Sessions can be scheduled during the academic year:

Monday:  8:00 am to 5:00 pm
Tuesday-Thursday:  8:00 am to 7:00 pm
Friday:  8:00 am to 5:00 pm
Saturday: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

We are also available during CSM's summer sessions and at other times by appointment.

Phone: 303-273-3694
Email:

Staff Contacts:

Lisa Dunn, Head of Reference
303-273-3687 | | home page
Specialty: Geosciences
Liaison: Geology & Geological Engineering

Megan Tomeo, Reference Librarian
303-273-3689 |
Liaison: Engineering and Physics

Heather Whitehead, Reference Librarian
303-273-3681 |
Liaison: Chemistry & Geochemistry and Chemical Engineering

Contact the Reference Desk or staff to schedule a session. We need to know...

How many people will be participating?     Small groups (5-15) work best for hands-on activities and demonstrations, but we can accommodate larger groups up to 25-30 depending on the activity.

Who is our audience?     It helps if we know something about their interests and levels of experience with information research. Have students worked on a library-related assignment in class already?

When?     Please schedule an appointment at least 24 hours in advance. We recommend calling a week beforehand to ensure that you get the session time you want. Our sessions are usually set up for a 50-minute class period, unless otherwise arranged. Use the Instruction a la Carte Menu as a guide.

Where?     We travel almost anywhere, but some sessions are best held at the Library. Other activities can be scheduled for your classroom, a campus computer lab, or off campus.

What are your goals for the session?     What do you want the students to learn? Our Instruction a la Carte Menu can give you some ideas. We appreciate a copy of any related class assignment so we can teach to it.

What session format do you want?     Depending on your goals, some formats work better than others. We offer:

• Individual and small group hands-on instruction
• Demonstrations
• Lectures
• Brown bags--Informal sessions usually including demonstrations
• Workshops--More formal sessions usually focused on a database, search engine, or specialized subject, and including exercises and trouble-shooting strategies
• Tours--These are typically introductory orientations of the Library and its collections

Reference Room: This is a public space for small groups of 5-15 persons and 10 computer workstations with Internet access. The Reference Room is best for hands-on work with individuals or class partners and quick demos for 1-5 individuals.

Boettcher Room: This is a public space with group table seating for up to 10-15 or arranged lecture seating for up to 30. AV equipment is available in this room. The Boettcher Room is best for lectures, discussion, and demos for larger groups.

Government Publications, Map Room: These and other special collections areas are best for specific subject-related sessions.

Selections

Our thanks to Radford University's McConnell Library for the model.

A. Before the session, explain why the students are meeting with a librarian. Discuss how the session will support the students' assignments and the goals of the course. 

B. Attend the library session with your students. When you're there, students take the session more seriously. You can ask questions yourself, and answer questions about the assignment.

C. After the session, ask your students for feedback. How could the session have been made more useful? Tell us--you won't hurt our feelings. 

Relevance:  Let students know why learning how to find information is important to their success in class and throughout their careers. If they're not interested in scholarly research, point out that information for personal topics is useful, from buying a computer to planning a trip across country. Tell a personal story that illustrates the power of information. Avoid "busy work" assignments.

Goals. What do you want students to gain from the assignment? You cannot teach information literacy in one session, so focus on a particular skill such as using a database, finding journal articles, or evaluating web sites.

Expectations. Don't assume students know how to use the library, even if they tell you they do. Most students have never experienced the variety of information choices available through a university library. They don't "just pick it up" without a struggle.

Reality. Don't ask students to do the impossible. Do the assignment yourself to test its feasibility. Are the appropriate resources, including library staff, available? If all students are working on the same topic, make sure that the resources they need will be accessible--put materials on Library Course Reserve, check with us about database restrictions, etc. Build flexibility into the assignment to allow for logistical errors, books off the shelf, etc.

Clarity and Accuracy. Be specific in what you want and how you want it done. If you want students to use scholarly articles, make sure they understand what a scholarly article is--don't assume they know. Provide examples of the types of publications you want them to use. If you want students to use a specific database, tell them so.

Topic. Students often have difficulty choosing a topic. Too wide a choice paralyzes many students. Often they end up selecting topics that are too complex to research properly or for which they will find very little information given the time available. Consider offering your students a list of possible choices that you have pre-researched and know will result in success--consult us for help. Consider recommending a handful of resources as a starting point to give the students a research direction.

Critical Thinking. Create an assignment that requires the student to think about the information they are retrieving. It is common for students to take the first things they find on a topic if you don't give them a reason to be more discriminating. 

Pacing. A large research assignment can be overwhelming. Break the assignment into smaller pieces. This way you can catch misunderstandings and problems during the research process. Ask for a draft bibliography well before the paper is due to help you re-direct or expand the student's research. Pacing the assignment discourages procrastination. 

Internet Use. Explain to students the difference between searchable Web information found through tools like Google and the "Deep Web" (restricted or unsearched resources). If students are told not to use Web resources for an assignment, they are severely limited in their research so make sure that's what you mean--our library catalog and almost all of our e-journals, e-books and databases are accessible only through the Internet.

Technology. See Library Computing about our computer resources. Make sure students have a AC&N account, so they can use the AC&N lab and wireless network in the Library.

Getting Help. If we have a copy of your assignment we can support your goals and be more effective helping your students. If you would like a librarian to collaborate with you on an assignment or review your assignment for potential problems, please contact us.

Based on the document created by Sarah Blakeslee and Kristin Tefts, Meriam Library, California State University, Chico.