During the same period in which the general higher education community was increasing its overall focus on first-year student success, the fields of library and information science were pursuing a more holistic approach to development of overall information abilities by moving away from tool-based library skills instruction toward a more…

There are multiple stages to developing critical skills when both the librarian and faculty member are partners in the process. One of the first actions is for both the librarian and the faculty member to be in the library class to help students with information literacy. A teaching dynamic becomes evident, and the students understand the…

Ralph Waldo Emerson's criticism that libraries lack the profession of "professor of books" represents the central problem of bibliographic instruction: an inadequately formed theoretical or conceptual framework. A history of the ideas, notions, terms, and phrases about bibliographic instruction illustrates this. (MSE)

The Library Orientation Exchange (LOEX) provides assistance to librarians in developing library instruction programs for college faculty. It offers information and materials, compiles research reports, constructs bibliographies, and gives advice. (MSE)

The need for a structure for the discipline of bibliographic instruction is discussed in the context of library instruction as a means of developing critical thinking skills in students, based on experiences with student patterns of thought. (MSE)

While the term paper can be a worthwhile teaching device, the project must be carefully structured to be effective. Creative teachers can devise other, equally effective activities to extend student knowledge of and skills in using library resources, such as writing annotated bibliographies, practical research assignments, and projects to evaluate…

Colleges and universities have much to gain from developing a teaching library, whose core component is a comprehensive bibliographic instruction program. The library's active involvement in academic programs leads to improved student skills and faculty productivity, and thus to the institution's educational quality and faculty and student…

Librarians must help students establish basic research skills, enabling students to find their way in the pertinent indexes, bibliographies, and electronic databases. A course at Hampshire College in bibliographical instruction is described. (MLW)

Bibliographic instruction can do more than provide directions on library use for a specific assignment; it can contribute to the objectives of liberal education by teaching skills in asking questions, critically analyzing information, and answering questions. (MSE)