Group Library Instruction

NVCC Libraries Research Guides | Alexandria Research Guides |

Library Research Instruction for Your Class

Group Instruction
Through library research instruction, we can help your students learn how to find and use appropriate resources for their research, and also help them learn to look critically at the variety of information that is available to them.

To schedule a library instruction session for your class at the Alexandria Campus Library, course instructors should visit the Reference Desk or call (703) 845-6456. (For the Arlington Center, see information further down the page.)

Please schedule instruction at least one week in advance to ensure availability of staff and space and give us time to prepare materials. We try to tailor our instruction to the specific research project you have assigned, so we always appreciate having as much information as possible about the project – including a copy of the assignment, if one is available. We recommend that you schedule the library instruction at the point in the semester when you expect students to begin their research, so that students will find the instruction more meaningful. We also recommend that students know their topics at the time of the instruction; we typically give students an opportunity to try searches on their topics and to ask the librarian specific topic-related search strategy questions.

Faculty should plan to attend the instruction session with their class, as the interaction among faculty, students and the librarian enhances student learning. Your attendance also reinforces to students the importance of the library research instruction.

Bringing a Class to the Library
If you would like to give your students a chance to work on their research during their class period, you are welcome to bring them to the library. Please check with us before you do, though. This will assure your students of access to needed resources, and also helps us manage limited space.

Also, if your students haven't had instruction in the resources you want them to use, please schedule library instruction before bringing them in – it's far more efficient for both them and us to give the same information to a class all at once instead of having students wait in long lines as a Reference Librarian helps them one at a time.

Teachers need to accompany their classes while in the library.

Computers in the Library Instruction Classroom (room 327)
Students must use their individual student usernames and passwords to log on to the computers in the Library Instruction Classroom. Students should already know these usernames and passwords BEFORE they come to the library for instruction. Students can search for their usernames and passwords on the Help Desk's Student LAN page.

Arlington Center Instruction

Library instruction is available at the Arlington Center. If you would like to reserve a computer lab for library instruction, visit the library or contact David Anderson at (703) 933-5058 for more information. The Arlington Center Library has a computer lab with 20 computers available for research. Space is limited, so if you would like to bring your class to the library, please make arrangements ahead of time.