There is a lot of talk (and a lot of assumptions) about today’s “tech-savvy” students. Yes, students can post to Twitter, download media, and hang out in Facebook, but…tech-savvy students still struggle with finding quality information, evaluating content, and synthesizing concepts to develop their own ideas.
Students in all disciplines can benefit from improved critical thinking, sharper research skills, and a broad knowledge of available resources. These skills, which are part of the broader concept of information literacy, have become one of the most vital sets of skills for the twenty-first century. A librarian, working with a course instructor, can design a presentation that promotes information literacy, based on the goals and objectives of the course.
Students who are savvy about available resources and strategies for using them spend less time struggling to find information, and more time reading and analyzing materials important to the learning and research process. Faculty who arrange for course-related instruction usually decide to make it a permanent component of their courses.
Librarians are flexible! We can deliver these presentations in the physical classroom, or virtually. For example, librarians can “Skype in” to the class to present library resources and search strategies, answer students’ questions, and set up one-on-one research consultations on the spot. Librarians also work frequently in the ICON environment, where they can post pod-casts, short tutorials, LibGuides, or video-clips with relevant content. Librarians offer online office hours, as well.
Another exciting possibility is that of adding a virtual library component to your class on a regular basis throughout the semester. Virtual or physical presentations can be a consistent part of the class, rather than trying to introduce all the information at once. Please talk with your librarian liaison about adding a custom research component to your classes.
Below is a list of just a few of the skills and concepts that librarians can help students to learn:
- How to read citations
- How to find quality resources
- How to evaluate information
- Social and ethical contexts of information (including plagiarism)
- Differences between online library resources and free Web sources
- Differences between primary and secondary sources
Kathy Magarrell
Head, Reference and Library Instruction
More about the author:
As the largest library system in Iowa, The University of Iowa Libraries provides leadership in the creation, transmission, and preservation of knowledge to advance intellectual discovery and encourage life-long learning.
Continue the conversation:
Please visit the HawkID password-protected 4CAST Forums to share ideas and resources with colleagues on campus.
