Faculty & Staff Resources

Knowledge of the UW-Whitewater libraries' resources and how to use them efficiently and effectively is important for our faculty, staff, and students. We want to help you and your students do the best research possible. To that end, instruction librarians are available weekdays and most weeknights during the semester (open hours for the Andersen Library and Lenox Library are listed online). Other times may be available upon request. When setting up a class session with a librarian, it’s best to contact us early in order to help to guarantee your first choice of dates. Individual meetings can be arranged on shorter notice. For more thorough information, refer to the Library Instruction guide.

Library Instruction at the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater is available to faculty, staff and students. Typically, students receive instruction in Library resources through a class session(s) scheduled by their instructor. Introductory sessions usually occur in English 102 and more advanced, detailed sessions in higher level research-based courses and others with a research component. However, no matter the course level, instruction is tailored to fit the specific needs of you and your students. Reference Librarians generally meet with classes in our Library Instruction Lab, but may come to your classroom or departmental computer lab if you prefer. Please let us know your needs and concerns, and we will do our best to address them.

Faculty, staff and students may also schedule one-on-one or small group sessions for customized in-depth assistance. Transfer and graduate students from other institutions are often referred to the librarian liaison for their department, since they are not familiar with UW-W resources. However, students do not need to be referred to a librarian; they may contact us directly.

Librarians can cover whatever concepts you want that will fit within the time allotted. Concepts typically fall within the frames of the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, which are below. These posters provide brief overviews of each concept.

• Authority is constructed and contextual
• Information creation as a process
• Information has value
• Research as inquiry
• Scholarship as conversation
• Searching as strategic exploration

Librarians can also cover additional skills* or material based on your request. Skills include, but are not limited to:

• Identify and articulate needs which require information solutions
• Identify and select appropriate information sources
• Formulate and efficiently execute search queries appropriate for the information resource
• Interpret and analyze search results and select relevant sources
• Locate and retrieve relevant sources in a variety of formats from the global information environment
• Critically evaluate the information retrieved
• Organize, synthesize, integrate and apply the information
• Self-assess the information-seeking processes used
• Understand the structure of the information environment and the process by which both scholarly and popular information is produced, organized and disseminated
• Understand public policy and the ethical issues affecting the access and use of information

*Information Literacy Competencies and Criteria for Academic Libraries in Wisconsin (retired)

We strongly encourage you to contact us before or near the start of the semester, as time slots fill up quickly. Due to space limitations in the library, concurrent scheduling may not be possible, so please have a second choice of date ready just in case.

• Multiple scheduling methods are available including:
  • By phone - Andersen Library (262) 472-1032; Lenox Library (608) 758-6533
  • By email - refdesk@uww.edu 
  • In-person - Andersen Library Reference Desk or Lenox Library Information Desk
  • By contacting your department's librarian liaison or the library instruction coordinator directly
• Sessions are scheduled on a first-come-first-served basis
• Advanced notice of two weeks minimum is required
• Provide us with details such as date, time, length, research prompt, and topic suggestions in addition to the concepts and skills you want covered
• Schedule a session for the point of need, as students who have an assignment to focus on will get the most out of library instruction
• Requests for a specific librarian will be honored if possible
• Instruction is typically on just a few concepts, skills, resources, and services. The Library Instruction: Content tab includes a list of commonly requested examples
• Specific skills may be taught using a flipped classroom model where tutorials are taken before a session with a librarian, and in-class time is devoted to learning information literacy concepts, participating in critical thinking activities, and/or doing hands-on research on students' own topics.

Contact us early in your planning process to request asynchronous online instructional materials. Due to time limitations, it may not be possible to create requested learning objects if given a short turnaround time. We can create asynchronous learning objects in combination with face-to-face or online synchronous instruction. Specific skills may be taught using a flipped classroom model, where asynchronous materials are viewed/read before a session with a librarian and in-class time is devoted to learning information literacy concepts, participating in critical thinking activities, and/or doing hands-on research on students' own topics.

• Multiple scheduling methods are available including:
  • By phone - Andersen Library (262) 472-1032; Lenox Library (608) 758-6533
  • By email - refdesk@uww.edu 
  • In-person - Andersen Library Reference Desk or Lenox Library Information Desk
  • By contacting your department's librarian liaison or the library instruction coordinator directly
• Advanced notice of four weeks minimum is required if new videos or tutorials are needed
• Provide your librarian with details such as access start and end dates, research prompt, and topic suggestions in addition to the concepts and skills you want covered
• Schedule a session for the point of need, as students who have an assignment to focus on will get the most out of library instruction
• Videos and tutorials typically cover just a few concepts, skills, resources, and services. The Library Instruction: Content tab includes a list of commonly requested examples
• Course or assignment guides such as this one collect information and links to databases, sources, citation resources, videos, tutorials, and more