At Duquesne University, freshmen are required to take a one-credit information literacy course. This course has traditionally been offered mostly face-to-face, but has expanded into more online offerings. Unfortunately, the experience for students and instructors online was not as positive as those involved with the face-to-face version of the…

Ensuring quality library instruction in an online-exclusive First Year Writing (FYW) course is important and challenging. Assessing what the students learned and how is equally important. The authors collaborate and co-teach the information literacy portion of an online-exclusive second semester FYW course at the University of Tennessee at…

Looking for new way to teach high school students how to use the library and library resources? The HeLIOS (Hemingway Library Information Online Skills) tutorial, an online tool designed specifically for high school students, may be the answer. For the past two years, students at home, in classrooms, and at libraries throughout Utah have used…

As undergraduate students increasingly rely on the Internet as their primary method for gathering sources, they often overlook the rich and varied resources available to them in library collections. Furthermore, students often lack the sophistication to effectively seek out and use information, an ability generally referred to as information…

Information literacy instruction is provided in five formats: reference, one-shot sessions, credit courses, library Web sites, and embedded librarians. Each method offers distinct merits as well as limitations. Much can be gained by considering the swirl or interplay of all five and how working with one approach informs the others and results in a…

This article explores the process of embedding information literacy into a basic oral communication course. Discussion includes student performance as an impetus for change, collaborative course design between the oral communication teaching team and instructional librarians, and assessment initiatives. Suggestions for future collaborative work…

The Future Voices in Public Services column is a forum for students in graduate library and information science programs to discuss key issues they see in academic library public services, to envision what they feel librarians in public service have to offer to academia, to tell us of their visions for the profession, or to tell us of research…

The world civilizations course is an increasingly integral component of undergraduate curricula in the United States. History instruction literature reveals much discussion about desired learning objectives for students in the course. Given today's complex educational environment, meeting those objectives can be a challenge. Instructors'…

Examines the use of humor in library instruction, highlighting sources of humor (self, others, everyday life, unpleasant situations, travel), putting humor into practice, early demonstration of classroom humor, and pitfalls (demeaning and forgetting the audience). (PEN)

The article presents a faculty-librarian collaborative course model for information literacy instruction for liberal arts students. Information literacy was integrated seamlessly into a master's thesis seminar, and the faculty member and librarian worked together to teach students effective research skills while helping them make personal…

Discusses the lack of success with lecturing for academic library instruction and suggests active learning as a better alternative. Highlights include a historical overview of active learning; considerations for active learning in the library classroom; and active learning and library instruction for special groups. (LRW)

Describes the use of slides for bibliographic instruction at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The advantages of a slide/lecture format and the cost of slides are discussed, and tips for producing and using slides are offered. (nine references) (MES)

Uses Patricia Lawler's "Keys to Facilitating Adult Learning" to help librarians understand the best ways to teach computerized resources to adult students. Topics include reducing student anxiety; being aware of student expectations; utilizing student experience; encouraging active participation; making lessons relevant to student needs;…

Since 2001, librarians at Oregon State University's Valley Library have been working to build a "teaching library" supported by a clearly articulated instruction program. From the start, we believed that we needed to assess the teaching library's impact, not only to determine the success or failure of our efforts but also to demonstrate…

Proposes that academic librarians use constructivist learning theory, primarily composition theory, to develop a pedagogy for the reference desk. Implies that reference is a form of teaching, and that to maximize their educational effectiveness, academic librarians need to approach reference transactions as academic conferences where teaching and…