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  Information Instruction at
Westfield State College

Goals:

• Support members of the college community by facilitating access to the vast array of resources available to the college.
• Introduce students to the tools, resources and research skills necessary to complete course assignments and to become critical thinkers and competent users of information important to academic and professional success.
• Work collaboratively with faculty and staff to promote information literacy skills in a dynamic technological environment.
• Make use of a variety of educational approaches to support the course-specific goals defined by faculty and to accommodate the differing needs and learning styles of individuals.
• Coordinate, assess, and continuously improve instruction activities and materials to stay current with changing curricular needs. Monitor and evaluate new and traditional technologies as appropriate for teaching and accessing information.
• Introduce new methods of instruction targeted to the needs of specific audiences as personnel and resources become available.
• Increase awareness of and participation in library programs and services that meet the needs of an increasingly culturally diverse community.

Objectives:

• Provide instruction to all freshmen through the English 101 required course component

Freshmen at Westfield State College will be able to:
• develop successful research strategies to meet specific information needs.
• identify service points and collections in the Ely Library.
• locate books, full-text and print journal, magazine and newspaper articles.
• evaluate sources using a specific set of criteria.

• Provide subject specific instruction to lower and upper division students through course-specific collaboration with faculty.

Upperclassmen at WSC will be able to:
• define their information needs and the types of publications which would be useful to them.
• identify and use sources related to their major area of study, including but not limited to electronic databases, reference books, and core journals.
• evaluate information retrieved by using a specific set of criteria.

 
• Provide instruction to Graduate and Continuing Education Students through individual consultation and course-specific collaboration with faculty.

Graduate students at WSC will be able to:
• identify and use sources related to their major area of study, including but not limited to electronic databases, reference books, and core journals.
• evaluate information retrieved by using a specific set of criteria.

Information Instruction is available for any class at Westfield State College upon request by the instructor.  For more details on what to expect, see the detailed objectives for Introductory and Subject-Specific Information Instruction Sessions.

• Schedule research sessions as soon as possible.  At least two weeks advance notice is required to assure available times and to allow the Librarians time for class-specific preparation.
• Schedule one focused session or multiple sessions throughout the semester to increase hands-on exposure to research tools.  Follow-up sessions are encouraged, provided enough time is allowed for preparation of materials.
• Level of specificity will depend upon course grade level and students' previous exposure to relevant materials, equipment, and concepts.
• Request an Information Instruction Session by contacting Corinne Ebbs, Information Instruction Coordinator (572-5464), or by stopping at the Reference Desk in Ely Library (572-5234).

Meet with a librarian for in-depth instruction and guidance in using Ely Library resources.

• This service is available to all members of the College community
• Advance sign-up is required.
• Plan ahead!  Request an Individualized Instruction session by contacting Corinne Ebbs, Information Instruction Coordinator (572-5464), or by stopping at the Reference Desk in Ely Library (572-5234).

Areas in which In-depth assistance is available:

Research Strategies: See the following guide to research:
     Research Strategies will provide ideas on how to find information, where to go, what to use, etc.
     Remember to ask at Reference for more help.

Database Searching:  See the following help sheets:
     Guides to Using Databases
     Subject List of Databases
     Alphabetical List of Databases

Internet Searching: See the following help sheets:
     WWW Resources by Subject
     WWW Searching Tutorials

Subject Searching: You specify the topic.  See:
     Subject Research Guides to get you started with background information in the Reference Collection.

Other Topics:
     Finding Books, Videos, CD's, and other materials:  Use the Ely Library Catalog Guide for help.
     Finding Book Reviews: How to locate reviews of fiction and non-fiction books.
     Literary Criticism: To find criticism of novels, short stories, essays, poems, use the Guide to Literary Criticism.

• To Schedule an Information Instruction Session:
• Corinne Ebbs, Information Instruction Coordinator, 572-5464 (x5464)
• Brian Hubbard, Head of Reference, 572-5482 (x5482)
• Other Information Instruction Team Members:
• Teri Shiel, Reference/Information Instruction Librarian, 572-5483 (x5483)
• Oliver Zeff, Reference/Information Instruction Librarian, 572-5640 (x5640)
• For general inquiries or to set up an appointment for Individual Instruction:
• Reference Desk, 572-5234 (x5234)

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Page created & maintained by Corinne Ebbs
Last updated January 7, 2008