RIHS Offers ???History Free for All??? to Rhode Island Students, Teachers
Standard School Tour Fees Are a Thing of the Past With New Education Initiative
??
(PROVIDENCE, R.I.) ??? The Rhode Island Historical Society has announced that it will make its standard educational tours, including those with special needs accommodations, free to Rhode Island schools, home school families, and other learning organizations.??
Starting July 1, the RIHS???s History Free for All initiative will offer, at no cost, field trips to its museums and facilities for classes and groups from preschool through higher education.
This expansion of resources at the RIHS, which fosters historical literacy through immersive experiences, has been made possible by recent major donations, including an anonymous bequest. Previously, standard tours have cost $3 per student at the John Brown House Museum, $6 per student at the Museum of Work & Culture, and a flat rate of $100 at the Robinson Research Center.
???The extraordinary gifts we have received are now allowing us to look outward more than we ever have and to ask what our communities need,??? RIHS Executive Director C. Morgan Grefe said. ???Studying and understanding our history can help to build empathy, promote civic engagement, foster civil discourse, and hone communication skills. These are needs in Rhode Island ??? in the world ??? and these gifts have allowed us to remove a barrier to access for our schools to the incredible history resources held by the RIHS.???
In addition, the RIHS has established the Klyberg Educational Access Fund, made possible by a bequest from former director Albert T. Klyberg, who passed away in January. The fund will award grants of up to $400 to Title I-designated schools to help underwrite the cost of bus transportation to RIHS sites.
???At a time when funding for such programs is in jeopardy, we???re doing our part to ensure that there are no financial obstacles to learning,??? said Newell D. Goff Center for Education and Public Programs Director Geralyn Ducady. ???These experiences pique a lifelong interest in learning and foster a deep appreciation of our state???s history and how it relates to that of New England, the United States, and the world. We want to make that opportunity available to everyone.???
This August, teachers will also have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the RIHS???s sites and educational programs free of charge during Teacher Appreciation Week. From August 7 through 13, teachers will be able to participate in a series of free information sessions and tours, as well as visit the John Brown House and Museum of Work & Culture with up to four family members. Details are available at RIHSTeacherWeek.org.
The following is a list of RIHS History Free for All tour options. For a complete list of offerings and more information, please visit RIHS.org.
The John Brown House Museum
At the John Brown House Museum, students will be transported back to the 18th century, when merchant, patriot, politician, and slave trader John Brown oversaw the construction of this monumental mansion. As students walk through its halls, they???ll gain the skills necessary to read and interpret their environment, seeing how the presence of tea, for instance, signifies some of the earliest trade with China.
History Free for All Tour Options
John Brown Docent-Led House Tours (60 minutes)
John Brown House Museum General Tour: Explores the Brown???s house, as students learn about political issues and everyday life in the 18th century.
For All the Tea in China: Students will learn about the significant role of the Brown family in some of the earliest American trade with China.
???That Unrighteous Traffick???: This program focuses on the Brown family???s role in the slave trade, as students walk through the exhibit ???Forgotten History: Rhode Island and the Slave Trade.???
Revolutionary War (NEW): Starting in the Fall of 2017.
Decorative Arts / Architecture (NEW): Starting in the Fall of 2017.
The Museum of Work & Culture
Dedicated to sharing the stories of the men, women, and children who came to find a better life in Rhode Island???s mill towns, the Museum of Work & Culture???s exhibits allow students to imagine themselves in the position of these industrious immigrants. Whether it is the journey from a 19th-century farmhouse to the floor of a textile mill or becoming immersed in early 20th-century culture in a triple-decker parlor, parochial classroom, or union hall, the MoWC brings history to life for students of all ages.
History Free for All MoWC Tour Options
Standard Docent-Led Tour (90 minutes): Trained docents guide students through the museum, engaging their critical thinking skills with anecdotes, questions, and stories. French-speaking guides available upon request.
Mary Elizabeth Robinson Research Center (RRC)
At the Mary Elizabeth Robinson Research Center (RRC), students can gain valuable experience working with the RIHS???s vast collection of printed items, manuscripts, and graphics. They can read through the original diaries written by Rhode Island residents or examine old pictures of the state???s cities and towns to see firsthand the dramatic changes in their skylines. As students use RIHS collections, they will not only learn strategies for researching in archives and handling primary sources, but also develop a deeper connection to their local history.
History Free for All RRC Tour Options
Standard Research Center Orientation (60 minutes): The RRC offers orientations led by RIHS librarians and curators, who provide students with an overview of the RIHS, the RRC, and our varied collections. Each orientation option includes a selection of materials from collections to support a chosen topic (see topic list below). Librarians will also provide students with a resource list of collection highlights for the chosen topic.????
Topic options for standard orientation:
Introduction to Research in a Special Collections Library: RIHS librarians provide students an introduction to catalogs, finding aids, online galleries, indexes, and comprehensive research strategies and tips for making the best use of their research time.????
Researching Early Rhode Island History: The RRC holds excellent resources on the settlement of the colony in 1636 by Roger Williams and the native peoples who preceded him. RIHS librarians will provide an overview of our earliest collections documenting Rhode Island history.
Rhode Island and the Slave Trade: RIHS librarians provide students with key strategies for using the collections pertinent to the slave trade and related industries. Materials include an in-depth review of the ???Papers of the American Slave Trade??? collection on microfilm, as well as the ???Guide to People of Color in the RIHS Collections.???
Rhode Island Women???s History: Students will learn about strategies for researching women in Rhode Island, including highlights from personal papers, diaries, and women???s organizations prominent in Rhode Island.
Introduction to Architectural Research: The RIHS architectural collections are extensive — and can sometimes be overwhelming. This orientation will focus on researching Rhode Island???s built environment through architectural drawings, maps, photographs, industrial reports, and other resources.
Avi???s Something Upstairs: RIHS librarians provide a firsthand look at manuscript collections, microfilmed newspapers, and maps related to the people, places, and events depicted in the popular ??young adult novel Something Upstairs. This is followed by a group discussion about how collections like ours are used to develop historical fiction.
National History Day Theme: RIHS librarians will share primary resources from the collections reflecting the current NHD theme. Students will then get a chance to ask librarians for research strategies for their projects.
About the Rhode Island Historical Society
Founded in 1822, the RIHS, a Smithsonian Affiliate, is the fourth-oldest historical society in the United States and is Rhode Island???s largest and oldest historical organization. In Providence, the RIHS owns and operates the John Brown House Museum, a designated National Historic Landmark, built in 1788; the Aldrich House, built in 1822 and used for administration and public programs; and the Mary Elizabeth Robinson Research Center, where archival, book and image collections are housed. In Woonsocket, the RIHS manages the Museum of Work and Culture, a community museum examining the industrial history of northern Rhode Island and of the workers and settlers, especially French-Canadians, who made it one of the state???s most distinctive areas.