Developing Library Skills
by Pamela Donehew, West Georgia Technical Institute

One of the most important skills a student can learn is how to locate information. This is a skill that is necessary for school, work, and for life. As a developmental educator at the postsecondary level, I have found it is best not to assume that students come equipped with a wealth of library skills. In many cases, postsecondary developmental students have not been in a library in years, or if they have, they feel uneasy and stumble around unsystematically. A comprehensive library project, as part of a developmental course, teaches a student how to conduct a more deliberate and systematic search for information. With the rapid changes taking place in the acquisition of information, even nondevelopmental students can be uncomfortable in today's new libraries; therefore, I have developed an extensive library project which all of my developmental students (both English and reading) are required to complete.

It is well worth the time to allow your students to become, not only familiar with, but also comfortable with the library. A simple tour or orientation does not allow students the opportunity to explore or have direct hands-on experience with the myriad of resources libraries house. The time you allot for students to have exposure to the library will save them much time later when they are under pressure of a deadline. What better place is there to send students who have developmental needs in English and reading, than to an environment steeped with written material? Even the most reluctant students find it impossible to resist reading something.

The project I have designed can be modified depending on the demands and time constraints of the particular class. I teach four levels of reading and three levels of English and have designed different tasks for each group. Subsequently, it was necessary for me to develop seven separate assignments.

At certain times in our lives, we face situations in which we must make decisions, or we are given tasks that require more information than we have at our fingertips... A good place to turn is the library.

In its complete form, I allow classes six class days to complete the project. We begin with a tour of the library conducted by the librarians. I schedule this tour at least one month in advance. The librarians are very familiar with the project and gear the tour toward the tasks the students must accomplish. Students become acquainted with the librarians during the tour and are told that the librarian's job is to help people find information. The librarians assure the students that they are there as a resource to be tapped; they also reassure them that no matter how simple their question, they shouldn't be afraid to ask it. One aspect of the assignment is to list a librarian's name and at least two questions the students asked the librarian in order to complete the assignment. This seemingly simply task facilitates students' interaction with the librarians.

At the completion of the tour, I meet with the students and present them with the project. I assure them that the project is not particularly difficult, but it is time consuming and they must carefully budget their time. This then opens the path for a follow-up lesson on time management as direct reference to their time usage during this project can be used as an example.

Although it is one of the librarians' duties to assist students, this activity is rather demanding on the librarians. Therefore, advance scheduling is vital. A meeting between the instructor and the librarian both before and after the activity is essential. The meeting subsequent to the assignment allows the librarians the opportunity to become familiar with what is expected of the students and provides the chance to explain to the librarians how much assistance they should or should not offer. The meeting after, allows the librarians time to share their first-hand observations and give valuable input on how the assignment may be improved or modified. They are in a position to have witnessed the students working and can describe their perceptions of the assignment's strengths and weaknesses. Even though it is the librarian's responsibility to assist students, most extend themselves for students during this assignment. Subsequently, a thank you card and a tray of cookies are warmly received by the librarians as a small token of my students' and my appreciation.

Depending on the level of the class and subject area, the project may include tasks in the following areas:

• Dictionaries
• Book Stacks
• Periodicals
• General & Specialized Indexes
• Internet Search
• Encyclopedias (including CD ROM Database)
• General & Specialized Directories
• Thesaurus
• Computerized Bibliofile usage
• Microforms
• Government Publications
• Nonbook Materials
• Reference materials
• Atlas/Almanacs
• Bibliographic Information

Since developmental students come from all disciplines, the tasks cover a broad range of topics. This is not a research project and, therefore, does not involve gathering information in any specific subject area or on one topic. In order to increase motivation, students are given the freedom to choose any topic in which they have an interest.

To facilitate the procedure I have written a Library Handbook that coordinates with the assignment. The handbook is broken down by categories and contains a Table of Contents. Each area of the assignment contains a direction's section. Contained in each direction's section is a bold faced term that matches a section of the handbook contained in the Table of Contents. The students can refer to the handbook as necessary. Students need not work on the assignment in any particular order, so that when library resources are limited one student will not have to sit idly waiting for another student to finish.

On the day the assignment is turned in, the students are given a feedback sheet which has several open-ended questions for them to comment on the assignment. They are asked to reflect on their experience and predict some instances when they might use their new found skills in the future. The feedback sheets are anonymous, providing the students an environment to respond openly and honestly. At certain times in our lives, we face situations in which we must make decisions, or we are given tasks that require more information than we have at our fingertips. In order to make these decisions or complete these tasks, we must have sufficient background information. A good place to turn is the library. The goal of this assignment is to give students' ownership of the tools to feel comfortable and confident about finding the information they will need.

Back to Top