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Library Instruction Guidelines

If you are a member of the Merrimack College community (faculty, staff, and students are all welcome!) and wish to arrange for a class, use the please email mcquade@merrimack.edu or call ext 5045.

Faculty, Please Note: Librarians can help students generate research topics and keywords, find and evaluate sources, and review citation basics. Research instruction is most effective when students are engaged in a learning partnership between librarians and their instructors. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that faculty collaborate with librarians on class content and attend the library session with their class. Also, instruction is most useful when coordinated with an assignment that requires library research so consider scheduling a class later in the semester rather than the first week of class.

Please provide the Instruction/Liaison Librarian Team with the following information:

  1. The day and time you would like the session
  2. Where you would like the class held
  3. The name of the class and the number of students
  4. How much class time we will have and what you would like us to cover
  5. A copy of your syllabus and/or assignment.

Librarians and instructors will collaborate to identify which of the following areas to prioritize during the session:

  • Generating Research Topics and Keywords
    In the early stages of their assignments, students can develop strategies for exploring their research topics with effective search terms.

  • Research Question Development
    Librarians can reinforce the attributes of a good research question and place it within the context of the research process.

  • Finding Sources (ex. academic, popular, primary)
    Students will practice effective search methods in academic databases and learn how to access materials through McQuade Library

  • Evaluating Sources
    Through activities and discussion, students will become familiar with complex concepts like bias, scholarly conversation, and appropriateness of different types of sources.

  • Citation Basics
    Librarians can introduce students to citation management tools like Zotero, RefWorks, and citation generators within databases.

We do ask that you allow at least one week for us to prepare for your class. Classes are necessarily subject to the availability of library staff members.

Please let us know your information needs and how we might assist you in introducing your students to the research process. We want to ensure that your students have a positive library experience. Thank you for helping us to promote information literacy and library skills!

Library Instruction Calendar

For questions or feedback contact the McQuade Library
Call us: 978-837-5177 | Text us:  978-228-2275 | Email us: mcquade@merrimack.edu