The Lilly Library provides hands-on, active learning with selections from the collections for undergraduate, graduate students, and community members. We work with a diverse cross section of the IU community and welcome opportunities to work with new courses, instructors, and disciplines.
To schedule a class session, please fill out and submit a class or tour request. We handle a high volume of requests each semester, and recommend contacting us as early as you can, ideally before the start of a semester. We fill requests on a first come, first serve basis and try to accommodate as many requests as possible given our space and staff availability.
Each class session includes an introduction to the Lilly Library by one of our teaching librarians. Classes can be taught in collaboration with a librarian or taught by the instructor with a Lilly staff member present to assist with handling of the selected items.
Designing a class session
We can help
Our librarians are available for consultations about the logistics or content of a class session, at any stage of planning from brainstorming to lesson planning. Please consult our Best Practices document, developed by the Primary Source Immersion Program of Indiana University, for more helpful information and tips on collaborating with the Lilly Library on classes.Some considerations
Due to the high demand for Lilly Library class sessions, we cannot host more than 2 sessions per semester for a single class. Similarly, at this time we are not able to host multiple sections (i.e. discussion sections) of classes.If your class is larger than 40 students, please contact the Teaching and Research Department. Creative options are available for larger classes, but they require advance notice–at least the semester before the class occurs–and extra planning to ensure the Lilly Library has both the space and staff available.Due to the multi-purpose nature of our teaching spaces, classrooms are not available to host classes for the semester.Class assignments
We love seeing students in our reading room but we strongly recommend that instructors not require use of Lilly Library materials for assignments or final projects. The Lilly Library Reading Room supports the research and study of not only all IU students, but also visitors from across the country and world. Optional use of Lilly Library materials is feasible, with advance notice to the Lilly librarians at liblilly@iu.edu. If instructors are interested in a more immersive experience, we recommend partnering with a librarian and applying for an information literacy course grant.Learn more about teaching at the Lilly Library
Learn more about the values we bring to teaching.
Review our classrooms.