Not sure what we can teach, or how long a topic may take? A librarian can visit your class to instruct students on a wide variety of topics, ranging from simply accessing our resources to more in-depth discussion of information skills and concepts. Check out the Library Instruction Menu to see some popular instruction options.
If you are teaching C/I, please also review the new Instruction Options for C/I.
For some topics, you may opt for either a Brief or Full Session. Brief (B) Sessions are lecture-based and provide a general overview of a concept (and may be combined with other topics), while Full (F) Sessions allow a more comprehensive and interactive treatment of the topic (which may incorporate activities and hands-on practice, as well as time to work on the assignment with librarian assistance).
The list is not exhaustive, so if there are resources or topics you would like addressed that are not mentioned, we're happy to discuss the options with you. Choose a standalone "Quick Visit," or mix/match some of the other options below to customize your library instruction session! Please contact Andrew Smith (Instruction Librarian) with any questions.
The Library Instruction Menu was adapted from and inspired by Radford University's McConnell Library and University of Findlay's Shafer Library.
The concepts listed below are drawn from the Association of College and Research Libraries' Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education (2015). Where applicable, click the link to learn more about each concept.
| Topic | Time | Points Covered | Concepts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Developing Effective Search Strategies | 30 mins | Defining a research question; identifying keywords & synonyms; combining search terms; using Boolean operators; using faceted searching; using an article database appropriate for the subject area; revising search strategies; saving articles and citations. | |
| Finding Books in the Library Catalog | 10-15 mins | Searching the catalog for books on a topic; accessing e-books; locating books in the stacks; requesting books via interlibrary loan. | Searching As Strategic Exploration |
| Evaluating Information, Distinguishing Popular & Scholarly Sources |
15 mins (Brief); 50 mins (Full) |
Evaluating a source for credibility; understanding source types and their utility; journal vs. magazine articles; newspapers; trade publications; discussing peer review; discussing the publication process/cycle. |
Authority Is Constructed and Contextual |
| Evaluating Websites |
15 mins (Brief); 50 mins (Full) |
Evaluating websites for credibility and usefulness; utilizing evaluative tools, such as the CRAAP formula. | Authority Is Constructed and Contextual |
| Quick Visit |
10-15 mins |
A brief introduction to library services and resources, with optional overview of relevant databases, research guides, or other information sources. |
Please note that any topic from the Library Instruction Menu may be selected for the Classroom Instruction option. If there is something more specific (or different altogether) that you would like covered during Classroom Instruction, please let us know and we will be happy to discuss those options with you to customize your library session.
|
Track 1 Sections with a Research Component |
Track 2 Sections with no Research Component |
|
|---|---|---|
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Librarian Drop-In / A "Quick Visit" (see above) to your classroom to briefly introduce librarian and library resources, as well as share handouts and tutorial links, answer questions, etc. |
Optional | Optional |
| Library Tour / A 15-20 minute C/L-led tour of the library during a Monday evening session; a General Information Sheet covering all building information, materials, services, policies, and equipment will be provided to the C/Ls for their reference. | Recommended | Recommended |
| Online Tutorials & Quizzes / Two tutorials and quizzes, made available for faculty to assign at your discretion so that students may complete outside of class time; ideally to be completed in advance of classroom instruction session(s). | Recommended | Recommended |
| Classroom Instruction / Select from any of the options from the Library Instruction Menu above to customize your library instruction session(s). | Recommended | Optional |
| Library Workshop / An hour-long workshop on "Discovering Resources," to be offered on select Monday evenings during October and November. Dates and number of offerings to be determined. |
Optional |
Recommended |
 |
©2018 Abell Library Center | Austin College, 900 N. Grand Avenue, Sherman, TX 75090-4400 | Phone: (903) 813-2236 Please direct comments or questions about this website to Andrew Smith. |
