Faculty Support
In Faculty Support...
Ways to Teach with the Library
BMC Libraries and Special Collections offer a number of ways to use materials and plan research assignments for your course syllabus.
Course-Integrated Instruction
Faculty may invite librarians to design and teach asynchronous or synchronous student-centered lessons that promote disciplinary research skills or more general information literacy development. These may take the form of brief recorded lectures or tutorials demonstrating library research techniques, sequenced and scaffolded exercises focusing on a particular skill, Zoom meetings to discuss in-depth research projects, or any combination thereof.
Research Assignments
Librarians can offer advice on planning research assignments that foster critical thinking, are aligned with the goals of your course, and make the best use of available information sources and digital tools. Please see our guide on designing successful research assignments.
Research Guides
Librarians can create custom online research guides for your courses that highlight key information sources, research tools, search strategies, and more.
Scavenger Hunts
Designed with first-years in mind, librarians can design fun, interactive workshops that get students into the library to explore collections, spaces, and services.
Zotero Workshops
Zotero is a free reference manager that helps with collecting, organizing, citing, and sharing research. Workshops are offered throughout the academic year and can be requested for an individual course by contacting library@brynmawr.edu.
Tutorials
Modules from a suite of interactive tutorials from Credo introducing students to basic library research processes can be embedded in any Moodle course and assigned as homework. Credo modules can be customized (to a certain extent) for a particular course. Email library@brynmawr.edu for assistance.
Class Visits and Teaching with Primary Sources
Special Collections can help you coordinate class visits and teaching with primary sources.
Requesting and Managing Course Reserves
The libraries keep course materials behind the circulation desk for short-term access. Electronic reserves are available in Moodle.
Individual and Small Group Research Visits
Special Collections offers spaces for individual and small group research visits.
Teaching Information Literacy
Information literacy is the set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued, and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning. — Association of College and Research Libraries. Librarians can work with you to create asynchronous or synchronous lesson to incorporate into any type of course.
Teaching with Technology
Research shows that incorporating technology into instruction can improve students' engagement, performance, and satisfaction. We provide a range of services to help faculty and staff explore and adopt these practices.
Research Support for Faculty
Librarians, archivists, and digital scholarship specialists can assist with many aspects of research and scholarly communication. Subject librarians can help you identify the best tools and strategies for your research needs and we offer faculty support and tools for accessing new literature, keeping up on copyright and publishing laws, and establishing new research practices.