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American Heritage Center: Class Research Visit

A guide about the University of Wyoming's American Heritage Center, where patrons can explore and conduct research in primary source collections.

Class Visits

We welcome instructors to bring classes to the American Heritage Center and our staff is eager to work with instructors to make every class visit an exciting and productive experience. To that end, we ask that instructors comply with the guidelines pertaining to scheduling classes or giving class assignments involving American Heritage Center resources that can be found here. University of Wyoming faculty can find additional information about instructional and other resources by visiting our Resources for UW Faculty page. Elementary, middle, and high school instructors who wish to bring their classes to the AHC can learn more by visiting our Resources for K-12 Educators page.

We offer the following services to instructors and classes:

  • Bibliographic Classes to assist students in learning how to use the reading room resources and conduct primary research.
  • Topics Classes to introduce students to collection material in our holdings relevant to a particular topic of interest
  • Research Classes to assist students in utilizing primary documents and other collection materials for personal or directed research.
  • Tours to acquaint students with the American Heritage Center, its various departments and its resources.
  • Course or Unit Development Assistance to provide assistance to instructors wishing to develop full courses or instructional units based on AHC collection materials.

Instructors wishing to bring classes to the American Heritage Center must schedule a time for their visit at least two weeks in advance. To schedule a class visit to the American Heritage Center, please complete our online form. Please note that due to space and staffing limitations, the American Heritage Center is unable to accommodate drop-in classes.

Class Assignments

We welcome instructors to give class assignments that utilize the resources at the AHC. However, due to staff limitations and the unique procedures required for patron access and use of AHC collection materials, there are some guidelines to follow that can be found here.

Resources for K-12 Educators

The AHC welcomes visits by elementary, junior high, and high school classes. There are a variety of services the AHC can offer to these classes ranging from tours to activities involving working with primary sources. The AHC is also involved with National History Day, a program for students in grades six through twelve.

The AHC offers:

  • Tours
  • Working with Archival Resources
  • National History Day
  • Topics with Instructional Materials

More information about what the AHC offers can be found here.

Resources for UW Faculty

We look forward to working with you and your classes. We can provide your students with unique archival material related to a variety of topics. Providing broad access to those materials is an AHC hallmark. Our Digital Collections allow faculty and students to view archival collections from the classroom or home.

Getting Started

It just requires a few steps to take advantage of the educational opportunities afforded by the AHC's collections. The first steps are to determine the type of assignment (see example) and research topic you're interested in having your students work on. 

Once you have decided on a topic and type of assignment, please contact the AHC Reference Department (ahcref@uwyo.edu or 766-3756). The Reference Department can schedule a bibliographic instruction session for your students in order to introduce access and use of archival material.  They can also work with you to identify specific collections for your class. It may be helpful for you to come to the AHC and review these materials yourself to insure their suitability. Once you have formulated your assignment, identified materials, and reserved time for your students to use the AHC, you are ready to go.

Please be aware that the AHC cannot accept walk-in classes. We require a two-week notice before the date you would like to bring your class in for a bibliographic instruction session.

More of what the AHC offers for UW Faculty can be found here.