Kristen Smith named to inaugural class of Special Collections Libraries Faculty Fellows

Kristen Smith, a senior lecturer of public relations in the Grady College, has been selected to serve as a Special Collections Libraries 2015-2016 Faculty Fellow, a new faculty development opportunity created by the Center for Teaching and Learning and The University of Georgia Libraries.                   

The program provides faculty with instructional support and a $2,000 stipend to create a new course, or redesign an existing one, that is centered around the collections and resources available in UGA’s three special collections libraries: Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, and the Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection.  

“I’m excited that my students will be able to use archival materials to study design history and persuasive communication, and I’m excited to learn more about the archives and to represent Grady College,” Smith said.

The program began with a retreat that highlighted the goals and key components of “archives-centered learning.” Smith and the fellows will meet monthly as a cohort for round table discussions, workshops and speaker presentations. The Special Collections Libraries will also host a Maymester Institute to focus on course planning, design and development for the 2016 fall semester.

According to the Center for Teaching and Learning, “The Special Collections Libraries Faculty Fellows program provides a workshop to build wonderful, engaging, and exciting archives-centered faculty development experience in a convivial and collaborative environment that values experimentation and reflection.”

Date: December 15, 2015
Author:  Caroline Clemens, cyclem94@uga.edu