Lafayette College Library

Students who are assigned projects requiring library research often lack basic library skills or are overwhelmed by the variety of information resources available at the Lafayette Libraries. The library instruction program at Lafayette is designed to teach students how to use the resources available here while developing skills in lifelong information literacy. Library instruction sessions give students an opportunity to meet with a librarian, learn about the research process, and get specific information on using the Lafayette Libraries.

All teaching faculty are invited to take advantage of the library instruction program and schedule library sessions for their classes.

What the Library Offers

The library offers instruction sessions tailored to the needs of your students. Instruction librarians will introduce your students to the resources and search strategies that are most appropriate for their assignments, topics, and levels of expertise. Most often, sessions combine demonstrations of electronic resources, discussions of search strategies, and hands-on practice.

Topics that can be covered include:

• Searching the Library Catalog
• Using electronic databases and indexes
• Evaluating sources
• Identifying scholarly materials
• Locating primary sources
• Using the materials in Special Collections and the College Archives

When and Where

Sessions can be scheduled during regular class time (evenings as well as days) or as an additional class session during the noon hour or late afternoon. Arrangements can also be made for small groups of students working collaboratively to meet with an instruction librarian outside of class. Most sessions are held in one of the library instruction rooms although librarians can meet with students in their regular classroom.

A Sampling of Current Instruction

• Students of international affairs learn how to identify scholarly conversations on their topics.
• Biology students learn advanced search skills in BasicBIOSIS, Web of Science, and Medline.
• Economics students access and download data and prepare it for statistical analysis using Excel.
• Students in VAST classes compare scholarly and popular sources of sci-tech information.
• American Studies students hone their visual literacy skills using materials in Skillman's Special Collections.
• Students using GIS learn how to locate spatial data sets and evaluate metadata information.

Tips for a Successful Session

• Contact the library at least two weeks prior to the session to reserve a room and talk with an instruction librarian.
• Schedule the session close to the time when students will actually need to be using the library. Consider scheduling the session after the students have done some preliminary research so they can come with problems and questions.
• Give a copy of the class' assignment and/or syllabus to the librarian who will be meeting with your class.
• Accompany your class to the library session and add your comments and questions.

To schedule a library session or talk about what the library can offer your class, contact Lijuan Xu, Instruction Coordinator, at 610-330-5152 or xul@lafayette.edu