Instructional Services

Supporting students' development of research skills

We recognize that many faculty, across the disciplines, help students learn library research skills and practice them. Faculty librarians at CCNY can support your efforts by:

• Working with you to create in-class workshops tailored to your research assignment and learning goals (these workshops may be in-person--generally in a computer lab--or online); workshops include hands-on time so that students can practice what they learn, with feedback from the librarian and from you.
• Collaborating with you to create course-specific online research guides;
• Working with you to hone research assignment design;
• Sharing with you information about the resources available to CCNY students through our libraries;;
• Offering individual guidance to students and answers to their research questions at the reference desk on the lower level of the library;

We are always open to speaking with you to discuss other possibilities for collaboration. Please contact the library's teaching coordinator, Haruko Yamauchi, at infolit@ccny.cuny.edu, or contact your department's liaison librarian, so we can talk about the best ways we can work together.

Scheduling a library research workshop

 All library are classes tailored to meet the needs of your students, so the more we understand about your learning goals for a specific assignment, the better we can prepare. 

The most effective workshops are held when students already have at least a rough idea of their research topic/question, so that they can immediate apply what they've learned in the workshop.

Please note that we request at least three weeks' notice before your preferred date for the workshop. We cannot guarantee a workshop requested with less notice.

Please also note that students must know their CityMail username and password to be able to use the classroom computers (or to connect to wi-fi from their own laptops) during the workshop. They also need to know their CUNY First username and password to access library materials online from off-campus.

You can request a workshop on this form

Mission statement

The CCNY libraries information literacy program serves students, faculty, and staff by supporting the instructional mission of the Library, the College, and the University. Our mission is to teach students to think critically about information for their academic, professional, and personal lives.

We believe information literacy competency is an essential component to both academic success and success beyond the classroom. Information literacy encompasses a range of skills including recognizing when information is needed, phrasing questions to locate sources, evaluating what is found, and using it ethically and effectively. Information literacy is relevant to all disciplines, learning environments, and levels of education.

We are committed to anticipating and embracing changes in the information and instructional environment and collaborating with the academic community to foster a shared sense of enjoyment and empowerment in the pursuit of research.

The CCNY libraries information literacy program core components are to:

• Collaborate with teaching faculty to prepare students for academic research.
• Develop and enhance resources that support and teach information literacy skills, including online tutorials and guides.
•  Integrate information literacy into the college curricula through scaffolding of information literacy across courses and development and promotion of asynchronous online instruction materials.

Frequently Asked Questions about Library Instruction