Guidelines for Library Instruction
The Information/Reference Department of Hege Library provides library instruction sessions during the academic year to help students navigate thoughtfully through the maze of information resources available for their research and to enhance their critical thinking skills. As you are developing your course syllabus for the coming semester, make library instruction an integral component for research intensive projects. When it is scheduled into course time, students have the opportunity to learn about important research sources and search strategies, and are more likley to take the instruction session seriously.
We provide general topic-oriented online searching sessions for FYE courses and specific assignment driven instruction available to all other courses with research projects. In return, we ask that you follow these criteria:
- Prior to the FYE Research Project Assistance session, please make sure your students have already completed the Gateway to Library Research Tutorial and quiz. Once the quizes have been completed, they should be submitted to you, the course instructor. The quiz will reinforce important research information while making students accountable for doing the tutorial. For more information on the tutorial and quiz, look on the library's webpage, under "Library Instruction," or click here.
- Clear integration of library instruction and the related assignment(s) into the course syllabus, which should be delivered to us at least two weeks before the scheduled instructional session.
- Please make sure that your students are ready to undertake research, that they have selected research topics when they come for library instruction.
- Attend the instruction session with your students. If unable to attend because of an emergency, exceptions can be made.
Hege Library's web-based instructional resources serve as the beginning points for library and research related help. Those seeking basic library instruction should direct their students to the Gateway to Library Research Tutorial, which can be accessed from the Hege Library homepage (www.guilford.edu/library) by clicking on Library Instruction under the heading Information/Reference Services, then selecting "Gateway to Library Research." This tutorial takes students through the research process and the effective use of specific kinds of sources. The Gateway to Library Research Quiz is also available on the Library Instruction webpage.
For an orientation to the location of key library services and collections, students can take the Hege Library Virtual Tour. This virtual tour can also be accessed from the Library Instruction link on the Hege Library home page.
We are available to help your students individually with their research projects, and we encourage students to call us at the Reference Desk (extension 2265) and set up research consultations when needed. Students can also use the Email Reference form available from the Hege Library home page for specific reference questions regarding resources, remote access, and other research related concerns.
When to Schedule Library Instruction
For library instruction to be most effective, it should be integrated into the program of classroom instruction and included in the course syllabus. When it is part of the course syllabus, students understand the priority given by the instructor to library instruction. Timing is key. Please schedule instruction in conjunction with a specific research assignment and after your students have selected their topics. Because of potential scheduling conflicts, faculty must consult with the Information/Reference librarians early in the process of preparing their syllabi. Early consultation is key to make certain your class has a place in the library instruction schedule and in the scheduling of the digital classroom.
Developing students into information literate, lifelong learners and educating them about the library and information resources requires the positive input of our teaching faculty. We value your role in this partnership and look forward to an exciting and stimulating semester as we seek to provide the very best in reference service and library instruction for you and your students.
To schedule library instruction, please complete and submit a Library Instruction Request Form, accessible from the Library Instruction link on the Hege Library homepage, for each class that needs a library session. Keep in mind that we must have at least two weeks notice to schedule and prepare for any library instruction session.
Evangela Oates, Information Literacy Coordinator, coordinates library instruction sessions and teaches classes throughout the year. Please contact Evangela Oates (email: oateseq@guilford.edu; ext. 2340) for concerns related to scheduling library instruction. Additionally, contact Evelyn Blount, Head of Information/Reference Services (email: eblount@guilford.edu; ext. 2312) to schedule a Research Project Assistance session.
