Library Services for Faculty and Instructors: Human Services, Psychology, and Sociology

Students in Group Study in a PBSC Library, PBSC Office of Communications and Public Affairs.

In addition to providing orientations to PBSC's library and information sources, librarians can assist instructors and professors with developing assignments to help students learn the following:

1. Develop an understanding of the norms and expectations of using information for academic and professional purposes.
2. Distinguish between different sources of information and their purpose.
3. Use and integrate credible sources of information for assignments and projects.
4. Identify and utilize standard information sources for a subject area or profession.
5. Consider ethical uses and the effects of information through topics of plagiarism, misinformation, and disinformation.

The selected activities or assignments on this page do the following:

1. Orient the students to the PBSC Library's materials and how access them.
2. Introduce students to various types of information sources and their purposes.
3. Evaluate information sources.
4. Prepare students to use sources of information in their assignments or projects.

Professors and instructors are welcome to use, repurpose, or adapt these ideas to suit their instructional needs.

PBSC professors and instructors incorporated these selected assignments that use library materials as graded assignments: 

Viewing a Library Recording.

• Description:  Students can view recordings on the following:
  • Finding Books
  • Using Library Databases
  • Library Orientation
  • Library Instruction for Specific Courses and Programs

Faculty member and instructors can request a recording for their class by contacting their subject specialist librarian or campus library.

• Skills Developed:  Students will be able to start a search for books, articles, and library materials needed as information sources in an assignment or project.

Examining a Controversial Topic.  

• Description: Provide students with controversial topics or have them select one.  These may include gun control, abortion, or cancel culture.
• Student Artifacts / Outputs:  Students can present their findings in a paper, presentation, or other creations like a podcast, poster, infographic, or brochure.
• Skills Developed:  Students will be able to define and narrow a topic;  search for information; summarize and communicate information.

Locating an Additional Reading from a Class Source.

• Description:  Have your students dig deeper into topics covered in class by using the bibliographies or suggested readings from their textbook, or assign them a reading from an article or other source.
• Student Artifacts / Outputs:  Students can present their findings in a paper, presentation, or other creations like a podcast, poster, infographic, or brochure.
• Skills Developed:  Students will be able to define and narrow a topic;  search for information; summarize, paraphrase, and communicate information.

Composing an Annotated Bibliography.  

• Description:  Instruct students to find information sources on a topic.  An annotated bibliography template can be provided to students.  You may provide requirements for the assignments (i.e., the number of sources, types of sources, or publication date).  This assignment can be used to scaffold students to work towards gathering information for a larger assignment or research paper.
• Student Artifacts / Outputs:  Students will write annotations for each source with full citations using your subject area's main citation style (i.e., APA, MLA, or Chicago styles).
• Skills Developed:  Students will be able to locate information sources;  summarize and analyze sources; attribute authors or creators for their work while using a citation style.  

The following activities can be used in-class or assigned as homework.  They may also be utilized as low-stakes graded assignments. 

Identifying and Evaluating an Information Source.

• Description:  Show students different information sources and have them identify the intended audience, purposes of publication, type of review, and authorship.
• Student Artifacts / Outputs: Students can demonstrate their learning through a discussion, collaboration board, or a writing assignment.
• Skills Developed:  Students will be able to generalize differences between sources written for a general or professional / scholarly audience; closely read a source; evaluate an information source.

Reviewing an Article (Journal Club) or Other Source.

• Description: Assign students to read a specific article; you may provide its permanent URL (PURL) or have them find it in a library database.  Assign or guide students to read and analyze different sections (introduction, methods, results, analysis, and discussion) of the article.  Some instructors may use this to demonstrate types of methodology and research designs and how they appear in a publication.
• Student Artifacts / Outputs: Students can demonstrate their learning through a discussion, collaboration board, or writing assignment.
• Skills Developed:  Students will be able to characterize a source created for a specific subject area, audience, or purpose;  closely read or analyze a source; apply research methodology knowledge towards understanding a study; evaluate an information source.

Defining Plagiarism and Ways to Avoid It.

• Description:  Students can read the Plagiarism Resource Center, watch its recordings, and take its quiz.  Students will receive a certificate of completion.
• Skills Developed:  Students will be able to define plagiarism, identify its different types, and characterize ways to avoid it; consider ethical uses of information sources in educational and professional settings.

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