It's more than a tour!
Preparing your TRW students for the library instruction session

The following are some suggestions that may help your students get the most out of their library instruction session. Our goal is to introduce them to the Library (it may the first time some have been to the Library) and to a Librarian, and to teach them skills to begin their research. Many students have anxiety about the Library, and we hope we can make them feel that ours is a place where they can learn and receive help when they need it.

1. Present the Structured Controversy unit.

If the students know about the unit, they will better understand the purpose of the library session. They will be more open to asking questions at the session, and be better able to apply what they learn to the project.

 

2. Assign articles from The Reflective Woman Reader.

Two articles in The TRW Reader are very relevant to the research process. "Thinking About Using the Library," by Helen Humeston, outlines three steps in the research process: choosing a topic, designing an effective search strategy, and evaluating resources. This can be especially helpful to students because often the biggest hurdle is selecting a topic: Is it interesting? Is there enough information available? Is there controversy?

 

The second article, "Avoiding Plagiarism," comes from the O'Neill Center. Unfortunately, in the electronic age, plagiarism has become even easier to do, intentionally or not. This article will remind students to avoid some of these pitfalls prior to beginning their research.

 

3. Choose group topics and notify Kathi Rickert or the Librarian teaching the session.

The Librarian can often tailor the presentation to specific topics. Online pathfinders, can be created prior to class if needed, and students can ask more specific questions based on their topics.

 

4. Give students your expectations for the project work.

How many magazines, scholarly journals, newspapers, and/or web sources are required? What kind of sources (primary or secondary) do you expect? Do you prefer that they use MLA or APA citation style? Encourage them to start their research right away, in case materials need to be ordered.

 

5. Try to attend the session with your class.

The best sessions usually are those where there's a running dialog between instructor, librarian, and the class. You'll also be available for any questions that come up about project.

While you may not be able to follow all of these suggestions, we appreciate any preparation you can give to your class. It will help make the library session a quality use of class time for all.

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