Teaching with MARBL
MARBL staff seek to partner with faculty to transform teaching and research at Emory. One of MARBL's most important goals is to incorporate Emory's rich research collections into the undergraduate and graduate experience.
There are many ways to incorporate primary sources into a class. Please Contact Us to discuss scheduling class visits to MARBL and to explore options for particular classes.
We strongly encourage faculty intending to send students to MARBL to Contact Us to discuss the assignment. We want to make sure that the materials are available and that our staff has the information they need to provide the appropriate level of assistance.
We have found that students have better and more productive research experience in MARBL if they receive an introduction to our collections and services before they first come to MARBL to use materials. These introductions can be tailored to the specifics of the assignment and need not take up an entire class period.
An Introduction to Primary Sources
Many instructors want their students to have an introduction to primary sources related to their class. Students come to MARBL to see rare books, manuscripts, ledgers, photographs, broadsides, recordings, and archives and to discuss how these materials are used by scholars. We try to leave time at the end for the students to explore the materials themselves.
MARBL staff seek opportunities to work with faculty to develop class assignments that incorporate primary sources.
MARBL staff work closely with the instructor to select documents of various types that meet the requirements of the assignment. These materials are then placed on hold for the class. Students are asked to select a document and then develop either a presentation or paper based on that document and their other reading assignments.
MARBL Class Visit Program
During the first two weeks of each semester MARBL offers a Class Visit Program. Through this program, an instructor can schedule to have a MARBL staff member visit his or her classroom. The staff member will:
- Introduce students to the MARBL website
- Discuss MARBL's collecting strengths
- Show images of highlights from the collection
- Give students information accessing MARBL materials
Visits will last approximately 10-15 minutes; the class visit program is available for all classes, whether or not you plan to bring your class to MARBL for a more in-depth instruction later in the semester or simply wish to increase students' awareness of the resources available in MARBL.
Please note: The class visit program provides a broad overview of MARBL; it does not include an introduction to the General Library's collection or to the MARBL resources related to your specific course topic. To schedule a general libraries instructional session (on locating books in Library Search, using databases, and other General Library resources) please contact Sarah Morris. You can also submit a General Library Instruction Request Form.
If you would like a MARBL staff member to share course-specific MARBL resources with your students through an instruction session in MARBL, please Contact Us.
MARBL's class-visit program is intended to complement MARBL's existing instruction program. Instructors are always welcome to schedule sessions in MARBL, and a class visit does not need to precede an instruction session.
Reserves and Digital Reproductions
MARBL can put materials on reserve for a class at the MARBL reference desk. In addition, copies of microfilm and audiovisual materials can be placed on reserve at either the main library circulation desk or at the MARBL reference desk.
If you would prefer to add the materials to your e-reserves or Blackboard site, our staff will work with Reserves or UTS to add the MARBL images to the other digital resources for the class.
MARBL can create digital copies of materials from its collections for use in the classroom. Please allow at least two weeks when ordering reproductions.