January 8, 2018

This fall, the Drexel University Libraries piloted an online workshop for first-year students to introduce them to the information resources, data sources and other services available through the Libraries.

During the virtual session, librarians demonstrated a few of the Libraries’ key resources, including Summon, the search engine tool used to find and locate library resources like books and journal articles. The workshop was included as part of this year’s English 102 course (Composition and Rhetoric II: Advanced Research and Evidence-Based Writing).

Although they were held online, the sessions were highly interactive. Students had opportunities to ask questions, answer polls about their experiences with research, and contribute their own thoughts and ideas about libraries, research and citing sources. The workshop was offered within its own course shell in Blackboard so students can also revisit the specialized Libraries’ resource guides and tutorials throughout the term as needed.

Giving first-year students a foundational awareness of library resources allows liaison librarians to focus on more disciplinary resources when they meet with students later in their academic careers. This program has already proven to be popular with students and faculty and will be available to all students enrolled in English 102 in the winter 2018 quarter.