Our reference librarians and subject specialists can provide hands-on instruction for students designed with a particular course in mind by demonstrating and using the tools that will be helpful for students in the class. Besides teaching search techniques and "tips of the trade," such sessions also provide a wonderful opportunity for students to meet a library staff member whom they can approach with their other research questions. Library sessions can last an entire class session, or can be as short as 15 to 20 minutes (depending on the topic).

Examples of Library Instruction Sessions

• The bibliographer for Spanish languages and literature demonstrates how to look works of fiction in Spanish using the Library Catalog for an undergraduate Spanish class.
  
  
• A preceptor for a BA seminar course schedules an instruction session with a bibliographer to provide an overview of resources for the field.
  
  
• The Library's biomedical specialist attends a session of an undergraduate bio course to teach students how to search PubMed to find articles.
  
  
• A reference librarian provides a session for a public policy class studying immigrant communities in Chicago. The session teaches students how to search newspaper databases, locate government documents, and find census information for specific Chicago neighborhoods. The librarian works with the faculty member to develop a library assignment to assess students' use of the information resources covered in the session.
  
  
• Students for a history course are required for find newspaper articles about African Americans in Chicago during World War II. A reference librarian provides a half-hour session on searching ProQuest Historical Newspapers.
  
  
• For an English course, a reference librarian provides a half-hour overview on how students can use RefWorks to organize their research and create bibliographies.
  

To learn more about the options available to you, contact the Library about scheduling a session.