Library Instruction

What is Information Literacy Instruction?

Library instruction is key to building students' information literacy. Information literacy allows scholars to assess their information needs, find information, evaluate it, and use it appropriately per the ACRL Information Literacy Framework for Higher Education.

Request An Instruction Session

The Library instruction request form may be used to schedule an information literacy session conducted in-person or online. In addition, this form may be used to request the creation of various online research aids such as a course guide, video tutorial, lesson plan, or other services to support your teaching. Please note: you need to submit 1 form for each session requested

Please notify us a week in advance for previously taught library instruction sessions and two weeks in advance for new library instruction sessions to ensure that we can accommodate your request. To assist in planning and get the most out of a library instruction session, the form asks you to upload a copy of the assignment or course syllabus as well as select up to two learning objectives for the instruction session.

Details on the learning objectives are found here:

Information Literacy Learning Objectives Students will...
Research Scope and Keyword Concepts
  • develop a workable research question or provisional thesis statement
  • determine key concepts relevant to their research and develop keywords
Overview of library website, physical resources, databases, subject guides and application of search strategies
  • identify where to find appropriate information sources for scholarly research
  • access information using effective search strategies
How to evaluate information and its sources critically
  • systematically and methodically analyze their own and others' assumptions
  • evaluate the relevance of resources in a given context
Using information effectively
  • identify and select the types of sources (primary/secondary, scholarly/popular) relevant to their purpose
  • read and utilize information from an academic article on their topic
Research ethics
  • provide in-text citations and bibliographies that are accurate and complete
  • quote and paraphrase information in ways that are true to the original context
  • distinguish between common knowledge and ideas requiring attribution
  • demonstrate an understanding of the ethical and legal restrictions on the use of published, confidential, and/or proprietary information

Other requests or inquiries should be directed to Joy Hansen, Reference and Instructional Design Librarian and Instructional Coordinator (or Martha Kruy, Reference/Instruction and Assessment Librarian, Reference Coordinator.)