Library Instruction Program

Drop-In (5 minutes) – A librarian will drop into the classroom for a brief introduction and description of library resources and services.

Resource Overview (15 minutes) – A librarian will come to the classroom to give students an overview of the “must-know” library resources for a particular course including subject guides and subject specific databases.

Library Tour (15 minutes) – A librarian will introduce the library’s staff, spaces, and item locations to a class.

Intro to Library & Research Skills (50 minutes)
– Covers a little bit of everything. Students will be introduced to Taylor Memorial Library’s resources including the website, research guides, Catalog, Cyclone Search, and eBook searching, accessing print and electronic books and periodicals, plagiarism, citations, etc. Designed primarily for freshmen and sophomores. Session is by no means exhaustive but great for new researchers.

Searching the Online Catalog and eBooks (30 minutes)
– Covers the difference between the Dewey Decimal and Library of Congress Classification systems, call numbers (how books are arranged on the shelf), Library of Congress subject headings, accessing and reading electronic vs print books. Includes hands-on research time

Database Searching (30 minutes per database ) – Covers combining search terms, revising search phrases, locating, accessing, and reading journal articles in general databases such as Proquest, or EbscoHOST, and saving, printing or emailing sources. Professors can suggest a database to cover.

Internet Resources and Evaluation (30 minutes) - Covers Taylor Memorial Library's website, selected search engines (Google Scholar), Wikipedia, and evaluation of information on the Internet (CRAAP test). Includes hands-on research time.

Researching for the Literature Review (60-90 minutes) – Covers developing a research strategy, brainstorming search terms, building search strings, database searching techniques, and synthesizing material. Professors are encouraged to schedule this session after students have chosen topics. Librarian must be provided with course syllabus and assignment description. Includes hand-on research time.

Researching for the Annotated Bibliography (60-90 minutes) – Covers developing a research strategy, brainstorming search terms, building search strings, database searching technique, and creating citations. Professors are encouraged to schedule this session after students have chosen topics. Librarian must be provided with course syllabus and assignment description. Includes hand-on research time.

Other Assignment-Specific Instruction (60-90 minutes) - Incorporates instruction tailored to a specific assignment or subject.  It is recommended that notification of subject areas be given one week in advance to allow for adequate preparation.  Librarian must be provided with course syllabus and assignment description. Includes hands-on research time.

Developing a Research Strategy (30 minutes) - Covers selecting a topic, writing a research question, and brainstorming search terms. Includes interactive exercise.

How to Read Citations (15 minutes) - Covers the components of book and journal citations.

Cite Right (30 minutes) – Covers citation creation (in-text and worked cited list) in APA or MLA style for books, journal articles, and websites.

Plagiarism: Keeping it Honest (20 minutes) – Covers Centenary’s Plagiarism Policy, defining plagiarism, paraphrasing, when citations are required vs. not required, and tips on how to avoid plagiarism.  

Popular vs. Scholarly Periodicals (10 minutes) – Covers what “peer-review” means and the differences between academic and popular periodicals.

Requesting Items from Other Libraries: ILL (10 minutes) – Covers how to search for resources in our library and in other academic libraries and how to request these resources be sent to Centenary.