Sessions generally run around 45 minutes but sessions can be as brief as 15 minutes! We can customize each session to align with your schedule, assignments, and learning outcomes to best meet the needs of your students. Sessions can be scheduled as in-person presentations or over Zoom. If a live session doesn't suit your schedule, contact us for links to tutorial modules or to discuss alternatives.
To schedule a session or for more information, please fill out this form: Instruction Request Form, or email Avie Thacker or Amy Jordan. We look forward to working with you and your students!
Prior to each session, it is helpful for instructors:
To provide us with a copy of or details about the assignments related to research when scheduling a session. Research shows students retain more when the instruction is immediately applied.
To let us know which learning outcomes would be the best fit for their students (see learning outcomes in the section below).
To interject important points, as it demonstrates to students that the session is important.
To request instruction as soon as known to provide librarians sufficient time to prepare. At minimum, we prefer seven days advance notice prior to an instruction session.
To please give at least 24 hours notice if the session needs to be canceled.
Through experience, we have found that the best environment to provide instruction is in a computer lab where students can get hands-on practice using our online resources. This can be in a campus computer lab or in the library's main computer area. Dual-enrollment and off-campus instructors can also request a librarian to provide instruction in their classrooms.
Visit us in A110
Email at: library@brcc.edu
Call Us: (540) 453-2247
Text Us: 1-540-592-4324 (Available Mon.-Fri.: 8am-4:45pm)
Use the Library Directory to connect with a specific librarian
Need help scheduling an EAB appointment? Check out this video
Use EAB Navigate to schedule a 30 minute, one-on-one meeting
We strive to collaborate closely with faculty in order to customize each instruction session. We ask that faculty select 3-4 learning outcomes for an initial instruction session. Additional outcomes may be addressed in follow up sessions.
Below is a listing of potential instruction outcomes. Outcomes 1-7 are beginner-level outcomes while outcomes 7-11 are more specialized or advanced. While librarians may touch on some of the information in other outcomes, we will focus our attention on the outcomes faculty have selected.
Outcome 1: Popular vs. Scholarly Sources
Students will be able to differentiate between scholarly and popular materials in order to select an appropriate mix of resources for a specific assignment.
Outcome 2: Evaluation of Information
Students will be able to apply evaluative criteria to a source in order to gauge its credibility/reliability.
Outcome 3: Research Questions
Students will be able to develop a research question/questions that is/are appropriate in scope for a specific assignment.
Outcome 4: Finding Articles in Library Databases
Students will be able to construct effective and efficient search strategies in library databases in order to retrieve articles relevant to a specific topic/assignment.
Outcome 5: Citing Sources
Students will be able to identify the source components needed for citations in order to accurately cite sources.
Outcome 6: Plagiarism
Students will participate in a conversation about plagiarism in order to understand when to cite.
Outcome 7: General Library Orientation
Students will become familiar with library services in order to identify and seek help from appropriate resources.
Outcome 8: Specialized Research Tools
Students will be able to utilize discipline specific tools in order to be able to locate sources necessary for specialized work.
Outcome 9: Primary Sources
Students will be able to discern between primary and secondary sources in order to select the appropriate source types for their research topic.
Outcome 10: Advanced Database Searching
Students will be able to apply advanced database search strategies in order to locate articles relevant to a specific topic/assignment.
Outcome 11: Scholarship as Conversation
Students will be able to read a citation and locate its source in order to track scholarly work created by others.