Introducing Students to Library Research

This Guide is a toolbox for teaching academic research. We hope you will use the tutorials and assignment ideas in your course or class.

• Scholarship as Conversation describes the scholarly dialog and where students fit.

• Research as Inquiry describes the process of choosing a topic, developing a perspective using research.

• Authority is Contextual - authority depends on context and the reader holding an attitude of informed skepticism.

• Information Creation as a Process - from blogs to news to academic articles, understanding format leads to better research.

• Searching as Strategic Exploration - methods of searching vary but effective researchers have some tips and tricks.

• Information Has Value relates to legal, ethical, and socioeconomic issues related to information production and dissemination.

Each page is based on a threshold concept from the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education.

ACRL Framework for Information Literacy Sandbox "allows for searching, browsing, and contributing to a repository of materials related to the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. It serves as a resource for librarians seeking to engage the Framework in their instructional practice, by providing access to materials created by those in the field. Materials made available in the Sandbox address the Framework, and include information about the context in which they were created and used. The Sandbox, in tandem with the Framework listserv and the Framework website, offers evidence of the Framework’s impact on the work of information literacy instructors, researchers, and learners. The target audience of the Sandbox is librarians and academic partners seeking lesson plans, instructional materials, professional development, and research on understanding and using the Framework within the classroom setting and on the programmatic level.  "

CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments) is "an open access resource for faculty and librarians. It is intended to be a collaborative space for adapting and experimenting with research assignments and sharing the success or lessons learned so that others may benefit. The database contains multiple, reliable and reproducible research assignments that do not live as isolated entities, but are enhanced by user feedback in order to build a rich corpus of best practices. There is also a Teaching Toolkit featuring a wide range of resource types including pedagogy/theory, assessment, librarian blogs, classroom activities, technology tips, subject guides, citation tools, and information literacy tutorials." In the Toolkit under "Resource Type" please note the Pedagogy/Learning theory resources, which include conference materials, scholarly articles on teaching and learning, and resources on the ACRL Framework.