Faculty Guide to Library Services: Library-Led Instruction

The College Libraries comprehensive instruction program is designed to improve students' research, metaliteracy, and digital literacy skills by incorporating information literacy instruction in the classroom. Librarians and archivists work closely with faculty to develop lessons that integrate with course assignments and SLOs. 

Library instruction takes place during your scheduled class session, either in a library classroom or in your regular classroom. It can also take place online, synchronously or asynchronously. Sessions often include some combination of lecture/demonstration, discussion, or in-class research activities.

Library instruction sessions are one of the ways library faculty build presence with students. Students are encouraged to schedule research appointments with their librarian if they need additional research assistance, whether for your class project or for another course.

Faculty who would like library instruction in their course are asked to use the Library Instruction Request Form. While faculty can select their preferred librarian for the visit, please be aware we cannot guarantee that will be the person available to teach as it is schedule dependent. We will, however, do our best to work with your preference and/or the liaison librarian related to your course discipline. To ensure your preferred dates can be met, requests should be submitted at least two weeks before the date of the projected visit. 

While library instruction can be incorporated into nearly all courses, the following examples describe some common types of instruction sessions.

Library Instruction for First Year Students

A librarian (or archivist) is available to come to your FYE or ENGL 110 course(s)! While scheduling library instruction is not required for FYE and ENGL 110, this can be a great way to introduce new students to the academic research process and establish expectations that students seek out and use high-quality information sources for their assignments. Have you enjoyed working with a specific librarian in your First Year course previously? Be sure to select them as your preferred librarian when you complete the Library Instruction Request Form! 

Information Literacy Instruction for Major Research Projects

Upper-level students can benefit from a session focused on discipline-specific resources and research strategies. These sessions may include learning about annotated bibliographies, in-depth database instruction, and advanced discussion of evaluating sources and using information ethically. 

Digital Literacy Instruction

We live in a society where information and ideas are increasingly communicated in audiovisual formats. Communicating effectively through digital formats is a skill that can be developed in the classroom by incorporating elements such as podcasts, videos, infographics, and virtual reality. Librarians can help you develop digital projects for your course and provide instruction and support for your students in completing these assignments. 

Archival Instruction

Archivists from Special Collections and the Avery Research Center teach sessions aimed at giving students the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to effectively and efficiently find, interpret, and use archives, manuscripts, and other types of unique primary sources.

• Plan early: Reach out early in the semester if you are considering library instruction, even if you don't have exact dates and details yet. 
• Share course information: It is beneficial to share your syllabus and assignment instructions for relevant projects.
• Choose a focus: Consider which part of the research process your students will need the most help with and share that with your librarian so you can jointly develop a corresponding lesson plan. This can also help you identify the most impactful time in the semester to hold the session.
• Prepare your students: Introduce assignments related to the library visit prior to the session, so that students understand how it connects to their work for your course and show up to the session prepared to focus on that assignment.