Indianapolis: Schedule Instruction

Faculty Guidelines

The librarians at Ivy Tech want to integrate library instruction with your course content to provide assistance with specific assignments and develop information literacy skills. Librarians can customize library instruction and demonstrate the most appropriate library resources for your course assignments. Communication between instructor and librarian is essential for ensuring that your information needs and curricular objectives are met. Listed below are guidelines for scheduling library instruction:

• Plan ahead

Library space and computer availability is limited. To provide the best service possible, we require a minimum of two weeks' notice when scheduling your library instruction. This way, we can reserve the library classroom for you and have time to prepare for your class.

• Timing is everything

Library instruction is more meaningful when it is relevant to current course assignments. Make sure your students clearly understand their course assignments before attending library sessions. Ideally, library instruction should be scheduled close to the time students begin working on their assignments.

• Your presence is requested

Instructors must accompany their classes to library sessions; students are more involved and their learning experience is enhanced when instructors are in attendance. Instructors are able to stimulate discussion, highlight points, and add additional information pertinent to their classes. 

Library assignments

If you want to get students involved in doing research, assignments are the way to go. We've put together some helpful hints in designing library assignments to make full use of library resources and student time.

1. Consult with a librarian before you give the assignment. We can work with you to ensure that we have the resources on hand for the assignment and offer suggestions.
2. Notify the library. Sending us a copy of the assignment allows us to be aware of it and offer help to students if they have trouble, as well as to make sure items are on hand and ready. If a single book will be required for multiple parts of the assignment we can make sure it is on reserve so a student doesn't check it out and prevent others from using it.
3.  Be clear on the difference between internet resources and library databases. Please clarify that a database or electronic journal to which the Library subscribes is not the same as searching the World Wide Web, as many students are afraid to use our electronic collection when they have been told not to use "the internet." If your assignment calls for it, you may also wish to distinguish between the large amount of fairly authoritative government information online and other less reliable sources.
4. Assume minimal library knowledge. Although many students may be familiar with using some library tools, few really understand the details of research such as how to locate items in our library using databases and call numbers. Many do not know how to use subject headings or keyword searches. Some students are not comfortable using computers, while those who are used to computer use may lack the skills to critically evaluate information online.

See Also

• Policy for library classroom use