materials for research purposes.
  • Introduction to primary sources and other special materials, how those materials might be used for research, and how to locate relevant secondary sources.
  • Customized bibliographies and specific item references for future research access.
  • Primary source analysis highlighting specific subjects, historic periods, formats, or genres.
  • Advanced research methods in oral history, archival ethics and theory, preservation, community-based archives, and social justice in archives.

To request instructions with our SCA staff, submit your request below for our team to review. Please submit this form AT LEAST two weeks prior to your desired date of instruction. At this time, we will not be able to accept last minute requests.

Request Instruction

 

If you have any further questions, please contact us via email at spcoll@uci.edu.

 

 

 

On-Demand Instruction and Resource

We invite faculty, instructors, students, and the community to incorporate one or more of the following asynchronous toolkits, workshops, and instruction sessions into courses and/or research. 

  • Oral History Toolkit by Thuy Vo Dang, Krystal Tribbett, Elvia Arroyo-Ramirez, Jolene Beiser, and Audra Eagle Yun
    This toolkit is a free resource designed by the Special Collections and Archives Team for our community members, whether you are interested in conducting a single oral history interview or implementing a large-scale project to document a community or historical event. The six modules can be adapted and scaled to your specific needs. We highlight resources that our community members continue to request, such as sample consent forms, strategies for enhancing access and long-term preservation.
     
  • Community-Centered Archives (25 minutes) by Elvia Arroyo-Ramirez, Krystal Tribbett, and Thuy Vo Dang
    This presentation (slides, text, and recording) covers the principles and interventions of community archives within the context of UCI Libraries Special Collections and Archives’ focus on a “community-centered archives” approach to building partnerships in support of more equitable historical records. This video may be of interest to groups undertaking documentation of communities independently, within a classroom context, or in partnership with an institution.
     
  • Introduction to the UCI Libraries Southeast Asian Archive (16 minutes) by Thuy Vo Dang
    This is a virtual orientation to the context and history of the Southeast Asian Archive and a sampling of our collections. This video might be of interest to classes in Asian American Studies and groups interested in learning more about the Vietnamese, Cambodian, Hmong, and Laotian diaspora.
     
  • Oral History: Design and Implementation (28 minutes) by Thuy Vo Dang
    This is a “how to design your own oral history” guide with an emphasis on preservation and access. The presentation includes examples from the presenter’s 20 years of experience as an oral historian and her work with Viet Stories: the Vietnamese American Oral History Project. This video might be of interest to classes that are assigned an oral history project or individuals/groups wishing to start collecting oral histories.
     
  • Collecting Pandemic Histories: Experiences of Underrepresented Communities (23 minutes) by Elvia Arroyo-Ramirez and Thuy Vo Dang
    This presentation (slides, text, and recording) is geared towards individuals, groups, and classes that are undertaking documentation of COVID-19 experiences (their own or of other community members). The presenters provide some background information on the imperative to document moments of historical significance and emphasize preservation and access issues as well as perspectives of communities that might be facing significant disparities.
     
  • Inside UCI 2021 “73 Questions” with Derek (13 minutes) by UCI Education & Outreach Department
    This interview-style session with former Outreach & Public Services Librarian Derek Quezada Meneses provides a brief overview of Special Collections & Archives, a few highlights from the special collections including the Shakespeare First Folio and artists' books, as well as conversation about special collections librarianship. This is a helpful overview for students and new faculty and staff.

For general information about how to find and access primary resources for historical research, please consult the UCI Libraries Primary Sources LibGuide.