Library Instruction
This post is for any one teaching a freshman level class such as English 1101 or 1102, GSU 1010 or other freshman level classes.
If you would like to schedule a library session, please give students an assignment that requires library research. Please do not give general scavenger hunts or send a class of students to the library to look for the same book or periodical. Assignments that suggest a source or type of reference work can be a good way for students to learn about the library if a full term paper is not assigned. It’s important to think about what you want students to learn. Here are some examples of short library assignments:
- Use GIL, the library catalog (https://gil.gsu.edu ) to find one book by the author, Ernest Hemingway. Write down the call number and location of the book. Photocopy the title page of the book. (Students learn to use GIL and find books on the shelf.)
- Have students write a ‘’library story’ in the form of a play, screen play, poem, or short story that includes important facts about the library. (Student use a fun approach to creative writing which reinforces what they have learned about the library.)
- Use one of the full-text databases in GALILEO such as Academic Search Complete (EBSCOhost) to find a scholarly periodical article on the topic, ‘child abduction.’ Use MLA style to cite the author, title, periodical, volume, issue, and year. (Students learn to use electronic databases to find articles on a current topic and the instructor has the opportunity to talk about parts of a periodical citation and using MLA Style for footnotes or bibliography.)
Other typical assignments in freshman level courses are argumentative papers that present a certain point of view on a controversial topic, papers on literary subjects, annotated bibliographies, or term papers on topics chosen by the instructor or students.
Library Tours: In general we do not give physical library tours for classes. The Library has two classrooms available for instruction or the librarian may be able to come to your classroom if you have computer access.
Scheduling: You may use the online request form at http://www.library.gsu.edu/forms/lir.asp to schedule a class. To use this form you must have a GSU email account. Instructors in Applied Linguistics, English, and Modern & Classical Languages may call me at 404-413-2857 or send email to rdrummond@gsu.edu to schedule a class.
NOTE: If your English 1101 class is part of a Freshman Learning Community (FLC), check with the instructor of the GSU1010 course within the FLC to see if library instruction has already been scheduled for GSU1010. Students should be scheduled for library instruction in EITHER GSU1010 or ENGL 1101, not both.