Handout for 2008 AASLH Session: School Outreach Programs - Transforming the Field Trip

1. Traveling Trunk Development
Presenter: Lois Herr, Kansas Historical Society, Lherr@kshs.org
Summary of the Kansas Historical Society Traveling Trunk Program: The Kansas Historical
Society’s (KSHS) trunk program is over 25 years old. Borrowers can select from eleven trunks
titles. With three to seven copies of each title, a total of 53 physical trunks are available to loan
out. Borrowers choose to either pick up their trunk in Topeka or have it shipped to them.
Trunks are borrowed by a variety of organizations including public, private, home and pre
schools; retirement and assisted living centers; youth groups; museums; libraries; colleges;
churches; and civic groups. Approximately 58% of trunk reservations go to public schools.
Trunks are developed with lesson plans for classroom use. Due to the makeup of our trunk
audience, trunks are also designed so that information is easily accessed without teaching with
the lesson plans.
The long history of