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Creating Effective Research Assignments for Your Students: Role of Librarians

Help your students have a meaningful and positive library research experience.

Work with a Librarian

COLLABORATE WITH YOUR SUBJECT LIBRARIAN               Librarian helping students photo

  • Share your syllabus or assignment with a Subject Librarian and we’ll gladly work with you to ensure that we have the resources that students will need to complete your assignment; we can also recommend possible search strategies and appropriate databases
  • Research Guides, created by the Subject Librarians, are a great source for helping students understand Information Literacy.  Ask your librarian to help create an assignment  where questions can be answered in a  Research Guide for your area.  
  • Encourage your students to get help from librarians. Please copy the following into your syllabus/assignment to direct students to our research support services:
    "Madigan Librarians offer assistance to students who need help locating information for research assignments  Assistance is available any time during  Reference Desk Hours or set up an appointment with your (insert name of Subject Librarian)"
    • Ask a Librarian (phone, text or email)
    • x2409 from any on-campus phone
    • 570-320-2409 from off-campus
    • 800-367-9222 toll-free and when prompted, enter 2409 for the extension

SCHEDULE AN INSTRUCTION SESSION

  • Bring your students to the Library for instruction in the use of library resources, citation styles and more. The students will leave feeling better prepared to complete your assignment or, at least, familiar enough with library services to know where to go for assistance. Contact your Subject Librarian
  • Schedule your class within a reasonable length of time before the assignment due date.  If the students come too early, they may forget what was learned when it comes time to really do their research

INCORPORATE THE LIBRARY’S GUIDES FOR RESEARCH SKILLS

  • Students often forget basic skills that they learned in their first semesters - if they learned them at all! By providing students with links to the Madigan Library Research Guides in your syllabi/assignments, students can quickly access support materials to help them understand and navigate the research process.

ASK LIBRARIANS FOR FEEDBACK

  • Once the assignment has been turned in, librarians may be able to give feedback. 
    • Did any students seem confused or have trouble understanding the assignment? 
    • Were there any resource access problems?  

This guide was adapted from the following: