Library Instruction

Subject librarians are available for every discipline at WashU and can work with:

• Faculty to integrate research skills and information literacy concepts into their courses.
• Students (both undergraduate and graduate) to assist with developing research and information literacy skills during their academic careers.

Contact the Subject Librarian that aligns with your subject area directly to schedule a class session, one-on-one research consultations, or other instructional-related questions.

Special Collections Curators or Archivists in the Julian Edison Department of Special Collections can work with:

• Faculty to support their students as they engage with and work with primary source materials in special collections.
• Students (both undergraduate and graduate) to assist in working with primary source materials that they may want to utilize for their research.

More details about Special Collections Research & Access.

Contact curators or archivists directly to schedule a class session or one-on-one research visits or to assist with using Special Collections materials.

Data Services Staff can assist students, faculty, and staff with research data management, data curation, data literacy, data wrangling, data visualization, and geographic information systems. Data Services offers one-on-one consultations, research guides, and workshops. Contact Data Services staff directly for any assistance with working with data.

In-person instruction is traditionally how students are introduced to the Libraries. An in-person session can take place in one of the three instruction classrooms in Olin Library, one of the spaces in the distributed libraries, the special collections classroom, or the faculty member’s classroom. If you would like your students to come to one of the libraries for an in-person session, please get in touch with the librarian you are working with to schedule one of these spaces.

During an in-person session, the librarian can (but is not limited to):

• Demonstrate the use of online resources
• Discuss source evaluation
• Have students complete in-class active learning activities
• Provide homework for students to complete
• Utilize technology (examples: Poll Everywhere, Kahoot) to increase student learning

Instructional Spaces Within WashU Libraries

The Libraries offer several instructional spaces. If you have questions about these spaces or which ones might be best for in-person instruction for your class, please work with your librarian.

Olin Library Instructional Space

Instruction Room 1 | Capacity: 16, furniture: movable – individual desks & chairs; equipment: 2 large monitors, laptop, sound system.

Instruction Room 2 | Capacity: 26; the room can be divided into 2 (capacity side 1: 14, capacity side 2: 12); furniture: stadium seating – not movable; equipment: 2 overhead projectors, laptop, sound system, 26 desktop computers.

Instruction Room 3 | Capacity: 38; furniture: movable – tables, chairs, individual workstations; equipment: 1 large monitor, laptop, sound system.

Special Collections Classroom | To utilize this classroom, you must be working with one of the special collections curators and will need to work with them to schedule time for your students in the special collections classroom.

Usage Policies for Olin Library Instruction Rooms 1, 2, and 3

• Instruction Rooms are reserved only by library staff for library programmatic and sponsored activities and are kept locked at all times.
• Instruction rooms are not intended to accommodate university faculty, staff, and student uses that have no course-related or programmatic involvement of librarians or library staff.
• Instruction Room 2 is accessible to Libraries staff only.
• Instruction Rooms 1 and 3 are accessible to anyone with a valid WashU ID during certain hours. As study spaces, Instruction Rooms 1 and 3 are conducive to group study and can also be used by individuals. The WashU Libraries reserve the right to ask others to leave when the rooms are scheduled/reserved.
  
  When not reserved by the Libraries, Instruction Room 1 is available on a first-come, first-served basis for studying during the following hours: Sunday 1:00 – 8:00 pm; Monday through Thursday 9:00 am—8:00 pm; Friday 9:00 am—5:00 pm; Instruction Room 1 is closed on Saturdays.
  
  Instruction Room 3 is available on a first-come, first-served basis for studying during all library open hours when not reserved by the Libraries.

Distributed Libraries

The Danforth Campus distributed library locations include the East Asian Library, Gaylord Music Library, Kopolow Business Library, and the Kranzberg Art & Architecture Library. See the Study Rooms page to learn more about the distributed libraries’ study spaces.

Please contact the librarian you are working with at the distributed library location to discuss with them the space(s) that can be used for instruction.

Asynchronous instruction can take many forms including but not limited to: creating an asynchronous instruction module, embedding a librarian into a Canvas course, having the librarian create a video, or having the librarian create a Course Guide.

Asynchronous Instruction Module

• Faculty can work with librarians to create an asynchronous module to embed into Canvas courses. The module could provide an introduction to Libraries and their services or a lesson on just one concept (for example, how to evaluate sources).
• The best way to use an asynchronous module is as a flipped classroom – where students complete the module before class and then come to class prepared to discuss it.

Embedded Librarian

• Faculty can embed a librarian into their Canvas course.
  • Note: To incorporate a librarian into a Canvas course, please contact the School Registrar and tell them to add the librarian(s) with the role “support, no grade book.”
• Once added to a Canvas course, the librarian could:
  • Create and monitor asynchronous discussion threads
  • Post customized instruction videos in the course
  • Post general instruction videos in the course
  • Create an online quiz or another assignment to assess student learning of the asynchronous instruction component
  • Encourage students to use our Ask Us! chat service

Video Tutorials

• Faculty can work with librarians to utilize videos for asynchronous instruction.
• Videos are a great way to show how to do a particular task.
• Working with a librarian, faculty can determine if a new video should be produced or if a preexisting video will provide the needed instruction.

Course Research Guide

• A course research guide can be developed as another form of asynchronous instruction.
• The course research guide can cover academic content areas, practical topics such as citing sources, and information specific to the course.

Synchronous instruction is similar to an in-person session as it is a live session, but it will usually take place through Zoom. During COVID-19, when the Libraries were closed, most library instruction took place synchronously through Zoom. Those who teach library instruction are still available to schedule synchronous sessions.

Just like during an in-person session, in a synchronous session, the librarian can (but is not limited to):

• Demonstrate the use of online resources
• Discuss source evaluation
• Have students complete in-class active learning activities
• Provide homework for students to complete
• Utilize technology (examples: Poll Everywhere, Kahoot) to increase student learning

Formal library instruction usually occurs in a classroom or online (synchronously/asynchronously). However, library instruction can happen during a one-on-one session when a student meets with a librarian. Individual instruction can be arranged by:

• Scheduling individual or small group research in-person or Zoom appointments with one of the subject librarians.
  • Most librarians have a research appointment scheduling link; if the librarian you are looking for does not have a scheduling link, check their research guide profile for contact information.
• Scheduling an individual session with the Data Services staff by completing the Appointment Form or through Zoom with the Data Services staff during Help Desk hours.

Beyond formal library instruction and setting up individual sessions with a librarian, the Libraries hosts many Research and Technology Workshops each semester. You’ll find past sessions, descriptions, and recordings here. The Events Calendar will also list the workshops along with other educational programs such as faculty book talks and special collections curator talks.