Westfield State College Ely Library
Information Instruction Home

Information Instruction Program

Program Information	For Faculty	For Students
Mission Goals Objectives Groups to be Served Information Literacy Competencies Facilities Contacts	Request a Session ENGL 101 Introduction Subject Specific Sessions Assignment Ideas Detecting Plagiarism Active Learning Techniques	Individual Appointments Scholarly vs. Popular Avoiding Plagiarism

Mission Statement:

The Information Instruction Program prepares individuals to make immediate and lifelong use of information effectively by teaching the concepts and logic of information access, and by fostering information independence and critical thinking.

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.

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.

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.

Groups to Be Served

If you are...	...the Information Instruction Program will benefit you in the following ways:
Students:	Gain the skills and knowledge to become critical thinkers and competent users of information resources so you are able to locate, critically evaluate and use information to inquire, learn, and solve problems for use in curricular pursuits and to actively contribute to your communities throughout your lifetime.
Faculty:	You will be supported in your research and teaching needs through individual and group contact and through course-related instruction sessions.
Staff:	You will be supported in your office use of networked information sources through individual meetings and group workshops, and will be informed about resources made available through the library.
Community:	Make requests for instruction sessions beginning at the high school level and we will meet with you when possible during WSC intersessions and breaks.

Faculty: Request an Information Instruction Session

To request a session, you can fill out an online request form at http://www.lib.wsc.ma.edu/instruction_request.htm, or contact Oliver Zeff, Acting Information Instruction Coordinator (572-5640), Patrick Hartsfield (572-8921) or stop by the Reference Desk at the Ely Library (572-5234).

Information Instruction is available for any class at Westfield State College upon request by the instructor.
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 Individual Instruction: Open to all Members of the Westfield State College Community

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 Oliver Zeff, Acting Information Instruction Coordinator (572-5640), using the online request form, or by stopping by the Reference Desk at the Ely Library (572-5234).

Note to Faculty: These individual instruction appointments are not intended to replace class-related Information Instruction Sessions. Other times may be available. Call the Reference Desk for an appointment (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.

Contact:

To Schedule an Information Instruction Session:

Oliver Zeff, Acting Information Instruction Coordinator, 572-5640 (x5640)

Patrick Hartsfield, Library Assistant, 572-8921 (x8921)

Brian Hubbard, Head of Reference, 572-5482 (x5482)

Other Information Instruction Team Members:

Teri Shiel, Reference/Information Instruction Librarian, 572-5483 (x5483)

Amy Chapman, Reference/Information Instruction Librarian, 572-5464 (x5464)

For general inquiries or to set up an appointment for Individual Instruction:

Reference Desk, 572-5234 (x5234)

Page created by Corinne Ebbs
Page updated by Oliver Zeff
Page maintained by Patrick Hartsfield

Last updated July 23, 2009