Library Instruction Program
 Introduction to the Program
The exponential growth of information in recent times has made the research
process more demanding on all of us. To help patrons take advantage of the vast
array of information resources now available through the Library, the
Reference Division offers a variety of educational opportunities for
students and faculty. This section of the Web Server provides descriptions
of our programs.
If you have any questions or would like to know more
about a specific program, please contact Tony Cosgrave, Instruction
Coordinator.
Telephone: 255-7148
E-mail ajc5@cornell.edu
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O*K*U Current Workshop Schedule
These classes on creating web pages, using RefWorks and EndNote bibliographic management software, desktop mapping software, legislative research, and library research are offered on a first-come,
first-served basis to the Cornell community.
Check the schedule
for class times, dates, and further details.
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First-Year Writing Seminars
The Cornell University Library is the first contact many first-year students have with
a large and complicated academic research library. Hundreds of students
enrolled in First-Year Writing Seminars benefit each year from our
instruction program. During a fifty-minute session in our new hands-on
instructional facility, we give the students an overview of the library
system, explain library research methodology, and provide a hands-on
experience with the Cornell Library Catalog and appropriate periodical
databases. Each student also receives a bibliography of reference
materials relevant to a specific library assignment. The library
assignment is designed by the writing seminar instructor and the librarian
and is intended to introduce the student to basic reference tools in the
subject area of the seminar.
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Upper Division Students
Many juniors and seniors at Cornell are reasonably comfortable using the
libraries, but there are times when a new course demands the use of
unfamiliar resources that can be frustrating to even the most sophisticated
library user. Census material, government documents, complex databases,
and microforms are among the sources that can cause difficulties.
For students needing such materials, we offer a more advanced form of
instruction keyed to the specific needs of the course. We might discuss,
for example, using NEXIS/LEXIS Academic Universe effectively for legislative research or
finding archaeological site material.
Upper division students are also more focused on a specific discipline and
an benefit from an advanced orientation to the literature in their field.
This type of instruction can be particularly useful for honors students.
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Large Lecture Classes
In lecture classes where a hundred or more students are required to write
papers, often on more or less the same topic(s), students competing for
access to library materials tend to panic. Sometimes chaos results, with
pages torn from journals and numerous students unable to find any material
at all. Our instruction program for large lecture classes attempts to
prevent some of these problems by giving students a better handle on search
strategy and a more complete knowledge of various library options. Our
methods include lectures to sections, or to an entire class; appointments
with individuals; and workshops for faculty and teaching assistants.
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Tours of Olin*Kroch*Uris Libraries
At the beginning of each semester the staff from Olin and Uris Libraries conduct
orientation tours to give new students knowledge of the physical arrangement of
the buildings, their collections, and the general policies of the libraries. Tours
should not be confused with instructional sessions. The tour emphasis is on the
where, not the how. The Reference staff offers other programs that instruct people
on how to make use of the library's resources. A tour will make students feel
comfortable with the library and staff, and is a first step to a continuing involvement
with the library.
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Workshops for Graduate Students, Teaching
Assistants, and Faculty
In some courses it is more appropriate that the instruction in library use
come directly from the professor or teaching assistant in charge of the
class. Cornell's library system is large and complex. New faculty members
and graduate students have much to learn about it before they can transmit
this information to their classes. The Olin*Kroch*Uris Library Instruction
Program includes workshops for new faculty and teaching assistants in
which, during an intensive few hours, we cover the basic elements of the
system and answer questions about it.
Graduate students are also frequent library users for their own work. To
meet this need, we offer a series of more advanced discipline-specific
programs. Individual consultations can also be arranged.
A librarian will schedule an appointment to help graduate students,
faculty or undergraduates with specific research questions.
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New Technologies
Reference staff are continuously experimenting with new information
technologies. We offer workshops in using different technologies available
on the Internet, and we also are incorporating the use of Internet
resources into our regular instructional sessions, where appropriate. If
you are interested in exploring the use of new information technologies in
your course, please contact us to discuss the possibilities. A
departmental World Wide Web site is available at this URL: [http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/].
This Web site provides electronic access to library skill guides and bibliographies, as well as
links to worldwide Internet resources.
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International Students Program
Many of Cornell's international students come from countries with library systems
totally different from our own. We have, for many years, provided
instruction to international students in the use of the Cornell Library. In
addition to explaining some of the more basic concepts of the online
catalog, reference materials, and serials locations, this program also
includes general information on libraries in the United States.
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Summer Programs
Cornell offers a large variety of summer programs to students of all ages
and from many backgrounds. Many of these students have never been exposed
to a large academic library and find themselves overwhelmed when they walk
through our doors. If you are in charge of a class which includes Advanced
Placement students, COSEP students, or any other summer group in need of
library skills, please contact us.
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For more information contact: Tony Cosgrave, Instruction Coordinator.
Telephone: 255-7148
E-mail: ajc5@cornell.edu
Revised 18 January 2008 (nm)
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