Best Practices for Integrating Library Instruction into Your Course

• Contact your librarian as soon as possible. Please give us adequate notice to prepare for your class. Notification at least two weeks in advance is preferred, but the more time the better. Sharing your syllabus and assignment prompt at least a week prior to the session is also appreciated.
• Connect the library instruction session with a specific research project. Library sessions are most effective when students have an immediate and authentic need for the library research skills we teach.
• Schedule the library session at the point in the semester when students will need to begin working on the assignment. Point-of-need instruction is more effective than a general overview of the library too early in the semester.
• Familiarize your students with the assignment requirements prior to the library session. If possible, give students time to reflect on topics of interest they might wish to explore during the session. Students will be more engaged if they can use the library session to get started on their research.
• We encourage you to meet with a librarian prior to the session in order to establish and prioritize learning objectives for the session. A library session is less overwhelming for students when a limited number of learning objectives are addressed and some portion of the session is set aside for hands-on practice using the resources presented.
• Attend the library session with your students. Being present during the session allows you to experience in real time what your students do (or don’t) know about the research process. Your attendance also allows students to ask clarifying questions about course material and assignment objectives that cannot be answered effectively by a librarian.
• For upper-level classes, we encourage you to survey your students regarding their experience using library resources and services thus far. This helps us to tailor the library session to their current level of experience. Here is a survey that you are encouraged to use with your students.
• We advise against requiring all of your students to meet individually with a librarian. Unfortunately, this is not scalable for us. If you would like all of your students to meet with a librarian, consider having your students meet in small groups with a librarian or arrange office hours with a librarian.