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.
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 through the Library | 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 Internet Sources |
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. |
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