BC Librarians can work with instructors to create customized library instruction sessions, including in person and synchronous or asynchronous online instruction. Below are some examples of research skills and topic areas that can be incorporated into these sessions.
Whether you need one of the workshops below or instruction on library tools other than those shown here, the librarian teaching your session will be happy to work with you to meet your specific goals. For more about collaborating with your librarian, see Developing your Session, and for information about signing up for a session, see the Home Page. If you have any other questions related to instruction, please contact the Head Librarian of Instruction Services, Leea Stroia, at leea.stroia@bc.edu.
Librarians work closely with students to introduce a variety of resources and services, especially useful for students new to the university. This session usually covers how to use the library website, what databases are, how to search for sources effectively, how to evaluate sources for reliability and relevance, and a brief note on citing sources. This session does not normally include in-depth citation instruction due to time constraints.
Unlock the secrets of how to find books, videos, journals, and other materials quickly and efficiently, whether you're starting with titles, authors, or vague topic ideas.
Librarians collaborate with faculty to provide library instruction on subject-specific research tools and strategies, focused on course objectives and assignments.
Librarians can come to workshop days in your class to assist students with their research, or librarians can schedule workshop days or office hours that your students can attend in the library. These can be about finding sources, using certain databases, citing sources, or other topics.
Citation can be a troublesome process, with its seemingly endless lists of rules and variations. Librarians can work with students to learn universal concepts underlying all citations, efficient processes for tracking and managing resources, and how to find answers to questions like, "In APA, how do I cite a quotation from a blog post without a clear author or page numbers?"
We can provide instruction on various citation management tools including Zotero. Zotero is a tool that helps you to collect, manage, and cite your references. Using Zotero you can attach PDFs, notes, and images to your citations, organize them into collections for different projects, and create bibliographies.
Librarians can provide support for students in self-guided exploration of library resources, whether that be physically exploring the library stacks to find books, discovering different service points and resources, or using the library catalog.
Librarians provide a general, high-level overview of library resources, focusing on services rather than exploring resources in detail. These sessions are often most helpful for special programs, such as First-Year Experience, incoming student cohorts, or college transition programs.
