Library Instruction

How we can serve you and your students

Library instruction is a service provided to all faculty by the library. Its purpose is to support the curriculum at IU Northwest by teaching students how to use library resources more effectively and efficiently. An instruction librarian will come and visit your classroom or broadcast live to your Canvas course and teach your students a wide range of topics relating to research. Some examples are teaching your students how to access the library databases or assess the quality of articles for their research.

We are a student-centered library, and therefore, our instruction sessions are catered towards your students’ information needs. An instruction librarian will develop a unique lesson plan for your students based on level of class difficulty, research paper requirements, faculty member’s preferences of resources, and other factors. We can even help guide your students through the research process and develop information literacy skills within their discipline.

Information Literacy

What is IL?

Information Literacy (IL) is the skill of fulfilling one’s information needs. Similar to computer literacy or financial literacy, IL includes the skill of not only finding the most effective pieces of information to solve a problem or write a paper, but it also includes critically evaluating resources within its proper context.

The instruction librarians often use the Association of College & Research Libraries’ (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. This framework is a great tool to develop instruction sessions for your students so they can evaluate their selected resources in their research assignments and beyond the classroom.

Instruction Sessions

What we offer

Students' research needs vary. Therefore, the instruction librarians teach about different aspects of library research and information literacy. These may include:

• Selecting an initial topic for a research paper or other research assignments
• Building multiple search terms and queries to research in databases, including Boolean operators
• Evaluating and critiquing resources based on context
• Identifying fake news, misinformation, and how it spreads
• Demonstrating how to use the library catalog (IUCAT) to find books and library databases to find journal articles
• Using the library’s collection and the Calumet Regional Archives
• How to access Indiana University Libraries’ interlibrary loan system (ILLiad)
• Citation help
• Creating short custom-made videos or webpages (LibGuides) for your class

Instruction librarians can come to your class as a guest speaker for 30, 45, or 60 minutes, or however long the faculty member sees fit. For online or hybrid classes, a librarian can visit your class virtually using Zoom Video Conferencing.

Schedule a session

To schedule a library instruction session, please fill out our online Library Instruction Request Form.

For any questions or special requests, please contact Nico Casas, coordinator of library instruction, by email or phone, 219-980-6806.