Library Class and Subject Guides: Information Literacy Toolkit: All Resources

Activities

Activity items can be used as a class activity; examples include group discussions and student peer review

CABLES Problem-Based Learning Activity
Activity or Assignment: This worksheet can be used as a small group activity considering websites.Change the highlighted areas to designate how many sites to evaluate.
CABLES Source Credibility Worksheet
Activity or Assignment: This worksheet will help students evaluate sources using the CABLES method.
Characteristics of Academic Information
Activity or Assignment: In this activity, students compare academic and general information
Citation Swap Worksheet
Activity or Assignment: This worksheet encourages students to understand the different parts of a citation by translating APA-styel citations into another citation style.
Developing Your Research Question
Activity or Assignment: Includes a "How do I create research questions" worksheet and instructions for a small group discussion

Developing your Research Topic Worksheet
Activity or Assignment: A worksheet to help students develop a research topic by Project CORA

Finding Articles
Activity or Assignment: 10 point activity to help students:
- Understand the purpose of subject-specific library databases
- Access fee-based/subscription information
- Use different searching language types (e.g., controlled vocabulary, keywords, natural language)
Information Think Pair Share
Activity: This think-pair-share activity helps students to reflect on how information is used in coursework and in everyday life
Literature Review Template
Activity or Assignment: A fill-in-th-blank handout to help students organize their literature review.
Narrowing your Topic Worksheet
Research Ethics Activity
Activity: Students reflect on and discuss real-life instances of plagiarism, violating participant rights, and research misappropriation.
Research Interest Worksheet
Activity or Assignment: This worksheet helps students generate topic ideas
Search Worksheet and Concept Map
Activity or Assignment: This worksheet will help students organize research concepts and find and refine research terms.

Videos

Videos explaining a process, concept or task

Check It Out...In the ERC!
Video: Ever wonder what you can check out in the Educational Resource Center (ERC) at Memorial Library at Minnesota State University, Mankato?!
Finding Articles by Topic
Video: This tutorial will help students search for articles on various topics through MSU’s MavScholar and various article databases.
Finding a Specific Article
Video: Use the Library Service website to find a specific journal or article.
Finding Books in Memorial Library: Step 2
Video: Locate and check out books from Memorial Library at Minnesota State University, Mankato using the call number and location information from the previous video.
Group Study Rooms with MNSU Library Services
Video: Library Services offers group study rooms to students who need a quiet place to work together!
Identifying Scholarly Information
Video: This video explains what makes a source “scholarly,” how these sources differ from more popular information, and how to identify scholarly characteristics.
Library Services for Online & Off-Campus Users
Video: This video is intended to help our online and off-campus users at Minnesota State University, Mankato access library resources. See also our Online & Off-Campus User guide. NOTE: not all video links appear when viewed on mobile devices
Library Services Website Tour
Video: Learn some of the basics of what our library home page has to offer including search options, resources, and ways to contact us
Evaluating Web Resources
Video: This video helps you determine if a website is reliable and whether the source is appropriate for assignments.
Narrowing Your Research Topic
Video: This tutorial offers an overview of how to narrow a topic when researching. The video offers a few examples of how to find subtopics, including limiting sources and focusing on different aspects of a topic. We use the MavScholar database and the topic of E-cigarettes as an example.
An Overview of Articles
Video: This video introduces students to what an article is and where it’s found, also the different types of articles available for research.
Reading Scholarly Articles
Video: This video discusses why scholarly articles are so difficult to read and provides students with tips for to approach reading scholarly articles.
Refining Results in MavScholar
Video: Quickly learn how to use MavScholar's search features to limit your search peer-reviewed articles, books, current information and more
Renewing Books & Other Materials
Video: This video will show you how to access your “My Library Account,” and renew materials online through the Library Services Website.
Requesting an Interlibrary Loan
Video: This video will walk you through the process of requesting materials from other libraries through our Interlibrary Loan service. You’ll learn how to request items on the Library Services website, and learn how and when to return materials.
Searching for Books in Memorial Library
Video: Books are an important resource for any project. This tutorial will help you use the Library's website to search for books, access ebooks, and explain the information on the website.
Supporting your Topic with Scholarly Sources
Video: This tutorial is designed to help students deal with difficult and specific research. Namely, we will be looking at how to work those specific articles into a basic research project, even when the article doesn’t entirely match your topic.
Using Google Scholar
Video: This video helps students learn Google Scholar’s search features and how to access fee-based information by connecting Scholar to MSU’s library services.
Using Library Databases
Video: In this video students will learn about library databases, how they are different from Google, and how to access the complete contents of fee-based information.
Using MavScholar
Video: MavScholar is a simple way to search for articles and books at the same time, across all subjects. This short video shows how to use the research tool.
What is a Citation & Why do we Cite?
Video: Citations are an important aspect of research. This video will briefly cover what a citation is, when it’s used, and why we use it.

