Faculty Services: Instruction Resources

Librarians at Hoover Library are committed to their shared role with the faculty in preparing students to engage in the academic research process. Librarians encourage students to develop competencies in general and specific areas of study while integrating information skills to become lifelong learners in a global and ever changing society.

To that end, we have established a formal information literacy instruction program that is based on the standards set forth by the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL). Our program begins with the First Year Seminar instruction session that will introduce students to the Library and its services, and a second session covering basic research practices. We can then help students build on these foundational skills as they advance in their majors.

The Library also offers instruction to support advanced or discipline specific research for other freshmen classes as well as for sophomores, juniors, seniors, and graduate students.

When scheduling classes, instruction librarians try to be as flexible as possible. However, to ensure the best possible experience for students and faculty, we have established policies that we ask you to follow.

Scheduling a Class

Librarians ask that faculty schedule classes as early as possible. Librarians need a minimum of one week’s notice to prepare for a class, but ideally librarians prefer two weeks in order to:

• tailor the instruction class to fit your needs;
• schedule the library lecture room for your preferred class date/time; and
• guarantee that library staff is available.

You can request instruction through our Instruction Request Form.

Faculty Attendance

Faculty members are asked to attend library instruction classes with their students. When a faculty member accompanies students to a class:

• students benefit from the combined knowledge of the librarian and the professor;
• emphasis is placed on the value of the library as well as on scholarly research; and
• students tend to be more attentive and willing to participate.

Lecture Room Use Policies

The library's lecture rooms can only be scheduled for library instruction classes or library staff meetings. A library staff member must be present when the rooms are in use.

If the lecture rooms are unavailable, librarians will assist you in rescheduling your class, or a librarian can come to your classroom.

Bringing Students to the Library

If you would like to bring your class to the library on your own, please use our Instruction Request Form a few days before your visit. We can reserve the computers in the reference area for your students; however, during busy times of the semester, a few computers will be made available for other patrons.

Tours

Librarians offer tours of Hoover Library to new and First Year Seminar students. Each tour introduces students to the library and its services; tours last for approximately twenty minutes.

Assignments

Students benefit more from library instruction when the class takes place a week or two prior to a required assignment. Therefore, librarians strongly recommend that faculty schedule library instruction to coincide with a course assignment or research paper.

So that librarians can design an instruction class to meet your specific needs, we ask that, when possible, faculty provide a copy of the course assignment and syllabus to the librarian a week prior to the scheduled class.