Library Instruction

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Learning Outcomes

Librarians at the Carl B. scaffold instruction based on Information Literacy dispositions and knowledge practices:

Carl B. librarians use these resources in their instruction:

Librarians are ready to be supportive of your integrative learning plans and projects throughout the process. 

  • We can provide Research Support, including core resources, contextual information, and specific problem-solving examples, such as case studies.  Library Instruction can assist your scaffolding of assigned projects, including: help in finding and using datasets; compiling, managing, and storing original data; creating databases; or understanding larger issues of information organization and access. 
  • The library can provide space for collaborating on projects, for completing computer lab work, for conducting interviews, or for hosting poster sessions.

As you work with the Framework for PEAK Development, please let your librarian know how the library can serve your class needs.

First Year Students

All first-year students participate in an orientation to campus which includes a tour of the library building and its services.  This early introduction to the library highlights library use as an integral part of academic culture.

Following the orientation tour, all Inquiry students participate in a Library Launch, a librarian-led hands-on introduction to the library. The Library Launch typically includes the following elements: 

  • Brainstorming activity specific to the course topic
  • Search for and locate a book in the library
  • Utilize a reference book
  • Search for and access an article using a library database
  • Utilize an online reference source
  • Structured interaction with a reference librarian

If you are teaching an Inquiry Seminar, contact your library liaison early to schedule the Library Launch for your students.

Faculty are welcome to schedule additional library research instruction sessions after the Library Launch. Sessions typically:

  • Are closely tied to a specific assignment or outcome
  • May involve a partial or full class period
  • Are usually held in the library and provide opportunity for students to engage in meaningful ways with course-relevant library materials

Librarians are ready to support you in your pedagogical goals for first-year students as they learn research skills and develop critical thinking dispositions.

See these past examples of how faculty have incorporated research into classes. 

Contact your library liaison for assistance incorporating research into an assignment. 

Upper Class Students

In consultation with faculty, librarians can tailor instruction sessions to meet specific needs for the individual class and for the discipline subject area.

Numerous students will have an instruction session in the Library Lab or Classroom at least once during their senior year, while others are required by faculty to "check-in" with a librarian for individualized help with their research over the course of their final year at Concordia.  Our outcomes for Information Literacy for senior year are flexible and intended to serve individual faculty members' needs and goals for the course.

FAQs

Contact your library liaison; they can help schedule a session in the library and answer questions you might have about information literacy.

Yes! Your library liaison will work with you to meet the needs of your class throughout the semester.

Yes! We often have faculty schedule hands-on working days with library reference sources, databases, and books to help students move their research forward. These sessions can be scheduled to have the faculty member and/or the librarian serving as guide-on-the-side for student work.

Your liaison librarian can work with you to create a worksheet or online activity, providing students with hands-on work time and resources, which can then be graded by you as part of a class participation, journaling activity, etc.

  • Talk with your librarian ahead of time to describe your goals for the assignment.
  • Tiered assignments help support students through complex assignments and take advantage of students' developmental readiness.  Samples of tiered research assignments are available here and the Bloom's taxonomy of cognitive levels can be helpful in designing research projects.
  • Schedule a library session that fits the timing of your assignment, so that the library resources and strategies are relevant to students.

Yes, contact the Concordia College Archives at archives@cord.edu for more information. 

Check out the DH@CC Toolkit, which provides background information on Digital Humanities, a tool list with tutorials, and workshop materials to get you started. 

Additional Resources