Educator Programs
The Harry Ransom Center, established in 1957, is one of the world's premier research institutions. The Center houses 36 million manuscripts, more than one million rare books, five million photographs, and 100,000 works of art and design, as well as major collections in film and the performing arts.
On permanent display in the Center's lobby are two of its most celebrated artifacts: the Gutenberg Bible and the First Photograph, Joseph Niépce's 1826 "View From the Window at Le Gras." Interactive interpretive kiosks offer a wealth of information about these items.
In the first-floor Ransom Galleries, rotating exhibitions featuring items from the Center's collections are displayed. For the latest exhibition information, please see the Current Exhibitions page.
In the Reading and Viewing Rooms on the second floor, scholars and researchers from around the world study the Center's collections in depth.
Admission to and tours of the Ransom Center are offered free of charge. To book a tour of the Ransom Center, please view the Tour Information page.
Online teacher resources can be found at the Primary Source Education Modules page. The Center also has unique and interesting web exhibitions.
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General educational resources
TEKS objectives and visiting the Ransom Center
Visiting the Ransom Center: pre-visit questions
Visiting the Ransom Center: questions to ask while you're here
Visiting the Ransom Center: post-visit questions and activities
Ransom Center publications
Other Educational Programs
Teaching the American 20s, an online resource for exploring the 1920s, a decade of significant social change and cultural expression. The website features primary source materials, including downloadable audio clips, images, and TEKS-aligned lesson plans.
Teaching Gutenberg, a similar online resource for teaching about the Gutenberg Bible, its inventor, and its importance. Lesson plans are included.
Please inquire about teacher workshops at the Ransom Center; the Center's staff works with school districts, Regional ESCs, and other education agencies year-round to produce outstanding teacher professional credit experiences.
Contact Oliver Franklin, Executive Curator for Public Programs, at ofranklin@mail.utexas.edu or Lisa Murray, Public Programs Associate, at lisarmurray@mail.utexas.edu for more information.
Teacher Workshop
The Harry Ransom Center and Education Service Center Region XIII announce a free teacher workshop in July examining the United States in the 1950s, in conjunction with the Ransom Center's exhibition On the Road with the Beats.
Video Clip
Director Thomas F. Staley explains how original source materials stimulate and enhance the learning experience.
Related Links
Watch broadcast journalist Mike Wallace's interviews from the television program The Mike Wallace Interview. Wallace donated the show's footage on 16mm kinescope to the Ransom Center in the early 1960s. Most episodes have not been seen since they aired.
