The instruction librarians at Bell Library participate in the design and delivery of research skills instruction classes that directly contribute to both student success in research assignments and the mastery of information literacy concepts across the curriculum.
Librarians can also help faculty design research assignments and structure research skills classes tailored to specific assignments or learning objectives.
Scheduling a class
If you would like to schedule a class for research skills instruction, please complete this form and the Instructional Services Librarian will be in touch!
When’s a good time?
Classroom assignments are made on a first-come, first-served basis, so we recommend making appointments as far in advance as possible. The busiest times of the year are typically September/October and February/March.
When planning your visit, it’s also important to consider your course schedule. If the students receive research skills instruction too early, before they are fully aware of the assignments they will be doing research for, then the instruction will be less effective. We recommend that students come to the research skills session with topics in mind, so that a portion of class can be spent actually searching for resources and getting a good start on their assignment.
Finally, please allow us time to prepare for your class. Two weeks' notice will give the librarian a chance to develop a presentation that is tailored to your students’ needs and the requirements of the assignment. We do not make arrangements for classes with less than one week’s notice.
Location, location, location
Classes are usually held in one of the library's computer labs, Computer Lab 1 (Room 109) or Computer Lab 2 (Room 216A) in Bell Library. Having the class in a lab gives each student a computer they can use to apply what they’ve learned immediately. Hands-on, active learning activities help students retain the material. If you prefer to have the class in your classroom, you may want to ask your students to bring laptops so that they can follow along. For online courses, we can present to your students via Zoom.
Do I have to be there?
We appreciate your presence during these instruction sessions. Having you there to reiterate the importance of the session, answer questions your students might have that we cannot answer, and help keep them on task is invaluable to the success of the session. We understand that sometimes the faculty member cannot attend, but realize that your absence will, in most cases, reduce the effectiveness of the class.
Librarians and staff have created subject specific Research Guides to help students navigate library resources. If we’ve missed a Guide – or you would like to add an additional Guide to the list, just contact the Instructional Services Librarian.
If you would like a Guide created to help students in a specific course, we can create a Course Guide as well. Databases, Reference books, Websites, and more can be suggested to help students successfully research concepts and ideas for course assignments. (See an example Course Guide here).
