Research & Information Fluencies

Areas of Focus

Information Discovery

Librarians work with students to match their information needs and search strategies to appropriate search tools. This is often nonlinear and iterative, requiring the evaluation of a range of sources and the flexibility to pursue alternate approaches as new understanding emerges. We provide students with an overview of the research process with the aim of helping them focus and refine topics for further exploration. In particular, we work with students to develop strategies for searching the millions of items available to them through the library catalog, the library’s nearly two-hundred specialized databases, and the open web.

Information Evaluation and Contextualization

Librarians instruct students on evaluating and contextualizing information from both formal and informal sources and media types. This often begins with discussing basic indicators of credibility like publication type and author credentials to develop students’ awareness of how authority is constructed in various disciplines. We also guide students in asking relevant questions about the origins, context, and suitability of the primary sources they are considering for use in their research.

Data Analysis

Librarians assist students with the process of discovering, inspecting, cleansing, transforming, and modeling data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions, and supporting decision-making. We collaborate with faculty in designing and supporting course assignments that develop their students' data analysis capabilities using Stata, R, and other software. We support student learning through one-on-one consultations, data science workshops, and asynchronous learning modules. We also consult with students and faculty on their research projects.

Data Collection and Organization

Librarians help develop students’ understanding of how the collection and organization of information affects its discoverability. We also work with students on collection-related projects ranging from the creation of metadata records for class assignments to organizing their own research using RefWorks.

Citation and Scholarly Communication

Scholarly communication is a term used by librarians to describe the ways scholars create and share their work with others. It is often characterized as a lifecycle that encompasses the creation, publication, dissemination and discovery of scholarly research. We use teaching the basics of citing sources as an opportunity to engage students in a broader discussion of issues like peer review, publishing practices, and the nature of scholarly conversation in various disciplines.