Research Instruction

The Renfro Library offers a variety of research instruction options including:

    1. A standardized freshman instruction program
    2. Custom sessions designed for specific disciplines and courses
    3. Assistance in designing assignments that incorporate information literacy elements
    4. Guidelines for research portfolios for senior seminar /capstone courses
    5. One-on-one research consultation sessions for students involved in advanced research or those identified as needing additional help with the research process

Freshman Instruction Program

FYS 111

    Renfro librarians provide a single session that is an overview of library resources and services, including a hands-on activity that familiarizes students with the library basic resources, layout of the library and the library’s webpage.

ENG 112

IDENTIFY

    various types of information sources and their application to different information needs.

UNDERSTAND

    how resources are organized in the library and on the library webpage.

CONSTRUCT

    relevant and appropriately focused research questions using information from topic overviews and other background sources.

APPLY

    effective database search techniques in appropriate databases to search for literature that addresses a specific research question.

EVALUATE

    information resources based on relevance, scope, authority, accuracy, bias and currency.

FYS 112

    Course instructors in this course conduct an activity focused specifically on evaluation of information (based on authority, accuracy, bias, currency, scope and relevance) and critical thinking skills applicable to recognizing misinformation/disinformation.

 

Discipline and Course Specific Instruction

Librarians collaborate with course instructors to design library research instruction that will address the information literacy needs of students in specific departments and courses. These sessions can consist of one or multiple meetings and be composed of any of the following:

    1. Demonstrations of specific resources and search methods
    2. Hands-on guided discovery activities that lead students through specific resources
    3. Unstructured lab sessions for planning and conducting literature searches on specific topics with librarians available for assistance
    4. Assistance in designing library research assignments is also available (see below)

To request a session, please contact us at least 2 weeks in advance of the proposed session date.

 

Library Research Assignments

If you are giving your students an assignment(s) requiring the use of library resources, we would greatly appreciate if you would:

    1. Check on the availability of appropriate library resources and/or collaborate with a librarian to design an assignment that is well supported by our resources.
    2. Email the library with a copy of the assignment guidelines, so that we can be sure to provide appropriate guidance to students seeking assistance at the reference desk.
    3. Incorporate a variety of types of sources (books, professional articles, scholarly articles, reference databases, and appropriate websites), so that students can build information literacy skills for lifelong learning and the workplace, as well as the academic environment.
    4. Provide clear and detailed guidelines regarding the types of sources you expect students to use, including background sources that may not ultimately be cited.
    5. Be careful with the use of terminology related to electronic resources (web, online, digital, electronic, etc.). Although you may want students to minimize the use of open websites, most of the libraries resources are digitized, electronic versions of books and periodicals/journals. We also invest heavily in high quality reference databases.
    6. Encourage students to come to the research assistance desk for help!

Librarians are available to help with library research assignment design. To discuss an assignment, contact library-staff@mhu.edu

 

One-on-One Research Consultations

This service is offered for students engaged in senior seminars or other major research assignments, as well as those identified as needing additional help with research skill building.

To make an appointment, students can contact

Wendy Dover  wendy_dover@mhu.edu, x1492

Kevin Mulhall kevin_mulhall@mhu.edu, x1561

Dane Secor dane_secor@mhu.edu,x1443

 

Research Portfolios

Research portfolios help guide students through and document the results of each step in the research process. They help students allocate time appropriately and assure that they are doing original work.

For more information on research portfolios, contact library-staff@mhu.edu