
Dr. Jack Turco, left, holds a safe sex pamphlet at a Dartmouth talk with Dr. Joe O'Donnell
Have you ever wondered how some of the most bespoke, highly specific, and poignant sessions come to be taught at Rauner Special Collections Library? Curiosity and collaboration. Another factor is just how many people contribute to the process — even when separated by distance and time. How? Every time the Rauner Library team (and student research fellows, visiting scholars, curious historians, local history buffs, or Dartmouth faculty and staff) dig into the archives, their “discoveries” contribute to a wealth of findings referenced and used for future research, teaching, and learning. So, when faculty request a tailored session aligned to their learning goals, there’s a deep well of research, exhibits, blog writings, transcriptions, and more to draw from.
Dartmouth alum Leeza Petrov ‘22 couldn’t have known that her archival research and digital exhibit, “AIDS and Safer Sex at Dartmouth” would become a valuable resource for one such tailored session. Developed during her time as a fellow in the Libraries’ Historical Accountability Student Research Program, her Special Collections research became the center of what was presented and taught for a “One Geisel” class in 2024.