Digital Learning & Design

Digital Tours in the Time of Social Distancing

As communities have continued to social distance and quarantine themselves, universities and cultural institutions have sought to connect with individuals unable to visit in person. Virtual tours of the spaces hosted by universities and cultural institutions have been an especially popular method for these institutions to connect with audiences digitally. Brown has been the home to or for several virtual tours free, open, and accessible to the public. Many of these tours have been developed in conjunction with the Rhode Tour, a mobile tour platform exploring the stories of remarkable sites within Rhode Island. 

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  • Stretching Towards Equality: The Slavery Memorial examines the history of slavery in the state of Rhode Island, including its relationship to Brown University’s, and its relation to the Slavery Memorial on the University campus. 
  • No Label, No Learning: Busts in the John Hay Library explores the stories and backgrounds of the numerous busts in the John Hay Library and their creators. The tour also highlights the rich resource of archival information found in the Brown University Archives.
  • “To Henry Paget Esq. for 29 Days Work of Pero” delves into the history of the University Hall. The tour focuses in particular on the role that slave labor played in its construction, and situates it in the context of its role in the colonial New England economy.
  • “The Freedom to be Womanly” at Pembroke College looks at the creation and existence of Pembroke College, a women’s college of Brown University that existed from 1891 to 1971 before its full merger into the University, and the Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women that draws on its legacy today.