Research instruction

Assignment support session. 75 minutes

A full class session tailored around your specific research assignment goals. Requires a short planning session with a librarian.  

Research paper bootcamp. 50 minutes

Jumpstart student research papers with a session that explores topic development, concept mapping to generate keywords to use in searches, and some how-tos for note taking on sources. 

Using library search tools for research. 50-75 minutes

Provide students with an interactive worksheet to introduce them to Discover and/or a specific database to find sources for a research assignment. 

Monographs 101: How to find them, how to use them. 50 minutes

Introduce students to monographs as an essential tool in the humanities for research; how do you find them, and how do you use them?

Peer review: What is it? Why does it matter? 50 minutes

Introduce students to the peer review process with hands-on exercises to explore the sources and why the process matters in academic discourse. 

Organizing and citing your sources. 30-50 minutes

Prepare students to generate bibliographies through hands-on activities to track and properly cite their sources across different style guides.

So you’re writing a literature review? 50 minutes

Engage students in the process of writing a literature review from defining what they are to searching for sources to include, and writing one.

What is a library? 30 minutes

A brief active learning session to help students consider their own understanding about what a library is, and the role that the library plays in the Mount Holyoke community. (Can be paired with “Library scavenger hunt” in one class session.) 

Library scavenger hunt. 40+ minutes 

A hands-on experience with the library complex and/or some of our online resources. Encourages the students to explore and learn on their own terms, then come back together as a classroom to share their experiences. (Can be paired with “What is a library” in one class session.)

Assignment support session for FYS. 75 minutes

A full class session teaching students how to use library search tools to find books, articles, and more for what may be their first college research assignment. Requires a short planning session with a librarian. 

Navigating the news during election season 2024. 75 minutes

To participate as a citizen in a democracy it is essential to follow current events and local and national issues and debates. This workshop offers prompts, tools, activities, and discussions aimed at understanding the bias in information sources and ourselves as we navigate the news and media landscape during the 2024 election season. 

Google 101. 75 minutes

We all Google multiple times a day without thinking very much about it. Let’s open up the hood and see what happens when you google. Understand search engine algorithms and data collection. Learn techniques and practices to make your Googling more effective and more private.  

Web search road test: Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo. 75 minutes 

Google is a verb, but it’s not the only game in town. Let’s explore and compare the experiences of using another web browser to do a quick research exercise.

Interactive worksheet

Searching Discover and databases for sources. 

Video: Getting started finding library materials. 

Six minute screencast tutorial on using Discover to find library resources. 

Tutorial: Academic integrity. 

Email researchservices-g@mtholyoke.edu to get started using this tutorial with your students.