Library Research Skills Instruction -- A Guide for Faculty  

This guide outlines the ways in which Vassar Librarians can teach your students to understand and use information resources. We can also help you design effective research assignments, and ensure that the library has the research materials that you and your students need. Please explore the tabs above for more information!

The national organization of American College and Research Libraries (ACRL) has established a list of information literacy competency standards for higher education -- and we are hoping you will take advantage of our instruction services so we can achieve these competencies with Vassar students. These standards establish that an information literate individual should be able to:

• Determine the extent of information needed
• Access the needed information effectively and efficiently
• Evaluate information and its sources critically
• Use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose
• Understand the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information, and access and use information ethically and legally.

In accordance with ACRL standards, we've established the following benchmarks:

Freshmen and Sophomores should be able to:

• interpret citations and utilize bibliographies
• identify and use basic research tools and services, including catalogs, article databases, and interlibrary loan
• break down a research topic into concepts, identify keywords, and execute basic searches
• distinguish between popular and scholarly information sources
• know the difference between primary and secondary sources of information

Juniors and Seniors should be able to:

• select and use appropriate article databases based on their research needs
• understand a variety of search strategies including citation searching and keyword and controlled vocabulary searching
• deepen their understanding of scholarly communication across disciplines

To schedule instruction services or get advice or support in assignment creation, please consult the Librarian for your Department or Program.