If there's one thing you learn today, let it be this: keywords. Not specific keywords but the idea of them. If you whisper the correct keywords into the algorithm, you will achieve relevance. If you don't achieve relevance on the first try (which is super common), imagine you're an academic with a specialization in a super-niche disciplinary area…

When talking about collection development, few school librarians think about databases. Databases provide learners with a one-stop shop for cross-curricular, up-to-date, vetted information in a structured and easy-to-manipulate format for class projects. To be successful learners, students need to know how to use a database to find the information…

In this column, the author discusses a lesson in the credit-bearing information literacy course for honors undergraduates at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR). The lesson comes last in a unit including resource instruction, search practice, and culminating in the reading and evaluation of a scholarly work. The course, Honors 235: Research in…

The train-the-trainer model has great potential for expanding information literacy programs without placing undue burden on already overextended librarians; it is surprisingly underused in academic libraries. At the University of Kentucky, we employed this model to create a new information literacy program in an introductory biology lab. We…

The ability to navigate and understand the chemical literature is integral to the scientific research process. Learning these skills is therefore an important, though often overwhelming, part of an undergraduate chemical education. We describe an inquiry-based program designed to help chemistry students begin to learn to search and read the…

EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) has been heavily used by UMUC students since its implementation in fall 2011, but experience has shown that it is not always the most appropriate source for satisfying students' information needs and that they often need assistance in understanding how the tool works and how to use it effectively. UMUC librarians have…

The staff at University of Connecticut are participating in Elsevier's Student Ambassador Program (SAmP) in which graduate students train their peers on "citation searching" research using Scopus and Web of Science, two tremendous citation databases. They are in the fourth semester of these training programs, and they are wildly successful: They…

In this article, the author describes five lessons which focus on skills that students will need in any library. The following lessons should be taught during first semester to first-year middle school students: (1) Locating books at the library; (2) Locating databases at the library; (3) Locating encyclopedias at the library; (4) Locating…

Teens are impatient and unsophisticated online researchers who are often limited by their poor reading skills. Because they are attracted to clean and simple Web interfaces, they often turn to Google--and now Wikipedia--to help meet their research needs. The Google Game, co-authored by this author, teaches kids that there is a well-thought-out…

Describes a search strategy method for bibliographic instruction in academic libraries that includes the major types of bibliographic tools and the prescribed sequence in which to use them. The strategy begins with dictionaries and encyclopedias, progresses through bibliographies and subject guides, and ends with periodicals and books. (five…

When helping undergraduates assess materials, academic librarians balance the reference interview with instruction in electronic databases. This article describes a method connecting these tasks with a search strategy dependent on the user's information needs. The connection is made by labeling the user's need with a diagnostic tool based on…

Provides a model for librarians to expand their traditional teaching roles in order to reach users outside the library building. Describes the development of a series of modules designed to teach users how to do research on the Web based on experiences at Widener University, and considers future possibilities. (Author/LRW)

Discusses mental models for online searching and the importance of understanding the user mental models and their search needs in order to teach searching and to help them effectively. Suggests that librarians should try to match the user's perspective first, not just teach a search strategy that is too complicated. (LRW)

Describes the overall design, content, and use of Chemical Literature Exercises and Resources (CLEAR), a set of materials which introduces students to the chemical literature. Indicates that, overall, student evaluations of the CLEAR materials were very positive. (JN)

This project designed to teach library and thinking skills to grade 7 students emphasized the importance of metacognition. Students were asked to choose a research topic and to prepare and evaluate daily research strategies. Allotment of time for planning and reflecting on strategies was considered crucial to the project. (MES)