Instruction Department

The Linscheid Library offers many opportunities for the development and advancement of information literacy skills. As defined in the American Library Association's Presidential Committee on Information Literacy. Final Report, information literacy is a set of abilities requiring individuals to "recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information."

The library instruction department offers self-guided materials (print and electronic) to be used as starting points for research. We also provide formal library instruction. Types of instruction include:

• Library orientation: tour and brief introduction to library services.
• Course specific orientation: tour and introduction to course specific library resources.
• Electronic searching techniques: introduction to basic searching concepts and application of concepts in specific database(s).
• Research strategies: how to choose and refine topics, identify, locate, and evaluate relevant resources.

Our goal is to provide positive library experiences and to utilize the principles of information literacy to form the basis for independent learning. If you are bringing your class to the library without a scheduled library instruction tour, please call the reference desk at least one week in advance to alert us. Please advise the library instruction department about library-related assigned projects early in the semester to allow us to begin developing resources, search strategies, and tactics to help students when they come to the library for assistance and information.

To schedule a library orientation session, please contact Verlene Schafer by or phone 580.559.5370.