Request your class early; allow at least two weeks' lead time.
Please plan to attend the session if possible.
". . . I rely on the library's instructional
program . . . [my students] learn how to perform targeted
database searches, how to prioritize the ordering
process, and to evaluate traditional and online materials
in a critical manner. My students develop skills that
allow them to focus their research and writing, and
to do so with increasing independence."
- Birgit Tautz, German
"Students in my upper-level seminar-style classes carry
out semester-long library research projects...having a good research strategy
for online searching is critical to making the process work smoothly.
Reference librarians have a great deal of direct experience helping students
form effective search strategies."
- Bill Steinhart, Biology
"My students have developed working relationships with
librarians that have encouraged them to seek additional assistance."
- Susan Tananbaum, History
Instruction Program
Where do students acquire the research skills that are essential to succeeding scholastically? In a fall 2004 survey of 71 independent- and honors-project Bowdoin seniors, 75% indicated that they learned their library research skills from a class taught by a reference librarian.
Designed to be a collaborative effort between faculty and librarian liaisons, library instruction classes usually focus on specific assignments within a course. This approach has special value: it presents the most relevant library resources when they are needed, and introduces students to a helpful and knowledgeable librarian.
You and the librarian decide how to tailor the instruction:
- in your classroom, a lab, or the library's electronic classroom (including hands-on practice)
- information posted on Blackboard's various services or modules: discussion board; e-mail; Web links
- librarian appointments with individual students
- basic sources and services - library catalog, scholarly journals, interlibrary loan, etc.
- research strategies
- overview of relevant library databases and documents
- detailed instruction on complex research tools, such as manuscripts or other primary sources