Five Ways to Engage Students to Library Collections and Support

SJU librarians provide research instruction for university courses upon request.  These instruction sessions can be held in the library classroom, or in your smart classroom.  Research instruction can occur at any point in the semester, and can take many forms:

• introductory librarian pop-in (5-15min) -- students put a face with a name and learn how to contact a librarian for support.
• small group clinics (30-45min) -- ideal for group projects.  Using class time or on their own time, project groups develop a personalized research plan in consultation with the librarian. 
• hands-on workshops (50 min+) -- through demonstration and active learning, students identify key library resources, test them out, and ask questions.  Can include activities and discussion of concepts such authority and reliability in varied contexts.
• multiple mini-sessions (15-25min) -- students receive targeted guidance on research strategies at relevant stages of their assignments across 2-3 sessions.

It is important to communicate with your liaison librarian to plan a meaningful and effective session with your class.  Just few of the skills and topics that can be covered in any session include:

• Finding relevant information appropriate for their purpose

• Citing and integrating sources

• Thinking critically about sources

• Choosing and refining manageable topics

• Distinguishing between types of sources and their intended audiences

• Using Google and the web effectively for research

• Disciplinary resources and approaches