Classrooms, Commons Room, the Writing Center, and the Library

CLASSROOMS

Many History classes meet in the newly remodeled Schaeffer Hall – many of them have computer terminals, overhead projectors, and ELMO. We also have the ability to bring in slides, videos, and music to complement our teaching. The bigger lecture courses are more scattered across campus – in Phillips, Van Allen, MacBride, Chemistry, or Business Building. Courses concerning music may be in Voxman Hall, near Hancher; those in the history of medicine near the hospital. Most classrooms have moveable chairs for discussion, can be equipped with special desks for left-handed students, and are accessible to those who are physically challenged.

We share use of the Schaeffer Hall commons, 302 SH room with other departments in the building. It is our preferred site for the fall reception for majors, history club get-togethers, honors events, book parties, and receptions for graduating Seniors and their parents. Join us there for our festive occasions.

WRITING CENTER

The History Writing Center is a resource for undergraduates who need assistance in writing assignments for their History classes. Students at all levels of experience and skills can find help, whether faced with a history paper for the very first time or planning a major research paper as a senior. It is staffed by experienced and friendly graduate assistants. You can call for an appointment or just stop by:

Location: 303 Schaeffer Hall
Phone: 335-2584
Email: history-writing@uiowa.edu
Website: www.uiowa.edu/~histwrit

All students in History classes are welcome at the Writing Center. Although students with appointments will have priority, walk-ins are always welcome.

LIBRARY

Although for many departments there are branch libraries across campus, the study of history crosses disciplines and cannot be confined to a small departmental library. Most of the relevant library resources for history courses are housed in the Main Library, at the foot of the hill from Schaeffer Hall. You should learn the location of the Reserve Collection (where books for your course are kept for short term loans), the media services (which includes a collection of movies on video, and microfilm readers), the card catalog and computer catalog terminals, the reference room, the collections of periodicals, the book stacks (including the special undergraduate collection), the electronic reference collections, the map collection, government documents, special collections of rare and fragile books, and the Iowa Women's Archives.

The library has many quiet places to study, and banks of computers on which to write, collect email, or access the web. While it is possible to access the catalog of the main Library from a distance, there are many advantages to working quietly in the library itself, close to the many encyclopedias in the reference rooms, other reference tools and the stacks. (Learning to use the resources of the main Library effectively is a major reason for our introductory colloquia.)

The library is a critical resource for undergraduate course work in history. All history majors should become well-acquainted with its collections and with the finding aids and bibliographies, both on-line and on-the-shelf, that make its vast holdings accessible. Your instructors (both GIs and faculty) will be able to give you significant guidance and useful starting points for using the library effectively. But, you must also be prepared to invest time of your own getting acquainted with how to use it.

The library’s reference department is set up to help you. Consultations with a librarian are available to both faculty and students who would like assistance developing search strategies on specific topics. To arrange an appointment, drop by the Information/Reference Desk, or call that Desk (335-5922 or 335-5429), or access the Web at http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/contact/ask/index.html