Faculty Resources: Services for Faculty

McGovern Library provides library instruction sessions for all classes and subject areas.  Sessions can be arranged and scheduled throughout the year, and can be devoted to effective search strategies, library catalog and database searching, effective research techniques, information evaluation, information literacy and misinformation, citations, and more.  

Instruction Session Descriptions

Introduction to the Library & Resources
This lesson will introduce your students to the library and its resources, both online and within the library. Students will learn how to access the library's website, conduct basic searches in the library's catalog and a database, and be introduced to subject specific information and resources provided by the library. 
Time Needed: 30 minutes

Topic Development and Keywords
This lesson will walk students through the process of refining a topic for research and developing keywords to use while searching the databases. Students will also begin preliminary research within the library's databases based off of the keywords they compiled. 
Time Needed: 50 minutes (or full class period)

Conducting Research
This lesson will dive into the process of conducting research by showing students how to search within the library's catalog, selected databases, and the internet (including Google Scholar). Search strategies, tips, and suggestions will be provided to guide the students during the search process. 
Time Needed: 50 minutes (or full class period)

Evaluating Resources and Information
This lesson will help students learn how to evaluate information they come across during the research process. The lesson can focus on academic information (peer reviewed and other academic articles), or news and cultural information (internet sources, social media, and news sources). 
Time Needed: 30 minutes

Citing Sources and Plagiarism 
This lesson will guide students through the steps to create citation, both for Reference or Works Cited pages as well as in-text citations. An overview of plagiarism and how best to include cited information will also be presented. 
Time Needed: 30 minutes

In-Class Work Day
This lesson allows students time for hands-on research with support from the library. A librarian will be present in the classroom and available to help with research questions, topic development, search strategies, and more. 
Time Needed: 50 minutes (or full class period)

Custom Library Instruction Session
If you would like the library to teach on a topic not listed above, a lesson can be created specifically for your class and its needs. 

Library Guides are a helpful way to provide a one-stop location for information about a topic or class assignment. Guides may cover broad topics (such as the focus of a specific class or section) or be designed to highlight a specific assignment (such as a research paper or project). Topic guides are created to provide helpful services and resources to students. 

Once created and shared with your students, Guides will also be placed under the Library Guide A-Z List's Course Guides tab and linked to the overarching subject's guide (ex: Education, Religion, etc.). Past semester's guides will also be available via link if the information is updated and a newer guide is created. 

McGovern Library provides course reserve services to the faculty and students at DWU.  Course reserves are items that are specifically tied to a course curriculum. 

Materials can be placed on hold for various lengths of time (2 hours, overnight, 1 day, 2 day, etc.). Materials can also be placed on reserve as an In-Library Use Only material. 

To place an item on Course Reserve, contact Judy Lehi at judy.lehi@dwu.edu or (605) 995-2894.

Current Materials on Course Reserve