Library Instruction & Information Literacy

• introduce or re-acquaint students with relevant library resources (print, electronic, and other formats) for their projects and information needs
• help students use these resources effectively
• help students develop efficient and effective information search strategies
• help students develop critical evaluation skills, so they can determine relevance and reliability of information for their needs

Questions to consider:

• What are the learning outcomes of this course? What do expect students to be able to do at the end of this course? The Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education provide examples of outcomes. The course syllabus can be a very valuable tool in collaborating with librarians.
• What do you expect the students to already know about research?
• What course activities would you like the students to complete to achieve the learning outcomes?
• What is the best way to reach you?

Contact us when:

• You are planning to give students assignments that involve using external or library resources. This could include books, government publications, journal articles, or materials accessed through library subscription databases. It helps if you provide us with a copy of the assignment and also a course syllabus. With this information, we can make sure we have the resources that students are asked to use. This information also prepares us in directing students to these sources and training them in their effective use. We can inform our colleagues about anticipated use of these resources.
• We are happy to work with you in developing effective library assignments. In other words, we can cooperate in working towards assignments that challenge students not only to gain skills in acquiring information, but also to require students to critically analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information.
• We can tailor instruction in using library resources to the needs of your class. With our constantly changing information environment, we are continually acquiring new resources and tools. We can help make students aware of these resources and provide specialized classroom presentations that demonstrate to the students how to effectively use the resources. Some of these resources include subscription databases available through the library's web site, as well as resources found through the World Wide Web. Discipline-specific information and search tips can be found under Research Help. Faculty members who would like their students to use these resources should contact the Library Instruction Librarian at 210/436-3346 to schedule training.