This session will consider how instructional spaces impact instruction and the specific challenges of planning and teaching class sessions that feature primary source materials. It will be structured in three parts, with opportunities for audience engagement during each. Part 1: What are the current challenges and opportunities with space in special collections? Carly Dearborn and Jolie Braun will share findings from their recent survey, which sought to understand the role space plays in teaching, the current trends in instruction spaces, and the strategies being used to address the shortcomings of these spaces. Part 2: How are you reimagining your space to better serve instruction activities? Jeremy Pekarek will discuss his experience in creating instructional space in the archives to accommodate a classroom, and how the archives become a component in all First Year Seminar courses for the College of Arts and Sciences at IUN. Meghan Courtney will share lessons learned during the process of updating technology in an existing archives instruction space with an eye for accessibility. Part 3: How can we begin to develop best practices for our instruction spaces? During the final segment of this panel, you will have the opportunity to reflect on and share your own experiences. Discussion questions will be provided to help guide the conversation and may include: “What strategies have you used to make the most of your space?,” “What is one thing you’d love to change about your space?,” and “What are the protocols for taking special collections materials to another location?”
