Tips for Giving Effictive Library Assignments
Why should you require your students to use the library?
- They will gain valuable research skills that they can use throughout their academic and professional careers.
- It exposes them to the wealth of information that is available.
- They will discover that not everything is online!
- You will be happy to see high-quality resources on their bibliographies, rather than lists of questionable website URLs.
How can you make sure that your students get the most out of their library assignment? It's easy!
- Give it purpose.
Make sure your students know why they are being asked to use the library, and how it will help them. Nobody likes to work for no good reason! - Make it doable.
Try the assignment yourself before you give it to your students. Is it feasible? Too difficult or time-consuming? Remember that what seems obvious to you may not be as obvious to your students. Don't set your students up to fail-- if you're unsure about the difficulty-level of your assignment, a librarian will be happy to give you feedback. - Be specific.
Use the correct library terminology, and be specific. If your students know what to ask for, we will be able to help them. Here are some instructions that can be problematic for students:
"Find three articles on your topic."
Where should they look? Should they use articles from magazines, newspapers, or journals? Be sure to note that while the library has some of these in print, the best way to find articles is by using our online databases.
"You are not allowed to use websites."
Differentiate between the general web and the library's online databases. Some students panic when we show them how to use an online database for finding articles. They need to understand that although databases are accessed via the web, they are not considered"websites".
"Cite your sources."
All of these electronic resources have opened up a whole new way of citing sources! Make sure students understand that there are special ways of doing citations for materials that were accessed online. - Make sure we have the goods.
Try to avoid giving every student the exact same topic. Instead of having every student find five books on the history of ketchup, let them choose the condiment they'd like to research. If everyone needs to research the same thing, check with us to see what we have available. We can put some items on reserve (for in-library use) so that every student has access. - Economize.
Please consider bringing your class to the library for a library instruction session so that everyone can learn the ropes at the same time. This provides a good opportunity for learning and further makes the point that good research is important! We don't offer generic sessions- we will tailor them to your discipline and assignment. Click here to access the library instruction request form. - Tell them that help is available!
Studies show that many students, especially those who haven't had a lot of library experience, are afraid to seek help for fear of looking "dumb". Please tell them that librarians have advanced degrees in information science and are here to help! No question is silly. They can even get assistance via email, telephone, or through the live online reference service (LRC Live). Click here for more info.
If you'd like to consult a librarian about your library assignment, please call us at (703) 257-6640. We look forward to working with your students!