The Western Americana division offers a lecture style tour of the collections and reference help available in the Marriott Library's Special Collections Department. The use of Special Collections material differs greatly from use of material in the rest of the library. The Special Collections Department is made up of divisions with different hours, different materials and different rules for using these materials. Many University of Utah professors and educators outside of the University have made the Special Collections tour a part of their class syllabus and have found that the tours are helpful in aiding students in research work. Students learn research tools connected to the department and important research strategies in general.

The lecture tour is 50 minutes long but can be modified to accommodate specific class time requirements. The lecture is held in the Tanner Room (L5). It describes the concept of Special Collections and the particulars of its five divisions. Material from each division is displayed and research strategies incorporating Special Collections materials are explained.

The lecture gives a general overview of the department as a whole but can be arranged so that it meets specific research requirements for specific class topics. The Special Collections lecture tour helps acquaint library patrons with the Marriott Library and with using libraries as a life long skill. Special Collections is particularly well suited for use as an educational tool because of the variety of materials and formats of information held within the collections.

For more information and scheduling please contact Walter Jones at walter.jones@library.utah.edu or 581.8863.