Library Orientations

Faculty Guidelines

Faculty are encouraged to bring their classes to the Library for a one-hour orientation.

These sessions are conducted by faculty librarians to introduce your students to the library’s wealth of resources, and to strengthen their research skills.

The library orientations cover both paper and electronic resources and provide students with hands-on experience.

To schedule your orientation, simply call the Reference Desk at 310/434-4254 or stop by the Reference Desk.

The earlier you make the reservation, the better your chances are of getting the dates you prefer. Reservations for an orientation must be made 48 hours in advance.

We require the presence of the classroom instructors during the orientations, both to monitor student behavior and because these sessions are much more successful when the faculty member is present.

The most effective sessions are those where the instructor has given the students an assignment requiring the use of library resources. If you have an assignment, please make sure to send it to the faculty librarian conducting the orientation prior to your session.

Guidelines for Effective Library Assignments

Well-designed course-related library assignments are an effective way to introduce students to library research. The following guidelines are meant to ensure students a positive library experience, and reinforce library use as a means of learning.

Explain the Assignment Clearly, Preferably in Writing and Assume Minimal Library Knowledge.

Students should have selected a topic prior to the library orientation.

Avoid the Mob Scene, Always Be Sure the Library Holds the Needed Information, and Avoid Scavenger Hunts. Dozens of students using just one book, or looking for the same information, usually leads to misplacement, loss or mutilation of materials. Give students a variety of topics and sources. Searching for obscure facts frustrates students, can cause chaos in the stacks, and teaches students nothing useful about research. If planning a library exercise, talk to the reference faculty librarians about designing one appropriate to the class, and to the library.

Present a Realistic Picture of What Is, and What Is Not, on the Web. Students need to know that those expensive databases to which libraries subscribe usually provide quality information that is much easier to find than the kind of hit-or-miss Web searching students often do. When the Web is the best or sole source for the kind of information you require, recommend specific sites, specific expert lists of links, or specific directories to help them find authoritative, timely and useful information.

Consult with a Faculty Reference Librarian before the Assignment. Faculty librarians will work with you to design an appropriate assignment that will achieve your assignment goals/objectives. Sending a copy to the Faculty Reference Librarian who will conduct your orientation will insure that the librarians are ready to help your students when needed.

Adapted from: CARL SCIL

We encourage all students to enroll in our one unit,

Library Research Methods class.

Transferable to CSU!

Questions? Tel. 310-434-4254