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Book a Library Skills Class: Home

Why book a library skills class?

Library skills classes will help students develop the skills they need to source scholarly information to engage with their curriculum, complete assignments and build their disciplinary knowledge throughout their college experience.

Students who have developed these skills are:

  • aware of the different types of information sources available to them.
  • able to effectively search for quality information using the platforms provided to them by the library.
  • able to interpret, evaluate and apply that information responsibly and ethically.
  • able to communicate and share their findings.
  • are able to organise and manage their findings.

The library provides a range of on campus and online classes for academics to book for their students. We will work with you to ensure the classes are relevant to the students learning needs. The type of topics we cover include:       

  • Introduction to Library Services
  • Finding and using scholarly sources for assignments including books, eBooks, journals, article databases
  • Referencing and avoiding plagiarism
  • Introduction to our online library guides and suite of how-to videos on YouTube which all accessible via our library website e.g. how to search the catalogue, how to find an item from your reading list...
  • Effective approaches to organising your information
  • How to use free reference management software
  • Q&A sessions after each class and we will use the chat on Zoom to follow up with students online and answer any questions they have in relation to the topics we cover and the assignments they have.

 

See what TUS Midland Library is offering your students: Student Journey to Success 2023 - 2024

The Library is continuously working to develop initiatives to assist students achieve their academic goals. "Your Student Journey to Success" highlights the supports and services we provide through these initiatives. We provide drop in library clinics for students that cover a range of relevant topics related to sourcing information, effectively organising information, referencing and much more. This year we are hosting Library Live Sessions every Wednesday where we will discuss topics such as the above and answer any student queries. Students will have to chance to submit questions to us via Instagram and our Library Chat.

 

Book a Class

These classes are adapted to the particular learning levels of the group of students taking the class. We ask that you are selecting the date you would like to schedule the class that you try and give us at least a week in advance.

Introduction to the Library 

After attending this library session students will:

  1. Know how to access the library and our onsite services.
  2. Navigate the Library website and access our online services such a booking a study seat or booking a PC.
  3. Be able to access your relevant library guide from the library website and register yourself for upcoming library workshops.
  4. Know how to search for books and ebooks using the library catalogue.
  5. Know how to contact the library for assistance!

Getting started with Zotero reference management software

Zotero is a free to download software that will help you manage your references as part of your research. It is suitable for students doing larger research projects in senior UG or PG. Zotero is not required to do referencing and we recommend that students have a good understanding of referencing before using software such as Zotero. You can easily save online journal articles, eBooks etc. on to your Zotero account and then use Zotero to create in-text citations within your essay, generate a reference list and/or bibliography. 

Searching Online Library Resources 

After attending this session, students will know how to:

  1. Navigate the library website, access the collection types, including your recommended databases and know where to find your subject guide.​
  2. Identify keywords and synonyms to search for relevant information for your assignment. 
  3. Use Boolean Operators and other search operations to find relevant information.
  4. Critically evaluate information sources.

5 Top Tips for your Assignments 

After attending this library session, students will be able to:

  1. Develop a search strategy.
  2. Identify the relevant information sources for your assignment and where you can access them.
  3. Know how to critically evaluate both scholarly and non-scholarly information.
  4. Manage and save your papers.

Introduction to Harvard Referencing 

After attending this session, students will:

  1. Know where to access our Harvard referencing library guide.
  2. Understand what referencing is and why it is important to reference.
  3. Know the key elements of referencing.
  4. Know when and where to reference in an assignment.

Advanced Searching for your Topic

After attending this session, students will be able to:

  1. Consider your topic question and break it down into keywords and synonyms.
  2. Build a search using a combination of keywords and search operations such a Boolean Operators and others.
  3. Navigate the library website and be able to access the relevant collection types, including recommended databases for your subject area.
  4. Evaluate results, save searches and manage citations.