Faculty Services

Kirkwood librarians can support student learning in a number of different ways:

• A presentation or activity for your class on a specific topic. To name just a few possible topics: citing sources; searching library databases; searching Google effectively; critical evaluation of information; or quick analysis to scan for misleading, false, or "fake news". We are happy to collaborate with faculty on creating an effective activity or assignment to help students gain specific research skills relevant to your course. Read about even more ideas in a recent blog post!
• A set of online resources, activities, and/or tutorials designed and curated especially for your class needs.
• One-on-one research consultations with you or your students, using our online reservation form.
• Direct support in creating effective research assignments. Read more about this in a recent blog post. 

Please request library instruction by using the online form below, or by calling the library reference desk. We ask that you submit your request at least a week ahead to ensure your librarian has time to prepare:

There are many helpful guides, videos, and tutorials already available for embedding into Talon or otherwise sharing with your students. Find them here:

We have preselected collections of readings, guides and tutorials on a selection of research topics for easy inclusion in your Talon courses. Select from the topics below, or suggest a topic you'd like to see in an upcoming playlist.

Playlist 1: Savvy students can efficiently evaluate information sources

Readings:

• Journal article: “Countering Misinformation and Fake News Through Inoculation and Prebunking” by Stephan Lewandowky & Sander van der Linden, in European Review of Social Psychology (2021). URL to paste into Talon: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10463283.2021.1876983
• Opinion article: “Should (Can) Fake News Be Regulated?” in Foundation for Economic Education (2019). URL to paste into Talon: https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/WSVYKA314493751/OVIC?u=kcccedar&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=84b787a2
• News article: “How anti-Muslin content spreads on YouTube in India” on First Draft, firstdraftnews.org. URL to paste into Talon: https://firstdraftnews.org/articles/tablighi-jamaat-blamed-for-covid-19-spread-on-india-youtube/
• Online article: “A guide to prebunking: a promising way to inoculate against misinformation” on First Draft. URL to paste into Talon: https://firstdraftnews.org/articles/a-guide-to-prebunking-a-promising-way-to-inoculate-against-misinformation/

Guides:

• Evaluating Web Resources has a variety of guides to information evaluation https://guides.kirkwood.edu/evaluatingweb

Videos & Tutorials: 

Follow the hyperlinked title of each to preview, or use the "URL for embedding" to embed in Talon as an LTI External Resource link. See Faculty Libguide for instructions on embedding an LTI link.

• Tutorial: Evaluating Information  -- Simple tutorial introducing basic concepts around what to examine when evaluating a resource. Frames questions as Who, What, When, Why, How?
  URL for embedding in Talon: https://frame.credocourseware.com/lti_provider/courses/course-v1:Kirkwood-Community-College+IL-MOD+2018/block-v1:Kirkwood-Community-College+IL-MOD+2018+type@sequential+block@7bf9d9b68bee40c8b4af3b4788ffe701
• Tutorial: Evaluating Digital Sources Using Lateral Reading  -- Provides step by step directions on the lateral reading method of quickly determining the likely reliability of a given article or website. Includes example and walks the student through evaluating their own sample site.
  URL for embedding in Talon: https://frame.credocourseware.com/lti_provider/courses/course-v1:Kirkwood-Community-College+IL-MOD+2018/block-v1:Kirkwood-Community-College+IL-MOD+2018+type@sequential+block@aaaf06d6ea07403ab16248ddf5336efc
• Check, Please! Starter Course (no login required): Excellent free resource for teachers: “we show you how to fact and source-check in five easy lessons, taking about 30 minutes apiece. The entire curriculum is two and a half to three hours and is suitable homework for the first few weeks of a course if assigned with other discipline-focused homework”.
• FakeOut game (no login required): Interactive lesson that tests your ability to detect false or misleading information published as fact. 

Playlist 2: Effective database search skills

Tutorials (in Credo Instruct):

• Tutorial: Search Techniques, Part 1: How to choose keywords, use a thesaurus to identify keywords. Know when to use natural language searching and how to use Boolean operators.
• Tutorial: Search Techniques, Part 2: Learn these techniques: full-text searching, field searching, subject searching, truncation and wildcard searching, limiting your search.
• Tutorial: Choosing & Using Keywords: Addresses some basic questions: Why is identifying keywords important when doing research? How can you determine key concepts from a research question or topic statement? How do you know what are the best keywords to use for your topic?
• Video: Refining Search Results: Learn techniques of getting to the best results more quickly by refining.

Videos on searching specific Kirkwood databases:

• Academic Search Elite: Provides a basic introduction to benefits of using library subscription databases in your research. Demonstrates keyword searching in EBSCOhost database, Academic Search Elite.
• WorldCat for research assignments: Learn the basics of searching WorldCat and using limits and filters to get at the best resources for your research project.
• How to Speak Google: Although it works very differently from library subscription databases, it's often helpful to juxtapose Google searching against database searching to bring self-awareness to habits of searching and evaluating. 

What playlist would you like to see here next? Let us know!

At the heart of the library's work and mission is the support of information literacy learning and teaching for our students and faculty. To learn more about information literacy, and for resources to support information literacy learning, see our Information Literacy guide, linked below:

Kirkwood Library Services provides excellent and professional reference service to students, faculty, and staff in a number of different ways:

• Stop by the library reference desk during our regular desk hours.
• Make an appointment with a librarian for an extended consultation about your research project.
• Use the "Ask a Librarian" chat function, available from the Library homepage, and from most of the LibGuides pages, for quick and timely help.

The page you're looking at right now was created using software called "LibGuides". It features flexible layout, easy updating, and reusable components. The content can also be embedded directly into your Talon courses. If you'd like a page with resources especially for your students, contact a librarian and we'll collaborate with you on locating the best resources for your particular assignments and in designing a page that fits your students' needs.

Examples of some customized pages for Kirkwood classes:

Global Perspectives in Interior Design

Agricultural Science

The page we create for your class can feature:

• Direct links to library resources such as the book catalog or any of the subscription databases
• Direct links to other online resources you want to direct your students to
• Pages or boxes from any of the library LibGuides pages, embedded directly into your page so your students know the resources are instructor-approved. For example, we could put a tab on your page called "MLA Style" that will include videos on MLA Citation as well as printable guides.
• Links that won't "go bad." Because they link directly into the library's pages, if we update a link to a database, the link on your page will automatically update as well
• Your LibGuides page can be embedded directly into many types of course sites, including Talon.

Contact a librarian for more details, or to get started on your own LibGuide.