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Library Instruction

Library Instruction Services

Information literacy includes the essential skills needed to access, evaluate, and ethically use information—competencies that are more critical than ever in the age of Artificial Intelligence. These abilities are vital to student success, both during their academic journey and in their professional careers, where navigating AI-generated content and identifying credible sources is essential.

Furthermore, fostering information literacy is a key goal of Touro's General Education curriculum. To acquaint students with our wide array of resources and services, the Touro Libraries provide various instructional options designed to sharpen critical thinking, ethical AI use, and foundational research skills.

Library Instruction Services

Online Instruction

All of our library instruction and orientation sessions can be held virtually using Zoom. These sessions are the same as in-person library instruction sessions and allow for greater flexibility. 

Schedule a Session Now 

Early awareness of library resources is vital for student success throughout the semester. We strongly encourage integrating library instruction into your curriculum alongside active research assignments. Connecting these skills to real coursework highlights their immediate relevance, ultimately enhancing both student engagement and retention. Review these questions before contacting us so we can better serve you and your students.

We offer instruction in the following formats:

Library Orientations

Orientation sessions are our most popular instruction format. Suitable for all disciplines and levels, library orientations introduce the library collection, our services, and essential research skills. We suggest that you contact your campus library to reserve your library session early, as slots can fill up during popular times. 

Subject-Specific Classes

We also offer library sessions for upper-level classes tailored to the subject and class content. For students who have already attended an orientation session, these classes can introduce them to additional resources and more advanced concepts and techniques. Potential topics include: 

  • Searching for library resources: databases, eBooks, and streaming video
  • Refining research: basic and advanced techniques
  • Evaluating online information for reliability and relevance
  • Identifying peer-reviewed academic articles and other academic sources
  • Avoiding plagiarism
  • Creating and managing citations in MLA, APA, Chicago-style, etc.
  • Using AI tools responsibly and ethically in academic writing

Elevate your course with the Embedded Library Program!

By pairing your class with a dedicated librarian for the entire semester, you give your students continuous, assignment-specific research support directly within Canvas. Whether online or in person, your embedded librarian can host customized instruction sessions and guide students through complex research projects.

Instructor Testimonials

testimonials

ProQuest Research Companion

ProQuest Research Companion supports information literacy, writing, and research skills instruction, providing a companion to instruction sessions and allowing librarians and instructors to focus on teaching more complex research and writing principles. Developed by writing instructors and librarians, ProQuest Research Companion consists of ten learning modules and five interactive tools, all designed to streamline the crucial aspects of the research process.

Workshops/Webinars

The Touro Libraries offer a variety of workshops and webinars for faculty, covering topics such as library resources, copyright, academic publishing, Open Educational Resources, and Open Pedagogy. For details on upcoming sessions, please contact Sara Tabaei.

We also welcome opportunities to collaborate with departments and campus units to design tailored workshops for your faculty development initiatives. Get in touch with us to explore how we can support your team. 

Touro University Academic Integrity

Please see the Academic Integrity Policy for information about academic integrity at Touro University. Touro Libraries encourages proper attribution and transparency of sources. Please review our Citing Sources LibGuide. Touro Academic Integrity Test for students as remediation after a violation of academic integrity.