Assignments AND Teaching Resources

Assignment: items that can be used as graded assignments
Teaching Resources: Support material for assignments, activities, etc.

Annotated Bibliography Assignment
Assignment: This assignment helps students summarize the main points of a source, describe a source, work with evidence, and create citations.
CABLES Problem-Based Learning Activity
Activity or Assignment: This worksheet can be used as a small group activity considering websites.Change the highlighted areas to designate how many sites to evaluate.
CABLES Source Credibility Worksheet
Activity or Assignment: This worksheet will help students evaluate sources using the CABLES method.
Characteristics of Academic Information
Activity or Assignment: In this activity, students compare academic and general information
Citation Swap Worksheet
Activity or Assignment: This worksheet encourages students to understand the different parts of a citation by translating APA-styel citations into another citation style.
Developing Your Research Question
Activity or Assignment: Includes a "How do I create research questions" worksheet and instructions for a small group discussion

Developing your Research Topic Worksheet
Activity or Assignment: A worksheet to help students develop a research topic by Project CORA

Finding Articles
Activity or Assignment: 10 point activity to help students:
- Understand the purpose of subject-specific library databases
- Access fee-based/subscription information
- Use different searching language types (e.g., controlled vocabulary, keywords, natural language)
Literature Review Assignment
Assignment: This assignment will help sutdents synthesize and use sources to build a cohesive argument.
Literature Review Template
Activity or Assignment: A fill-in-th-blank handout to help students organize their literature review.

Reading & Analyzing Scholarly Articles for Research
Activity or Assignment: Use this tutorial to understand and describe a scholarly article of your choice. You can email your answers at the end of the tutorial.

Reading a Scholarly Article Assignment
Assignment: This assignment sheet has students selecting and evaluating a single article. Easily modified.
Research Interest Worksheet
Activity or Assignment: This worksheet helps students generate topic ideas
Search Worksheet and Concept Map
Activity or Assignment: This worksheet will help students organize research concepts and find and refine research terms.
CABLES Assessment Rubrics
Teaching Resource: Multiple CABLES rubrics for evaluation worksheets, annotated bibliographies, or adapt them for other assignments.
Literature Review Assignment Rubric
Teaching Resource: Teaching Resource A rubric for the Literature Review Assignment
Rubric for Annotated Bibliography Assignment
Teaching Resource: Teaching Resource Rubric for the Annotated Bibliography assignment above.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step–by–Step Instructions: Text and visuals explaining a process, concept, or task

