Best Practices for Teaching with your Librarian

  1. Contact your librarian as soon as possible. Please give us adequate notice to prepare for your class. A week or two is often preferred, but the more time the better.
  2. Librarians can cover no more than 2-3 learning outcomes or resources within one library research instruction session.
  3. Schedule the session to coincide with the research project. Students will be more engaged in the session and will retain more information.
  4. Remember that the research process is changing constantly. It is often safe to assume many students have a limited understanding and experience of the process.
  5. Prepare your class for the session to maximize instruction time. For example, do students have and understand the assignment? Are groups for group projects formed in advance? Have students thought or written about their topics beforehand?
  6. Plan to be present when a librarian visits your classroom. Your presence and contributions will help us to establish rapport with your students.
  7. Participate in the library session. Librarians and students appreciate your perspective and ability to tie the library instruction to the context of the course.
  8. Communicate with your librarian if you have a challenging assignment or will be sending students to the library.