InstructionOptions

Instruction Options

Using the library is a multi-faceted discipline. The folowing chart delineates many of the instructino otpoins available and provides links to aid in assessing your students' research skills.

Topic	Focus	Content Level	ACRL Standard
Introduction to library home page	Where to find sources Getting to help when it's needed When to use the catalog/databases Choosing databases Resources by Subject pages E-Reserves Intro to interlibrary loan	B, I	1,2
Library tour	Introduction to the physical layout of the library and services offered	B	1,2
Choosing a topic	Brainstorming Narrowing and focusing topics Topics as questions	B,I	1
Choosing keywords	Keywords as helpful tools Keywords from a topic statement Nouns as keywords Related words or synonyms Students will complete the Search Strategies worksheet	B,I	1,2
Introduction to the catalog	Author and title searching Basic keyword searchin Call numbers Printing/emailing results Logging in Students will log in to the catalog and find one author or title of interest.	B,I	1,2
Advanced catalog searching	Boolean searching, truncation Links to subject searching Call number refresher Electronic books and documents Finding specialized sources (e.g. videos) Students will find one book and one electronic resource on a topic of interest.	I,A	1,2
Boolean searching	Boolean search concepts Students will construct one or more search strings from their topic or Search Strategies worksheet	B,I	2
Resources by Subject pages	Choosing Resources by Subject pages Determining subject approaches to a topic Learning more about a database Research Guides and Internet sites	B,I,A	1,2
Exploratory research	Finding introductory or foundational information CQ Researcher, subject encyclopedias, and similar general information sources	B,I	1
Journals vs. mass-media magazines	Define journals and magazines Explain why journals are usually preferable Discuss the publication process Quick-fire quiz on journals vs. magazines	B,I	1
General research databases	Introduce general research databases Keyword searches, limits Understanding citations/abstracts Finding further relevant sources using subject listings Choosing among results PDF vs. HTML files Navigating to full text Printing/emailing results Citation help in the database (if applicable) Students will find one article	I,A	1,2,3
Discipline-specific databases	Refresher on choosing a database Learning the scope and coverage of a database Details for searching the database in question Using citations to expand a search Advanced helps (e.g. opening an EBSCO account, Refworks)	I (perhaps) A	2,3
Interlibrary loan	Introductions to the ILL process and requests	I,A	1,2
Evaluating web sites	Currency, relevance, accuracy, perspective etc. View reliable and flawed sites	I,A	1,3
What is plagiarism?	What constitutes plagiarism? Why give credit? What constitutes academic integrity?	I,A	5
Citations	Style manuals Elements of a citation Help pages for citations	I,A	5
Advanced subject searching	Keyword vs. subject searching	A	2,3
Finding legal information	Legislative branch: legislation, codes, how a bill becomes a law, finding relevant materials Judicial branch: case law, levels of the court, finding cases, Shepardizing a case Executive branch: regulatory law, CFR, Federal Register, regulations.gov	I,A	1,2,3
Finding business information	Company research Industry research Ratios/Financials Web searches	I,A	1,2,3

Key

Content Level

B=Beginning
I=Intermediate
A=Advanced

ACRL Standard

ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards

1=Standard One: The information literate student determines the nature and extent of the information needed.

2=Standard Two: The information literate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently.

3=Standard Three: The information literate student evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system.

4=Standard Four: The information literate student, individually or as a member of a group, uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose.

5=Standard Five: The information literate student understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of informtion and accesses and uses information ethically and legally.