Determining Peer Review
Step–by–Step Instructions: These instructions will help you determine if a journal is peer reviewed or not.
Find Articles by Topic Instructions
Step–by–Step Instructions: Walk through the process of finding an article
Finding a Specific Article Instructions
Step–by–Step Instructions: These instructions will help you find a specific article
Get Articles from Other Libraries Instructions
Step–by–Step Instructions: These instructions will help you request materials from other libraries.
Get Books from Other Libraries
Step–by–Step Instructions: These instructions will show you how to request books from other libraries.
Locating Books at Memorial Library
Step–by–Step Instructions: These instructions will help you figure out how to find books on the shelf in Memorial Library.
Renew Books Instructions
Step–by–Step Instructions: These instructions will walk users through how to renew books.
Requesting Library Materials for Distance Students
Step–by–Step Instructions: These instructions will help distance learners request materials from MSU.
Searching for Books at MSU
Step–by–Step Instructions: These instructions will help you search for and access books at MSU.
Text Instructions - Reading Scholarly Articles
Step–by–Step Instructions: These instructions will help readers approach difficult-to-read articles
Using Google Scholar Off Campus Instructions
Step–by–Step Instructions: These instructions will help people off-campus use Google Scholar effectively!
Using Textbook Reserves
Step–by–Step Instructions: These instructions will help you find textbook course reserves and answer some frequently asked questions about the program.

Presentations

Presentations: slideshows explaining a process, concept or task

Academic Honesty Slideshow
Presentation: This Slideshow defines what academic honesty at MSU.
CABLES Presentation
Presentation: This resources walks students through the acronym CABLES and how it can help evaluate sources.

Citation Styles PowerPoint
Presentation This PPT presentation introduces students to the basic concept of citations. It may be paired with Citation Swap Worksheet.

DIY Tutorials

Interactive DIY Tutorial: instructions and questions inserted into an actual webpage. Guides user through a process,concept, or task.

APA: Formatting Tutorial (7th Edition)
New content coming in January
APA: In-Text Citation Tutorial (7th Edition)
Interactive DIY Tutorial: A tutorial with questions and directions on how to create in-text citations in APA style!
APA: Reference List Tutorial (7th Edition)
Interactive DIY Tutorial: A tutorial with questions and directions on how to create a reference list in APA style!
Avoiding Plagiarism Tutorial
Using text and interactive questions, learn to define and identify plagiarism. You can download or print a certificate of completion at the end.
Confirmation Bias Tutorial
Interactive DIY Tutorial: This tutorial will make you aware of and help you discern your own confirmation biases.
Finding Articles by Topic
Interactive DIY Tutorial: This tutorial will walk you through searching for articles at MSU.
Finding a Specific Journal Article
Interactive DIY Tutorial: This DIY Tutorial will walk you through the steps of finding a specific article, either by using the article's name, or finding the journal it's published in.
Finding Books and eBooks
Interactive DIY Tutorial: This tutorial will help users find books and ebooks.
Identifying Scholarly Info
Interactive DIY Tutorial: This tutorial will walk you through the differences of scholarly and popular articles by having you look at and compare some scholarly and popular examples.
Beyond Fake News: Identifying Problems within Evolving Information Technologies Online
Interactive DIY Tutorial: This tutorial collection will help you gain an understanding of the complexity of "fake news." Each module will help you understand problems related to fake news and other types of misinformation.
Navigating Library Class and Subject Guides
Interactive DIY Tutorial: This tutorial will show you where to find library course and subject guides.
Is this Fake News?
This tutorial will help you discover what fake news looks like and how to discern it.
Navigating to the English Composition Library Guide
Interactive DIY Tutorial: This tutorial will show you how to get to the library guide made explicitly for English Composition.
Requesting an Article through ILL
Interactive DIY Tutorial: This tutorial will walk students through the process of requesting articles from other libraries.

Information Literacy Toolkit

Activities

Activity items can be used as a class activity; examples include group discussions and student peer review

Videos

Videos explaining a process, concept or task

Assignments AND Teaching Resources

Assignment: items that can be used as graded assignments Teaching Resources: Support material for assignments, activities, etc.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step–by–Step Instructions: Text and visuals explaining a process, concept, or task

Presentations

Presentations: slideshows explaining a process, concept or task

DIY Tutorials

Interactive DIY Tutorial: instructions and questions inserted into an actual webpage. Guides user through a process,concept, or task.

Assignment: items that can be used as graded assignments
Teaching Resources: Support material for assignments, activities, etc.