Students need sound information skills to be successful during their college career and throughout their lives.
The instruction librarians at King's College welcome the opportunity to collaborate with faculty in helping students
to effectively complete class assignments and develop research skills.  Instructional classes are available to faculty
as a means of achieving this important goal.  A few simple guidelines are offered to facilitate the scheduling process,
and to create the most positive and effective instructional sessions that are best suited to meet the needs of the
student community.

Suggestions for Faculty

Contact a Reference/Instruction Librarian at least one week or more in advance of the desired date to schedule
    a library session.  Sufficient time is required for the librarians to tailor a class designed to meet your needs.
    Also, sessions are scheduled on a first-come first-served basis.  Reserving your time well in advance ensures
    that you will obtain your preferred date or time.

Faculty attendance and participation in each instruction session is highly recommended.  Your presence
    helps to focus the students' attention, and demonstrates the value you place on information literacy instruction.

Instructional sessions can be designed to meet the requirements of your course and the information needs of
    your students.  Students are more focused if they have a personal stake in the instructional sessions such as ones
    geared toward specific assignments, topics, or projects.  Consult with the librarians who will be conducting your
    session to discuss course objectives, particular assignments, and the information resources that would be most
    beneficial to the students. 

Please provide the librarians with a copy of your syllabus and student assignment beforehand to enable them to
    properly prepare.

Effective Use of Instruction Time

    The instruction librarians endeavor to make full use of an instructional session especially when the session is limited
     to 50 minutes.  Faculty are asked to follow the suggestions below:

Ensure that your students know the date, time, and location of the instructional session.
Encourage students to arrive a few minutes early to make certain that the session begins on time.
Class announcements and the distribution of assignments or other materials should be done at the end of the
    instructional session so that students may concentrate solely on the presentation.


Characteristics of Library Instruction Sessions

Instructional sessions can be provided for most classes and are taught in the library's computer lab by one or
    more reference librarians.  Faculty are welcome to schedule more than one session if the need arises for a
    particular class.  Librarians may also visit individual classrooms to provide instruction on search strategies,
    the online catalog, or other information sources.

Twenty-eight computers provide hands-on learning opportunities for students.  The sessions feature handouts,
    visual demonstrations, and practice activities presented in a variety of teaching and learning formats. 

Sessions are created to assist students to successfully meet their course/assignment objectives, improve their
    research skills.

 Instructional sessions frequently offer the following segments.  However, instruction to meet particular
    course assignments or objectives can be readily prepared.

         1) Database Resources, Online Catalog, Print Sources, Search Strategy   
         2) Internet Searching, Web Page Evaluation

 
Recommendations for Creating Effective Library Assignments

Create assignments that:
     - contain clear instructions.
     - develop the skills required to design an effective search strategy.
     - lead to the successful achievement of course objectives.
     - demonstrate how research is performed for a specific subject. 
     - require the integration of knowledge.
     - encourage critical thinking skills and evaluation of resources.
     - require a bibliography that is due before the paper's deadline.
     - require information from a variety of formats.

Some faculty may want to create a different type of assignment for their class rather than the traditional research
    paper.  Suggestions for alternative assignments can be found in material from the University of Newfoundland:
    "Term Paper Alternatives: Ideas for Information-Based Assignments."

Be certain that the library owns the resources required to effectively complete your assignment.  The library
    environment is constantly changing, and many resources are either added, updated periodically, or may no
    longer be available.  Reference librarians can easily provide you with suggestions for the appropriate materials
    needed for the assignment, or can tell you if an item is currently available.

Do not assume that your students have previous experience in using a library's resources.  Many students may
    have computer experience, but not the necessary skills to utilize various information sources.

The use of the web is expanding, and library materials are increasingly web-based.  Students often tell us that
     they are not allowed to use web sources for some assignments.  Yet many full text journal articles are available
     on the web through our subscription services.  Please be precise in your instruction for student use of the web
     for research and reinforce the distinction between these library sources and general "internet" searching.

Avoid issuing assignments that require the use of information from specific print materials for an entire class.
    A temporary misplacement of materials may be an unfair inconvenience to students.  You are welcome to
    place items on Reserve by contacting the Circulation Desk in the library at ext. 5640.

Students may not be familiar with assignments that contain library terminology.  A Glossary of terms is
    available for students to assist them in understanding the standard language used in an academic library.

Rev.12/06