Reviews briefly the state of library instruction in today's academic libraries. Discusses three approaches to teaching library skills at the freshman level and details the author's experiences in working with a freshman composition course. (HTH)

Challenges the assumption that library skills are not a legitimate aspect of sociology courses. Argues that library skills are learned most effectively through an active process of participation and experience. Suggests and describes a library scavenger hunt as an effective learning exercise. (DB)

Suggests linking technical writing assignments to library research in students' fields to build on students' immediate concerns and to reinforce the practical nature of technical writing. Includes two such assignments: the comparative analysis and the user's guide for a specific reference work. (HTH)

Outlines a method for compiling information from secondary sources without assigning lengthy research papers in both business communications and principles of marketing classes. (SRT)

Describes an exercise in which journalism students were given living journalists to research and write about. (FL)

Contemporary undergraduates in the biological sciences have unprecedented access to scientific information. Although many of these students may be savvy technologists, studies from the field of library and information science consistently show that undergraduates often struggle to locate, evaluate, and use high-quality, reputable sources of…

Throughout students' academic careers, they are required to perform a variety of speech-related activities. According to one study, students with demonstrated communication anxiety are less successful academically. Both the instructor and the librarian can contribute to assisting the student with communication anxiety. Using a variety of…

"Library Skills for ESL Students" is a teacher's manual for a university-level course for international students offered at Southeast Missouri State University. This manual includes most things necessary to teach this course: curriculum guide, syllabus, lesson plans, tests, quizzes, and exercises. Several problem-solving exercises are…

Used in freshman composition courses and some other introductory Syracuse University (SU) classes, the primary purpose of this illustrated workbook is to provide students with experience using the different features of the SU Libraries' online catalog, SULIRS. The workbook's self-paced exercises correspond to the text of two SU Libraries…

College students are often reluctant to use libraries, despite the resources available there. Teachers assigning projects that require research might also require conferences with students in the library, possibly in small groups, to provide assistance in preliminary stages. This helps students locate and use varied information sources and…

An approach to using a student's own birthday as the basis of a library research project for college and high school students is described in this brief article. AUTHOR'S COMMENT (excerpt): I found my students became very excited about a topic that introduced them to the library while exciting their curiosity and interest: to investigate events…

The University of Illinois Undergraduate Library offers a unique bibliographic instruction (BI) program for students enrolled in freshman rhetoric, English, or English as a second language courses. It consists of 11 different programs and 10 distinct components, each specially developed for a distinct student group. Although each BI program is…

Describes a three-week library assignment--designed to acquaint freshman students with a large library and with research techniques--that was focused on the topic of censorship. (EL)

The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools believes that programs to improve the undergraduate teaching and learning process should include an appropriate emphasis on information literacy and other resource-based learning strategies. College mission and goal statements and the accreditation process should all reflect this focus.…

Proposes guidelines to promote student-oriented bibliographic instruction programs on college campuses. Urges faculty, librarians, and professional associations to collaborate to develop materials to help students use library resources effectively. Includes guidelines for locating known sources, conducting a literature search, making effective use…