Library

Instructors can arrange with us to place textbooks and other resources on the reserves shelf so that these resources are accessible to students. Textbooks have to be provided by instructors as the library does not buy textbooks.

We do buy supplementary resources like books, dvds, reports etc. pertinent to the course or program. Faculty can submit requests for additional resources for your course or program by completing the SUBMISSION FORM.

• To facilitate purchasing decisions in accordance with funding availability, please designate requests by level of importance to the collection as follows: 
  • Level 1: Essential to support a specific course or program
  • Level 2: Provides general support for the course or program
  • Level 3: Contributes towards a balanced academic library collection

 What is Information Literacy (IL)?

The American Library Association's definition of IL:

     "Information literacy is a set of abilities requiring individuals to "recognize when information is needed
     and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information." 

Information literacy forms the basis for lifelong learning. It is common to all disciplines, to all learning environments, and to all levels of education. It enables learners to master content and extend their investigations, become more self-directed, and assume greater control over their own learning. 

(http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency#ildef)

​ACRL's Framework for Information Literacy:

• Authority Is Constructed and Contextual
• Information Creation as a Process
• Information Has Value
• Research as Inquiry
• Scholarship as Conversation
• Searching as Strategic Exploration

Here are a few example of classes offered:

Introduction to Information Literacy: This includes an introduction to using MINERVA, our online catalog to request books and other resources through inter-library loans.

Effective Searches: This shows how to use BOOLEAN and other operators for more effective searching

Evaluating Websites: This teaches different ways to evaluate websites, and recognize authoritative and scholarly websites 

How to use Databases: This can be for specific databases, or as a general introduction to all our databases like Credo Reference, Proquest and CQ Researcher, and the differences between these databases.

Citation and Plagiarism: There are online tutorials which can be used to explain what constitutes plagiarism. Students are also shown how to use tools like Noodletools and Bibme to create citation lists.

Let us know if you would like to request an IL session for your students, or we can incorporate one or several sessions within your on-going classes, especially if it involves students conducting research for a paper or project. We can customize the lessons to complement your program or topics you  have assigned your students to research. Please contact us at the library to discuss how we can best serve your needs.