EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) has been heavily used by UMUC students since its implementation in fall 2011, but experience has shown that it is not always the most appropriate source for satisfying students' information needs and that they often need assistance in understanding how the tool works and how to use it effectively. UMUC librarians have…

This paper will examine the learning needs of millennial students, a generation different from any previous generation, so librarians should adjust their teaching methods to accommodate their needs. Should we, as librarians, consider changing our reference services--the way we present instruction and the materials that we order for the library?…

University at Buffalo undergraduate students are required to complete a non-credit-bearing information competency assessment prior to graduation, preferably within their first year of study. Called the "Library Skills Workbook," this assessment has evolved from a short, print-based quiz into a sophisticated, multi-module tutorial and…

Extensive engagement with current academic sources is expected of all psychology undergraduates. Thirty-eight undergraduate psychology students took part in a series of focus group discussions of their information-searching experiences and skills. The majority of students had not been required to engage with any form of information searching while…

This article reports on the results of a survey of instructional practices in a variety of archival and manuscript repositories. The results of the survey suggest that archives professionals devote a significant amount of time and energy to instructing users of primary sources. However, a relatively small number of respondents conduct formal…

In order to integrate library instruction seamlessly into an introductory biology course, two librarians collaborated with a biology faculty member to create a three-part series of instruction sessions known as the Science Seeker. The Science Seeker taught students about the structure of scientific information by tracing the path that discoveries…

Constructivist learning theories promote students' engagement as one of the key factors in successful learning and knowledge building. Research indicates that the short attention span of adult learners, their need to "learn-by-doing," interact and multitask in the learning process can be accommodated with a positive outcome by…

Information literacy instruction is provided in five formats: reference, one-shot sessions, credit courses, library Web sites, and embedded librarians. Each method offers distinct merits as well as limitations. Much can be gained by considering the swirl or interplay of all five and how working with one approach informs the others and results in a…

Eighteen scholarly papers and fifteen abstracts comprise the content of the seventeenth annual Brick and Click Libraries Conference, held annually at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri. The proceedings, authored by academic librarians and presented at the symposium, portray the contemporary and future face of librarianship.…

This study focuses on a quantitative assessment of undergraduate student use of SFX citation linking software. The study seeks to reveal whether or not students are using SFX, and, if so, how they are using it. Study participants were Penn State Altoona students, all of whom had received basic library instruction. Their research sessions were…

Since the wide-scale adoption of the ACRL "Information Literacy Standards" (2000), there have been numerous students who have graduated from universities that have formal library instruction programs. Currently there has been very little assessment of their post-graduate research skills or what role information literacy plays on workplace…

What are the core competences required by teacher-librarians for developing exemplary school library programs in 21st-century schools? This article reports on a study that explored the experiences and attitudes of graduates from the Teacher Librarianship by Distance Learning program at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. Key findings from this…

This article presents K-12 motivational strategies that focus on different ideas school library media specialists can use to gain and sustain attention in the research topic. Some have come from recent submissions to the S.O.S. database of lesson plans and teaching ideas. A student-directed searching activity for college level library instruction…

Developing lifelong readers is integral to the role of the librarian. Facilitating, encouraging, and promoting reading is not an add-on to the job. Consider the role librarians play in developing readers in school. They know they are contributors; they must make sure the school community is aware of their valuable role in supporting the five…

From Web guides to online tutorials, academic librarians are increasingly experimenting with many different technologies in order to meet the needs of today's growing distance education populations. In this article, the author discusses one librarian's experience using Camtasia Studio to create subject specific video tutorials. Benefits, as well…