About Reference and Instruction

The Reference and Instruction department provides a comprehensive program that includes individual assistance and course-integrated instruction. Reference and Instruction Services develop information resources to facilitate self-directed discovery and lifelong learning.

Table of Contents

Location and Hours

The Reference Office is located on the 1st floor of Kimbel Library in Rooms 104 and 105.

The Reference Desk and Ask-A-Librarian reference services are staffed during normal library hours.

See library hours here.

Mission Statement

Reference and Instruction Services support the mission of Kimbel Library and Coastal Carolina University by developing information literate students through research assistance and library instruction.

Information literate students can define an information need and have the ability to access, evaluate and ethically use information to create new information or add to their knowledge base.

Reference and Instruction Services provide a comprehensive program that includes individual assistance and course-integrated instruction. Reference and Instruction Services develop information resources to facilitate self-directed discovery and lifelong learning.

Program Goals

• To develop information literate students who can think critically
• To collaborate with faculty to integrate information literacy across the curriculum
• To become teachers who are aware of best practices and current trends in information literacy
• To develop information literacy classes using constructivist pedagogy and methods that appeal to various learning styles and diversity of learners
• To establish a system of assessment of student learning outcomes
• To periodically evaluate the information literacy program and make revisions as needed

Library Instruction Request Form

Faculty who would like to schedule a library instruction session for their class can fill out the online request form here.

How to Schedule a Session

Faculty requesting a library instruction session can fill out the instruction request form. Check the library instruction calendar for available dates and times. For questions or help with the online form or calendar, call the reference office at (843)349-2414 for assistance.

Due to space and staffing restrictions, only one library instruction session can be scheduled at a time. Faculty wishing to reserve their desired dates are encouraged to request instruction sessions as early in the semester as possible.

Faculty will need to have the following information when they schedule the session:

1. Date and time of class.
2. Number of students.
3. Nature of research assignment: paper, project, bibliography, speech, literature review, etc.
4. Copy of syllabus or assignment.
5. Any special requests for the session, such as resources that should or should not be covered.

Instructor Office Hours - Spring 2013

Reference and Instruction Librarian offices are located on the first floor of Kimbel Library, behind the reference desk. Office hours for instructors also available by drop-in and by appointment. To make an appointment please contact your librarian using the links below.

English 101/102 Classes

English 101

The English 101 session takes place in the library instruction classroom and utilizes hands-on activities. In the course of the session, students will work on locating specific materials for use in their individual projects. As an integrated part of the syllabus, the most successful sessions occur at the point in the semester when students have identified a topic and are beginning their research. English 101 Learning Outcomes.

English 102

The English 102 session takes place in the library instruction classroom and utilizes hands-on activities. The focus is on doing research in a subject specific area, Literature. These presentations and activities build on the skills learned in English 101. As with the English 101 session, the best time to schedule a session is after students have selected a topic and as they begin their research. English 102 Learning Outcomes.

University 110 Classes

The First Year Experience program (University 110) is designed to introduce Coastal Carolina University's first year students to critical and creative thinking. Develpoping students who are information literate is essential to achieving this objective.

Instructional videos which introduce key information literacy concepts are embedded in each University 110 Blackboard course, along with assessements. University 110 Learning Outcomes.

Distance Education Classes

For more information on library services for distance education courses, please visit the distance education page here.

Other University Classes

Library Instruction sessions are available to all undergraduate and graduate classes at Coastal Carolina University. Each session is individually tailored to the research needs of the students in the class and in the discipline.

Coastal Carolina University freshmen receive a basic introduction to research skills through University 110, English 101, English 102 or English 211, but these sessions do not cover resources in the subject disciplines.

Faculty teaching at the sophomore, junior and senior levels are encouraged to incorporate library instruction sessions in any classes that require research.

Sessions can include:

• locating information and resources in the discipline.
• identifying and locating refereed journals in the discipline.
• search strategies for effectively using discipline specific citation indexes such as Oceanic Abstracts, ERIC, PSYCHINFO, Medline, America History and Life, WorldCat, etc.
• search strategies for locating full text articles in discipline specific databases such as JSTOR, Project Muse, ScienceDirect, IEEE.
• evaluating Internet sites.
  

Non-Coastal Classes

Library Instruction sessions are offered to non-Coastal classes that meet the following requirements:

• The students must be engaged in a research project. Students must have already exhausted the resources of their school library and local public library before coming to Kimbel Library. Many of the databases used in Kimbel Library are also available to all school libraries in South Carolina through Discus. When the session is scheduled the teacher is asked to provide full details of the assignment, as well as their research expectations for the class.
• Sessions are limited to no more than 25 students at a time due to space limitations in the library. One teacher or adult must be present for every 10 students. Teachers are asked to stay with the group to help assist them in their research efforts.
• Sessions are only offered when Coastal classes are not in session. Please refer to the Coastal calendar. Teachers are urged to make arrangements as early as possible to ensure getting the dates they want.
• Every effort will be made to accomodate school classes, but availabilty of tours is not guaranteed. Library Instruction sessions are not provided for Horry-Georgetown Technical College classes since similar sessions are available at HGTC.
• General information tours are available to non-school groups. Two week advance notice is required and availability of such tours may be limited.
• Exceptions to the above requirements will be made only by the Head of Public Services.

Teachers interested in scheduling a session for their class should call the Reference department at (843)349-2414 to make arrangements for the session.

Room Use Policy

The purpose of the library's instruction room is to support the library's information literacy program. The room is for the use of librarian led instruction sessions. Currently, the library uses KL 110 as the main instructional space. KL 219 is available when TEAL does not have faculty instructional sessions scheduled.

Due to the demand for library instruction sessions, the instructional rooms are available only for librarian led sessions. If a faculty member wishes to use the library instructional space, a librarian led instruction session or workshop must be booked in advance. Faculty wishing to locate alternative space for their classes should contact the Conference Facilities Coordinator (843)349-3432.

Upon the completion of the final instruction session for the semester, KL 110 will be available to students for overflow study space during the final weeks of the semester.

Assessment

One of the most important aspects of library instruction is assessment of the program and its goals. Assessment is carried out through a variety of formal and informal methods.

Pre- and post-testing is conducted within the University 110 or English 101 program . The results are used to indicate information literacy skill areas where first year students are making or failing to make progress. The results are used to revise instuctional sessions and teaching materials.

Additionally, the library will participate, when possible, in national information literacy assessments such as the Project SAILS test. Results will be used to offer a peer comparison to other institutions.

The library is committed to providing a means for faculty to share feedback with individual librarians regarding their instruction session. An online form is available for faculty use. Feedback will be used by the individual instructors to improve their current teaching practices.

Questions regarding the information literacy program are included in student and faculty surveys. The surveys provide a measure of perceived satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the information literacy program.

The library actively tracks instruction statistics. By tracking details such as discipline and course level, the library is able to work with faculty to design sessions that expose students to information skills at the appropriate level and intensity.

Research Guides

Kimbel Library provides online research guides in many subject areas. Research guides are available here.

Library Tutorials and Instructional Videos

Kimbel Library has created several tutorials on a variety of topics of interest to faculty and students. Please visit the Kimbel Library Tutorials page to view tutorials.The library has also created an instructional video series that covers basic research skills. These videos were produced in support of University 110 and Biology 122, but may be consulted for general use as well. You can view the videos on our Kimbel Library Instructional Videos page.