UNIVERSITY of
U FLRORIDA Library-Classroom Partnerships
GEORGE A. SMATHERS LIBRARIES
July 2006



Give your students Information Power! Librarians working together with academic
instructors in Library-Classroom Partnerships can help students develop the skills to find,
evaluate and use information for a particular purpose whenever they need it.

An online version of this handout, with links to more information, is available at
http://ww. uflib. ufl. edu/instruct2/partnerships. html


The UF Libraries: Beyond the Web

Many of today's students think all their information needs can be met by the free Web. They don't know
that the UF Libraries subscribe to thousands of electronic and print journals and books to support their
assignments and research needs. Please encourage your students to visit the Libraries and to explore these
information resources through links on the Libraries' web site at . More than
four million books and other resources (enough to stack 45 high on every seat in the Stadium!) are provided
locally and we can borrow through Interlibrary Loan most items that we do not own.

Online library resources include the UF Libraries' Catalog, hundreds of indexes and other databases,
electronic journals and articles, electronic books and government documents, all class notes and most
journal articles placed on Course Reserve, and many other materials.

These resources may be used on computers in the Libraries, or from home or office desktop computers.

Classes, handouts, and tutorials on using the Libraries are provided.

For more information about the Libraries, call an Information Desk at Smathers Library (East) (392-0361)
or Marston Science Library (392-2836).

Assignments Using Library Resources

Effective library assignments come in many different shapes and sizes, and we encourage you to
incorporate these into your courses. Some basics for effectiveness are

o use sources the Libraries own,

o if the source is limited in terms of number of copies or access, put it on Course Reserve, and

o make use of library resources an integral part of the course.

We encourage you to collaborate with subject-specialist librarians in making up assignments for which
students will need to use library resources, and to share your assignment with one of the Library Instruction
coordinators so that library staff can be alerted.







Evaluating Web Resources


Students are often impressed by the ease of using search engines such as Yahoo to find web sites, with their eye-
catching graphics, and forget to think about the reliability and accuracy of the information provided. Encourage
your students to examine the information they find on the open web keeping these questions in mind:

Who is the author/creator?

Who publishes or maintains the Web site? Is it well maintained?

Do I need very current information?

What are the possibilities that this information is in some way biased?

Should I use more than one search engine?

Did I get the best information, or did I miss some good Web sites?

Putting Items on Course Reserve

Course reserves may be in electronic or print format. They may be items the Libraries own, your personal copies, or
materials you or your students generate. Consult library policies and procedures for putting materials on reserve. It
is very important that you get your reserve lists to the Libraries well before the items are needed, in order for us to
recall any items that may be checked out, and get copyright clearance. You may call the Circulation Desk in any of
the Libraries for more information.

Nip Plagiarism in the Bud!

The Internet is not only allowing students to commit plagiarism effortlessly, its paper mills are growing. To help you
deal with this, the Libraries have created an online "Educator's Guide to Anti-Plagiarism Resources" at
including examples of term papers available on the
World Wide Web, plagiarism detection systems, anti-plagiarism tips, and information about Turnitin.com, the
plagiarism detection software purchased by UF. You may also refer your students to the Libraries' guide Avoiding
Plagiarism" available online at < http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/instruct2/StudentPlagiarismPage.html>.

Make Use of Available Orientations, Presentations, Handouts, and Tutorials

In-Class Presentations: The Libraries provide course-integrated orientation to library use and instruction in use of
information resources for students. A typical session involves a lecture/demonstration or hands-on workshop and an
assignment created by collaboration between the course instructor and librarian. If you'd like to have a library
session in your course, contact your Subject Specialist Librarian or one of the Instruction Coordinators (call 392-
4919 for Humanities and Social Sciences or 273-2856 for Sciences and Engineering).

Course Web Pages: Add Library Instruction to your online course or class web pages! If you are interested in
adding online information about the UF Libraries or how to use specific information resources for your course,
please get in touch with your Subject Specialist Librarian. We can tailor a Web page to your course, incorporating
appropriate library tutorials and other information.



Want More Information?

Consult the Libraries' home page at .
Visit or call a Service Desk during open hours.
Chat with a librarian or e-mail your question in by clicking on Ask a Librarian.
Ask your Subject Specialist Librarian listed at .


Last reviewed 5/05 AP


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