Faculty Guide

Don't wait until it's too late to schedule a Library Instruction session for your students!

If you have a research based assignment, one of our friendly librarians can guide your students through the process of navigating library resources, formulating successful search strategies, evaluating the quality of their resources, & more. For instruction to be successful, faculty must attend the library instruction session & it is helpful if we receive a copy of your research assignment in advance.

• Full Session: Our full sessions take place in the Library's computer lab (lower-level) so that students can actively engage with our resources & have "hands on" time to start finding sources. We'll cover the resources that support your assignment (e.g. books, academic articles, etc.) & focus on building successful search strategies, evaluating resources, & grabbing citations.
• Classroom Fly-By: Our instruction "fly by" takes place in your assigned classroom & typically lasts 15-20 minutes. In that quick time, we'll demonstrate how to use the most relevant database for their research, how to grab citations, & how to get help from a librarian later.Need more time? We can do that, too!
• Zoom LIVE WEB courses: If you are teaching an online synchronous course that has a research component, we can join your Zoom classroom for a quick demo that introduces your students to our virtual resources (& friendly librarians). We'll need the link to your class & permission to "Screen Share" prior to the class meeting time.
• Zoom for Off-Site Classes: If you teach a CCP class or one that is offered at a different Cincinnati State site, we can Zoom in during your class's regular meeting time to demo our resources. In this scenario, we'll send you the link to a Zoom session that you can pull up on the classroom's main projector screen.

We prefer at least 2 weeks notice to schedule library instruction & your request should include the assignment. Students find the session most helpful when they are already familiar with the assignment & have topics selected. Email Kathleen Pickens at kathleen.pickens@cincinnatistate.edu to get started.

We also offer Library Workshops in Zoom that are open to all students & faculty. Workshops are focused on finding articles, but also have an "open lab" component where attendees can get help finding their sources. See the Library Workshops calendar for the complete schedule & connection instructions.

A "Virtual" Librarian For Your Class

If you require your students to complete a research-based assignment, consider requesting an "embedded" librarian. An embedded librarian is able to meet your students where they are--in your course site in Blackboard. Your librarian will adapt or create a library guide that will provide your students with the best starting points for their research & will be able to provide personalized one-on-one assistance via email, IM, or phone. After an initial consultation to determine how we can best serve your class's needs, you can opt to:

• add the embedded librarian to your course site as a "course builder" so he/she can assist you with adding the library guide to your course & email the class research tips & reminders prior to due dates, OR
• request an embedded librarian to create a tailored library course guide that you can embed into your Blackboard course site, OR
• embed a current library guide into your Blackboard course. For instructions, watch this short video tutorial.
  Please note: While these library guides are publicly accessible & you may include them in your course without consulting us, it will help us help your students if we are aware of current research assignments & we may be able to suggest alternative resources that will better fit their needs.

DO spend time becoming familiar with the library resources so that you can demonstrate them to your students. Our library guides include video tutorials for finding books and searching for articles; these will help you AND your students navigate college resources.

DO try completing the assignment yourself to make sure that it is doable. Make note of each step you took to get the desired result & include those in the instructions.

DO check your assignment instructions at the beginning of each semester to ensure that all listed resources are still accessible. The majority of our electronic resources (databases, films, ebooks) are not permanent purchases and are subject to replacement.

DO make sure that you are able to connect to Cincinnati State Library's resources from your school before devoting a class period to research. If your school's Internet filters block our databases or guides, it will need to be addressed with your systems administrator.

DO encourage students to seek help when they are working at home, either from our Getting Help page or from their local library.

**Please note: we have very limited staffing and are unable to handle your students sending us individual instant messages at the same time. Please take a few moments to show them how and where to get started (including watching one of the short video tutorials) and they will typically only need our assistance if they hit a snag.

DO NOT assume that because you're students are "tech savy" that they have any kind of computer research skills. Today's information-seekers tend to settle for the first result that pops up in Google, even if it is irrelevant. Academic research is a skill that requires the ability to properly search for, evaluate, and select the best resources to fit assignment needs.