Not sure what we offer for instruction @Dunn?  Whether in the library or your classroom, the librarians @Dunn can help you and your students to use information efficiently and effectively in research, assignments, and life-long learning.

Below are topics and instructional resources available @Dunn.  You may pick and choose according to your informational needs.

Select a topic and develop a search strategy

• define a need for information and ask relevant questions to develop a research strategy
• choose and refine a research topic
• identify key concepts and terms related to the topic, including specialized vocabulary on the topic
• expanding search to find relevant resources for background information; try subject encyclopedias or Credo Reference.
• formulating a relevant research question or thesis statement
• develop an awareness that information exists in various formats

Using the library catalog to do searches

• searching for books and media by keyword or subject
• finding relevant subject headings
• interpreting results lists, marking and saving relevant items
• using call numbers, location designators and signage to locate items on library shelves
• understanding features of the library catalog including result lists, holds and my Millennium

Searching relevant article databases effectively and acquiring articles

• searching with natural language keywords and phrases
• using the database thesaurus or controlled vocabulary to search
• using Boolean operators and/or search boxes
• evaluating results lists for relevance
• comparing and contrasting Popular Magazines, Scholarly Journals and Trade Publications
• understanding peer reviewed resources
• checking for full-text availability (Journals A-Z)
• revising search strategies for related or more focused results
• marking, e-mailing, exporting, saving, and printing results

Using Interlibrary Loan (ILL) to obtain materials

• knowing how to request an article, book, book chapter or media resource
• learning to create ILLs through WorldCat and online ILL form
• becoming familiar with the rules of ILL

Interpreting different parts of a citation

• understanding the elements of a citation
• differentiating citations in various formats (books, chapters, professional journals)
• differentiating citations in various styles (APA, MLA, Turabian)
• deciphering journal abbreviations (from Medline, PsycARTICLES, etc.)

Distinguishing between primary and secondary resources

• comparing and contrasting primary research articles with books/chapters
• discussing scholarly publishing procedures
• discussing the contributions of primary and secondary literature to disciplinary knowledge building

Identifying and evaluating scholarly and/or popular Internet resources

• evaluating the scope, audience, and currency of information
• analyzing the relevance of information for an information need
• distinguishing between fee-based vs free Internet resources
• assessing and evaluating both the information and the information’s sources

Retrieving relevant resources from current research

• finding full-text resources from a bibliography or works cited list
• searching in the library catalog or WorldCat for books/media
• searching for journals by title (Journals A-Z) to locate in library databases
• using ILL to expand relevant information found

Using disciplinary research literature effectively

• identify most appropriate information resources and data sets
• locating and using dissertations, non-print media, archival materials, etc.
• observing professional standards/guidelines for research within a discipline
• performing cited reference searches to follow a research topic forward and backward in time
• identifying and using remote, specialized research collections

Observing copyright restrictions and avoiding plagiarism

• recognize academic integrity, how it relates to plagiarism and responsible use of information by understanding fair use of copyrighted materials
• recognizing what is copyrightable intellectual property
• understanding the fair use provisions of copyright law
• understanding the conditions for using resources
• knowing when to cite authors and who to cite
• creating bibliographic citations in a given style

Using RefWorks to manage information

• becoming familiar with the capabilities of RefWorks
• learning to export and import citations from licensed databases
• creating records for resources not included in licensed databases and library catalogs
• editing records and creating annotations
• formatting bibliographies

Adapted from University of Alaska Southeast and McConnell Library, Radford University