10 ways to use the Libraries in your course

University Libraries has a variety of services, resources and tools that can help you prepare your courses for the next semester. Here are ten ways you can make use of what we offer.

1. Schedule a library instruction session for your course

Our librarians can provide library instruction sessions in person or online. We’ll work with you to customize learning outcomes for your class. You can also request a visit to our Zhang Legacy Collections Center to give your students a hands-on experience using our unique collections.

2. Assign our Information Literacy Microcourse to students in your course

Our self-paced Information Literacy Microcourse teaches students college-level research skills to prepare them for research projects, advanced classes and future careers.

3. Introduce your students to some of our research specialists

We have experts who can help your students find and manage data, explore digital humanities and visualize geospatial data.

4. Find streaming audio and video to support your instruction

We provide access to multiple streaming audio and video databases for use in courses. Streaming audio files and videos can also be easily embedded into an online classroom environment.

5. Get familiar with our research guides

Created by WMU librarians, our subject and course guides are curated lists of the best research resources available through the University Libraries. We have guides for various programs and classes.

6. Place materials on reserve for your course

Books, articles, videos, recordings and other materials may be placed on reserve in the library or electronically for a course. Use your instructor account to set up your course and add items online. We also offer textbooks on reserve for select undergraduate, high-enrollment classes and several e-book collections. If you have a personal copy of your course’s textbook, you can work with us to add it to Course Reserves.

7. Explore open educational resources

Open educational resources (OER) provide a low or no-cost option for traditional textbooks. These materials reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license that allows them to be freely used, changed and shared with others.

8. Stop by our Learning Glass Studio

Learning Glass is a tool for recording lectures and presentations that allows you to write notes on a lightboard while facing the viewer. Discover how this technology can improve student engagement and learning.

9. Embed a librarian in your online course

Subject librarians can be added to a class in Elearning using the unique designation of "librarian." This gives them permission to add content without seeing student grades. We have many learning objects ready and primed for an online learning environment, including videos, screen capture, infographics, and student learning assessments.

10. Schedule a consultation with your subject librarian

Our librarians can collaborate with you to create assignments, teaching strategies, rubrics and other approaches that integrate information literacy into your course curriculum and meet your instructional goals.