Library Instruction | Colorado Mesa University

970-248-1805

Request instruction in our library classroom or yours using our convenient online form. library instruction request

Tomlinson Library Information Literacy Program

Tomlinson Library's instruction librarians encourage faculty collaboration to optimize student progress at baseline, emerging, and capstone levels of learning. Our instruction librarians will discuss your students’ research needs with you and work together to design library instruction sessions that engage your students with library resources in support of your coursework.

Our scaffolded approach provides ongoing, embedded instruction at the various stages of the research process, from students' initial exploration of a topic, to discovery of relevant information, evaluation of authors and resources, analysis and formation of conclusions, and integration and presentation of new knowledge. Library instruction can be scheduled at any or all of these points of need.

Library Instruction Student Learning Outcomes are driven by the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education and aligned with the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) Information Literacy VALUE Rubric and the Colorado Mesa University Critical Thinking Rubric.

Research Guides

Research Guides can be created for your program, semester-long course, or specific assignment, highlighting resources in our collection and helping students with aspects of the research process. The library has also developed a set of Research Basics Guides to support all students throughout their academic careers:

All of our Research Guides can be accessed from the library’s website, embedded in D2L courses, or linked from faculty web pages.

Customizable D2L Modules

A series of tutorial modules for finding and using academic sources has also been developed by the library. The modules can be copied and adapted by instructors within the D2L course management system (in the “Library Resources” section under the Self Registration tab).

How-to Videos

Self-guided videos provide step-by-step instructions for research methods and resources as well as citation conventions.

Individual student research consultations are encouraged for students at any stage in their research process. Librarians help students to develop research strategies and find appropriate and relevant sources for their research projects. Research consultations can be particularly effective for individual follow-up after a class instruction session.

Embed a librarian in your D2L course shell for easy student assistance and informative research resources. Librarians can engage students with discussion boards, create course-specific resource lists, and provide timely research tips that correspond to your instruction needs.

Include the following in your syllabi to help your students take advantage of the help that CMU librarians can provide:

CMU librarians love helping students find the right books and articles for any purpose, and will help you understand assignments and cite the articles and images that you use in your papers. We are here for you! Find us: in the Library at the Research Help Desk; 24/7 at coloradomesa.edu/library; by email at [email protected]; or at 970.248.1860.

Teaching Librarians present the following workshops each semester as drop-in sessions. Student attendance can be verified for extra credit. Each workshop can also be scheduled for a whole class. To schedule an in-class workshop, please contact Anne Bledsoe; [email protected]; or at 970.248.1805.

Demystifying a Citation

MLA Style, APA Style, Turabian/Chicago Style

Each session covers the reasons for attribution, components of a citation, discipline-specific styles, and how to track down sources from a citation. Each workshop focuses on a particular citation style and engages students in practice drafting citations in that style for different types of sources.

Literature Review Basics

This workshop concerns literature reviews in a range of academic disciplines, the purpose and features of different types of reviews, and how to begin. The session also includes tips on developing research questions, finding relevant sources in library databases, and organizing scholarly literature for a review.

Plagiarism – How to Avoid It

This workshop delves into academic integrity and the explicit and more subtle ways plagiarism can occur. Strategies for avoiding plagiarism are presented, including proper citations, well-organized research and better paraphrasing. Participants practice the concepts by working through and discussing examples of common problems. The session also considers AI in the writing process and how to come up with original ideas.

Identifying Fact or Fallacy

This session considers credible sources of information and the development of investigation and evaluation skills. Also covered are complications in the current information environment, including media and news literacy as well as the impact of AI.

Mendeley Reference Manager

This workshop covers capturing and working with research material using Mendeley Reference Manager, including adding search results into Mendeley, meaningfully organizing sources, and integrating citations seamlessly into Word.