Effective Assignments Using
the Library
Or, You Don't Get Muscles from a Tour of the Gym
Why give an assignment using the library?
At the college and university level, disciplines use libraries quite differently.
For some disciplines, the library is a repository of information (statistics,
laws, maps, etc.), while for others it may contain the primary or secondary
sources for research. Either way, just as reading and writing are
basic to every single college-level class, so is using the library.
Think of the library as the laboratory where your students experiment,
explore and emulate what you have presented in the classroom.
Note to self: Effective assignments tie
in to established course objectives.
Typical faculty explanations of what students need:
"...to feel comfortable in the library"
"...to learn how to browse in the stacks"
"...to be able to use the catalog and find books"
"...to obtain and read material for the class"
"...to get an overview of publishing styles and formats in the field"
"...to master a particular kind of publication (such as a scholarly
journal, law book or index)"
These justifications are fine as far as they go, but they are rather like
the blind men and their proverbial elephant, each clinging to only one
library function.
Note to self: Effective assignments build
on what students already know to create a foundation for more complex learning.
JUMP
TO SELF-CHECK #1
back to top
What is the right kind of assignment for my class?
Choose your focus:
-
Mechanics (computer skills, locating materials)
-
Resources (reference works, statistics, primary sources)
-
Research skills (searching, narrowing topic, evaluating sources)
Choose your method:
-
Cumulative project (bibliography, paper, poster, speech)
-
Single module (library tutorial, demonstration or stand-alone worksheet)
JUMP
TO SELF-CHECK #2
back to top
Note to self: Effective assignments
provide problem-solving activities that expand students’ capacity for critical
thinking.
Checklist of BASIC library instruction topics
-
Physical layout of the building
-
Library terminology (such as "stacks" "serials" "citations")
-
How to read a citation and a call number
-
Differences between books, periodicals, government documents, dissertations,
etc.
-
Differences among periodicals (scholarly, professional, commercial) and differences among
articles (editorials, reviews, research reports)
-
Difference between databases and Web pages
-
Basics of how to search the catalog and locate materials
-
Differences between a library catalog and a periodical index or database
-
Basics of how to search a database
Checklist of INTERMEDIATE library instruction
topics
-
Relationship between periodicals, indexes, and databases
-
Choosing appropriate databases
-
Developing appropriate search strategies
-
Evaluating published sources of information
-
Understanding plagiarism and how to avoid it
Note to self: Effective assignments rely
on reference librarians to solve problems, not to teach the main content
of the assignment.
JUMP TO SELF-CHECK #3
back to top
Ideas for assignments
-
Compare and Analyze Book Reviews
For a book that has been widely reviewed, evaluate the reviews based on intended audience and content.
-
Explore Sub-fields or Employment in a Discipline
Use reference works to gather information on the sub-fields or job
descriptions available in the discipline.
-
Trace the Career of a Scholar or Writer
Develop a timeline of ideas and bibliography of key works.
-
Comparative Search
Search for information in different resources (catalog, databases,
Web) and critically evaluate the results.
-
Empirical Search
Search the same database using different limits or word combinations
to explore how search syntax functions.
-
Comparative Genres
Compare a popular and a scholarly article on the same topic.
-
Source Tracking
Locate a popular or news article on a topic of interest, track down the original research
article or related scholarly work, and compare the two articles.
-
Martian Library Ethnography
Small teams of students pretend they are from Mars, observe and describe
library functions and values.
-
Library Utopia
Describe in detail the ideal search tool for journal articles. Compare
your ideal to some actual indexes or databases.
-
Library Pathfinder
Explain to classmates how to find information on a topic, show how
information is organized and how choices are made in searching.
-
Grounding Opinions
Have students choose an editorial and then search out evidence to support or refute the opinion.
- Learn Through Teaching
Small teams work together to create a lesson plan teaching third graders how to use reference books
(or the online catalog or other resources).
- ...in Another Country
Students search for a relevant topic in articles about the U.S. and about another country.
They write a reflective essay on the differences in the search results or in the content of the articles.
Note to self: Effective assignments involve
a variety of learning modalities, including interpersonal communication
and collaboration.
back to top
What are some pitfalls to avoid?
Scavenger hunts and obscure searches
Information hunts, even sophisticated ones, incorrectly give the impression that searching is a single
dive for a single item of information. Trivia hunts or assignments to use difficult formats such as
microforms are particularly bad ideas. If you ask students to do a trivial search, they will think library
research is trivial. If you give a difficult task when it is not necessary (for example requiring students
to use microforms when other formats are more easily available), they will get the impression that library
research is onerous and arbitrary. If you want students to take research seriously, then give them an
assignment that respects their intellect and the complexity of the task.
Assigning everyone to the same (non-digital) resources
Journals and reference materials must be re-shelved after use, and
this takes time. Even if your students are working on different topics,
they may still need to share the same journals or reference materials.
Put heavily used items on reserve!
Using assignments directly from textbooks or other universities
Each library uses different resources and terminology. Use local terminology, and if the textbook uses other
terms, explain the usage. ALWAYS check that the library owns the resources before you assign or suggest them.
Using vague or incorrect terminology
Be careful to use correct, specific terms. Do not call the catalog a "database" or "the library web page," as students
will be confused. Specify what you mean by "professional" "scholarly" etc. sources in your discipline, because students
may have heard other definitions in other classes. Distinguish between articles, journals and databases.
Note to self: Library tools and resources
are changing fast. The effective professor is constantly updating
her own library skills.
Selected Resources on the Web
LOEX Instruction Links
http://www.emich.edu/public/loex/teaching_resources.html
Share Your Teaching Tool Kit: Bibliography
(ACRL Instruction Section)
http://www.ala.org/ala/acrlbucket/is/conferencesacrl/midwinter001/shareyourteaching.htm
Ideas for Library/Information Assignments
(Memorial University of Newfoundland)
http://www.library.mun.ca/qeii/instruction/assignment_ideas.php
Assignments to Promote Information Competency
(Palomar College Library)
http://www.palomar.edu/library/infocomp/assignchart.htm
Creative Library Assignments
(Gustavus Adolphus College)
http://www.gustavus.edu/oncampus/academics/library/facultyresearchassignments.html
Term Paper Alternatives
(UC Berkeley)
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/PaperAlternatives.html
Creative Assignments
(Ohio University)
http://www.library.ohiou.edu/libinfo/depts/refdept/bi/alternatives.htm
Sample Assignments
back to top
This page last updated December, 2005