Have Knowledge, Will Travel!

This year, more than seven thousand South Dakota State University students will participate in a library instruction session taught by one of the eight members of our top-notch instruction team.   The library has two electronic classrooms to accommodate sessions of 30-40 students or less.  In addition, librarians are always willing to do instruction in any classroom on campus, and will even travel to SDSU's distance sites.  We care about our students and are here to provide them with the skills to be effective and efficient researchers.

Here are just a few examples of services available to our students and faculty:

• Individual or group tour/orientation to the library.  Orientation for online research via the library is available to support distance students/courses.
• Course-integrated instruction session designed to meet the library research requirements of a particular course or to assist with a special research assignment. 
• General research concepts session:  instruction on general research skills, such as finding magazine/journal articles, citing resources, evaluating information/critical thinking. 
• Librarians are available to consult with teaching faculty in the preparation of course-specific library assignments. 

Questions?  Please feel free to contact:  Laura M. Wight, Instruction Coordinator, Assistant Professor/Reference Librarian, 605-688-5955

Instruction and Information Literacy Program Mission Statement

Information literacy is an integral and fundamental part of the academic experience at South Dakota State University. The Library Instruction and Information Literacy Program serves on-campus and distance learning communities providing learners with the concepts and skills necessary to satisfy immediate curricular needs, as well as for lifelong experiences with information beyond the classroom.  Librarians teaching in the Instruction Program work in partnership with other SDSU academic units to assist a diverse student body in achieving the expectations stated in Goal #7 (the Information Literacy Goal) of the General Education Requirements as approved by the South Dakota Board of Regents:

Goal #7:  Students will recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, organize, critically evaluate, and effectively use information from a variety of sources with intellectual integrity.

Student Learning Outcomes:  Students will:

1.  Determine the extent of information needed;

2.  Access the needed information effectively and efficiently;

3.  Evaluate information and its sources critically;

4.  Use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose;

5.  Use information in an ethical and legal manner.

Library Tours

Walk-in tours are given periodically throughout the semester,  and are also available by individual or group appointment (call 688-5570). The 2008 Spring semester tour schedule is posted below.  All tours meet in the library lobby and take roughly 25 minutes.  You may also take the library's online self-guided tour. For more information, contact the library information desk at:  (605)688-5570.