Got librarian?

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Did you know that a librarian can make a difference in a student's academic success rate? Many of the students currently roaming our halls use questionable Web sources for their academic research, while all the time, high quality academic resources are within easy reach in the library. Using the library's resources is not very different than searching Google or Wikipedia, but when you use library sources, you are using materials that are not only trustworthy and reliable, but also top notch.

A librarian is an information expert who can help students get their hands on quality materials that can help turn out strong essays and papers. A librarian can show students how to find the information, how to apply it to their research and how to cite it properly.

The Jessup Library librarians can help improve the quality of students' work, something that goes a long way toward increasing confidence, improving critical thinking, and on a more practical plane, toward ensuring that students will feel at ease in the very demanding research world of upper-level courses in four-year institutions and beyond.

There are three ways you can involve a Jessup Library librarian in your academic life:

1. Information Literacy workshops @ the Library

These workshops normally last up to one hour and each covers different aspects of research, such as the research process, efficient database searching, developing a successful research question, introduction to the library's resources, source evaluation skills, etc. We can also tailor materials to meet your needs. To sign up your class for one of our workshops, use this form.

2. Embed a librarian in your online course.

Having an embedded librarian in your online course is like having your own personal librarian in the classroom. An embedded librarian creates and maintains materials that are relevant to your course, participates in classroom discussions to guide students with their research and points them to good sources, helps students understand citation formats, helps select reliable Web resources and more.

3. Get in touch with a librarian.

Encourage your students to get in touch with a librarian whenever they need help with their research. A librarian can point the student to a good resource and give instruction on how to use the source. Librarians are available in person or we can be contacted by phone (434-961-5309), e-mail (reference@pvcc.edu), Instant Message (see our Meebo chat on our blog) or through LRC Live (a 24-hour chat service).

The Jessup Library librarians are here to make a positive impact on students' academic success. Contact us today!