Instruction

Our Instruction Program

The librarians at Marx Library help students and researchers navigate the complex information and research landscape. We provide instruction on a range of topics, including research strategies, resources, and tools for managing and analyzing information in a variety of formats. We conduct sessions for specific courses, offer workshops that are open to all Yale affiliates, and create learning materials including online research guides, videos, and handouts.

We collaborate with faculty and instructors, other librarians and archivists, and specialists in other campus units to provide relevant, timely, and engaging instruction that emphasizes:

  • Participants’ roles in finding, analyzing, using, and creating information across many disciplines and professional communities;
  • The necessity of understanding and thinking critically about the contexts in which information is produced; and
  • The diverse backgrounds, learning styles, and interests of participants.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I request an instruction session, research guide, video, or conversation about a research assignment for my course?

Can a librarian meet with my class tomorrow, and do I need to attend the session?

We appreciate at least two weeks’ advance notice, although we will try, if possible, to accommodate your request. We want to have adequate time to prepare for your session, in order to ensure that participants find the session relevant, engaging, and useful for their research.

We have found that library and research workshops for courses are most successful when the faculty member and the librarian discuss desired outcomes for the session beforehand, and when the faculty member (or teaching fellow) participates in the session. We know that your class time is very valuable; we want our sessions to align with what your students expect from the course.

I’m not teaching a course. How do I request a workshop/research guide/video for my student organization/lab group/research partners/etc.?

Where do librarians provide instruction?

  • Classrooms at Marx Library: a 30-seat computer classroom, a 12-seat seminar room, and group study rooms that hold from 3 to 12 people
  • Other library-scheduled classrooms, including Bass Library L01 and L06, 17 Hillhouse Avenue 07, and Rosenkranz 01
  • In your classroom, lab, or other preferred meeting space
  • Online, through synchronous or asynchronous means (through Zoom/other webcasting software or instructional videos)

Please please contact Jennifer Snow with additional questions.