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Reading material histories with rare books object based learning

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Critical Thinking

Summary

In manyhuman cultures, the written word has been the most reliable way to shareinformation across time and space for thousands of years. Within theseintellectual traditions, the idea of the book as a container for knowledge iscommonplace. Books are, however, more than the words on their pages. They alsocarry important information encoded in their materiality.

In thisworkshop, participants will handle rare books on a range of topics from the ANULibrary’s rare book collection. By considering the books as objects,participants will learn to identify and interpret signs of ownership and use thatcan shed light on individuals’ experiences, the transfer of knowledge withinand across societies, and the history of ideas.

The workshop will be divided into three parts, including a demonstration of objectanalysis and how to separate the acts of observation and interpretation tounderstand each process more clearly, group-based guided observation andinformation sharing, and finally, time spent one-on-one with a rare bookdiscovering its individual story.

Preparation

Participantsare invited to read the resources listed in the learning material as preparation.

What participants will learn

  1. Beable to identify the difference between observation and interpretation andbegin to be able to perform each activity independently
  2. Developdeep observation skills to support capacity for evidence-based problem solvingand critical thinking
  3. Practiceevidence-based argumentation and communication skills, both written and verbal,in collaborative and individual contexts
  4. Learnabout the history of books and begin to understand how the book’s form canshape our ways of thinking and engaging with ideas

Completion

In-class presentation (developed and delivered in the workshop),and a 200–300 word reflective piece after the workshop

Material

Created by
Morgan Burgess