Niagara University Library's teaching librarians train students to use library resources to their fullest. Through personal attention and professional training, students learn to conduct research themselves and solve research problems. Please review the types of sessions we offer.
Contact Lucy Bell, Coordinator of User Education, on the left hand side of this page with further questions.
Mission Statement
The Library Instruction Program attempts to:
- Cultivate information literacy skills in students, including the ability to locate, evaluate, and use information effectively.
- Support faculty by providing their students with the research skills needed to successfully complete specific assignments and coursework.
- Foster campus productivity by making faculty and staff aware of information resources and providing training in the use of those resources when necessary.
Assumptions:
- The Library commonly provides information literacy training to groups but also considers every reference interaction to be a teaching opportunity where students are encouraged to think critically and analytically about their research.
- Successful learning is active and participatory. Therefore group training sessions should be hands-on and include problem solving and critical thinking exercises. Large classes need to be broken down into smaller classes, and the length of time allotted for training should to be sufficient to allow for interactivity.
- Group instruction should be tied to actual course work. Research assignments should be introduced as a precursor to the Library Instruction session. The presence of the faculty member at the training session is crucial for the collaborative process to work well.
Guidelines:
- Request library instruction sessions at least two weeks in advance of your requested date of instruction.
- Instruction is tailored to your course research assignment, so we ask you to share details of the assignment with us as part of your request. Send the assignment to the assigned librarian instructor at least one week in advance of your requested date of instruction.
- Please plan to introduce the research assignment to your students prior to the class session taught by a Librarian. Students should be at a point in the research process where a class focused on conducting research will be most beneficial to them. Please schedule instruction at a time in the semester when students are aware of the assignment requirements and have had time to consider what their research focus might be.
- Plan to attend the session; experience has shown that students are more engaged when the instructor participates in the session.
Niagara University Library adheres to the standards and guidelines developed by the Association of College and Research Libraries.
