Information Literacy Instruction Program

Discipline-based library instruction allows students to develop information literacy within their field, building on the basic research skills they learned as freshmen in COR and CPN 101.

In collaboration with faculty, librarians can teach research skills tailored to a particular discipline and assignment, and recommend the best library resources for your class. Librarians teach classes on basic or advanced search strategies, resource evaluation, citations and citation management software, critical reading, and much more.

Examples of discipline-based instruction include:

• In the fields of Education, Lisa Czirr educates students on the variety of resources available to them in schools and the Teaching Materials Center, including primary resources, jackdaws, and children's books. She teaches classes ranging from introductory sessions on area resources to upper-level classes on specific-curriculum classwork like evaluating textbooks and finding good early education literature.
• In History, librarians educate students on understanding primary and secondary sources, evaluating information, and advanced search techniques using subject databases such as JSTOR, US History Collection, and Women and Social Movements in the US. In some cases students also utilize the College Archives for research and to learn more about preservation practices.
• In Kinesiology, librarians educate students about introductory and advanced search methods in subject databases like MEDLINE and SPORTDiscus.  Students learn about discipline-specific techniques like PICO in activities designed to help students narrow their research topics to an appropriate scope.
• In Sociology, Lauren deLaubell teaches resource evaluation and advanced search methods in subject databases like SocINDEX.

Do you have something new you would like to try? Let us know. We are open to new requests!

You can contact your librarian liaison directly, or the Information Literacy/Instruction Coordinator (see box to the left).  If possible, please contact your librarian two weeks in advance.