Librarian
Simon Ringsmuth
Contact:
Teaching and Learning Librarian
Research & Learning Services Division
306 Edmon Low Library
Stillwater, OK 74078
Research & Learning Services Division
306 Edmon Low Library
Stillwater, OK 74078
(405) 744-8060
Contact Us
Research and Learning Services Instruction Program
Aim
The aim of the RLS Instruction Program is to provide students with a well-rounded set of practices and dispositions that “[encompass] the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued, and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning.”* Taken from the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy, available at: https://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework
Policies
- Timing: Please schedule sessions after students have been familiarized with their assignment requirements and prior to significant work toward a draft. If you have questions, please consult your librarian.
- Location & delivery: Sessions can be offered in the library's computer lab, Edmon Low 206, or in your regular classroom (or potential virtual instruction). If you would like the session to take place in your regular classroom, an instructor station with computer and projector is required, and students are encouraged to bring their own internet-capable device. Please consult your librarian for further details or with questions.
- Requesting & scheduling: Please request instruction at least two weeks in advance.
- Instructor involvement: Library instruction sessions work best when you attend with your students and are an active participant in the planning and delivery. We also encourage you to share the librarian's contact information with your students.
Requesting instruction
Submit the instruction request form. A librarian will be in touch within a few days to schedule your session.
Contact us
General questions about the OSU Library's instruction program can be directed to Library Help at libraryhelp@okstate.edu.
Questions regarding subject and upper-level instruction, research support, etc., in your subject area should be directed to the appropriate subject liaison.
Request Instruction
First Year Seminar Library Instruction
We offer two options for first year seminars:
- A mobile-ready orientation scavenger hunt
- An introduction to information "life skills" which can be delivered via a live, online session (such as through Zoom) or through the use of online tutorials and videos
Outcomes
Scavenger Hunt
- Students will:
- Identify what library services and resources are available and how to access/utilize them
- Navigate the physical and virtual spaces of the library
- Identify when and why they should use library or other academic resources versus performing a generic open web search
- Identify librarians and subject guides that may be relevant to their interests and majors
- Use the Library Catalog to locate books, articles, and other resources on a given topic
Information "life skills" session
- Students will:
- Develop, perform, and narrow a Google search keeping in mind Google’s functionality and limitations
- Utilize fact checking strategies in order to determine the authenticity and authority of information
- Recognize the social and ethical implications of information use, access, creation, and dissemination and its effect on a variety of communities
- Develop habits of inquiry that will serve them as life-long learners
Resources
Request instruction
Composition I (Engl 1113/1313)
Outcomes
NOTE: Individual sessions will not cover all of the outcomes listed below. We suggest working with your librarian to select the most appropriate outcomes for your class(es).
- Utilize Google for finding popular information sources.
- Develop iterative search strategies that are transferable between popular search engines and library databases.
- Use fact-checking strategies to evaluate popular information sources for accuracy and authenticity.
- Identify bias, scope, and relevancy of a source as it applies to an information need.
- Identify traditional markers of authority and what they convey about information.
- Articulate multiple ways authority can be granted and described.
Resources
Composition II (Engl 1213/1413)
Outcomes
NOTE: Individual sessions will not cover all of the outcomes listed below. We suggest working with your librarian to select the most appropriate outcomes for your class(es).
- Identify keywords and articulate a search strategy based on the information need.
- Use the Library Search and databases to locate books, articles, and other information.
- Evaluate information for purpose, audience, and trustworthiness.
- Identify the standard structure of primary research articles.
- Strategically read scholarly information sources for understanding and synthesis.
- Use existing research to identify additional information sources.
Resources
Request instruction
Subject and Upper-level instruction
Library instruction in the subject-specific and upper-division courses will facilitate students' engagement in creative and critical thinking about research and information resources. Classes are often tailored to meet objectives to a particular research assignment or graduate theses/dissertation topics, preferably through hands-on instruction and emphasizing the Library's resources. Overall, our aim is not only to educate for academic success but facilitate lifelong learning in one's professional and personal life.