F&M College Library

Connections and the Library: a Guide for Faculty

Why do we need to introduce students to the library?

Many first-year students have little to no experience with academic libraries (or any library at all!), as evidenced by questions asked by multiple first-year students:  

“How do I rent books from the library?”   |   "What is a reference librarian?"   |   “How is the library organized and how can I find a certain book by myself?”

“Are we on our own for research or does the library aid us in some way?”   |   “Is there a directory to go to where you can search books written on a certain subject?”

How librarians partner with Connections faculty

Every Connections course is partnered with a librarian who collaborates with the professor to create library experiences tailored to the needs of the class.  

Please visit this page (then scroll down a bit) to see examples of LibGuides created specifically for Connections 1 courses.  

Librarians are available to:

  • Consult on how best to incorporate library experiences into a course.
     
  • Create library and scholarly communication content tailored to the needs of a course.
     
  • Lead library workshops actively engaging students in discovering, accessing, evaluating, and citing sources.

Introducing first-year students to the library and scholarly communication

Recommended content for customized library workshops:

  • Introduction to the F&M Library:
    • ​Collections: nature of, physical arrangement, and methods of discovery and access
       
    • Services: Circulation, Research Assistance, EZ Borrow, Interlibrary Loan, Reserves
       
    • Librarians: the role of academic librarians, who they are, how to contact
       
  • Introduction to scholarly communication/scholarly sources:
    • Scholarly communication: from peer review to publication
       
    • Variety of formats:  journals, monographs, edited collections, &c.
       
    • Effective searching in catalogs and specialized indexes/databases
       
    • Interpreting bibliographic data and citations
       
    • ​Determining methods of access to desired sources
       
    • Evaluating sources: for quality and relevance to the research need
       
    • Citing sources: how to cite and why citing sources is important

Librarian contact

Profile Photo
Lisa Stillwell
she/her/hers
Contact:
Shadek-Fackenthal Library #204
717-358-3844
lisa.stillwell@fandm.edu