Instruction | Archives and Special Collections

Instruction in the Archives

The Archives and Special Collections supports the teaching and learning mission of The New School by offering orientations, instruction, and other opportunities for engagement with archival and rare books research. All academic levels and university divisions are welcome, including language support classes, from Parsons Pre-College to graduate programs.

Archivist-led instruction is open to faculty, staff, and students. We work with faculty to tailor class visits to learning objectives, and collaborate on creating meaningful assignments that incorporate archival and special collections resources. Visits may be singular or encompass a semester-long project.

We are pleased to host one-on-one or group workshops, in person or via Zoom, synchronously or asynchronously.

The following examples of instruction may be offered as short presentations or developed into in-depth lesson plans:

Archives 101

Introduce or refresh archival research skills with examples from The New School Archives and other archives. Topics include general terms and concepts, using databases to identify relevant archival materials, and how to schedule and prepare for in-person visits to an archive.

Custom Lesson Plans

Suggest a collection or topic and work with an archivist to create a class session, research and writing assignments that meet your class learning objectives. Examples include lessons focused on specific genres and formats, such as manifestos, zines, oral histories, and posters.

New School History

Focused on specific topics, such as activism, curricular change, branding, free speech, or the history of a department, these sessions are recommended for more extended explorations of the archives’ holdings.

Digital Records Management

Learning how to approach digital file management will keep your work accessible and organized over the long-term, and improve collaboration across projects. The Archives also offers consultations on web and social media archiving to share resources on preserving personal or professional websites and building archive-friendly web projects.

Special Collections

Faculty and staff may arrange for classes and groups to view Artists’ Books and other rare books and periodicals in the University Center Library. Archives staff can help identify relevant titles in advance, compile resource lists, create or collaborate on lesson plans, and prepare handouts, but do not lead the sessions. Examples of class themes include artists’ books with non-traditional bindings, fashion history through print culture, place-based poetry, and the role of zines and other self-published resources in the social sciences.

Curatorial Opportunities

The Archives has a small exhibition area, including two display cases, outside the List Center Library in 6 East 16th Street, 8th floor. The cases are available for curated exhibitions that use or engage primary sources by faculty, students, and staff, with preference given to projects that make use of research conducted in The New School Archives.

Arranging Classes and Visits

All instruction and orientation is scheduled between 10 am and 6 pm, Monday through Friday, although accommodations may be made for evening classes, depending upon staff availability.

Special Collections visits of 1-2 hours may be scheduled at any time during the University Center Library’s hours of operation. Faculty must be present for the duration of the instruction session.

Groups of 9 or less may visit the Archives reading room in 66 Fifth Avenue at the same time. Larger classes may be split into sections for separate visits.

Contact us at archivist@newschool.edu to begin a discussion, or complete the Instruction Request Form. If emailing, please tell us your course title, academic level, enrollment, when the class meets, and whether you would prefer a synchronous or asynchronous session. One of our archivists will respond within two business days. We require a minimum of two weeks advance notice to prepare a pedagogically sound, engaging lesson tailored to your class, and to compile primary source materials for class use.

We request that faculty do not require their students to use The New School Archives and Special Collections without first discussing the assignment with our staff.

Instruction in the Archives

Arranging Classes and Visits

Instruction Request Form

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