From UC Davis Shields Library

. . . AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT:
LIBRARIANS’ ADVICE TO TEACHING ASSISTANTS

Advance Planning:

  1. Make sure the assignment is do-able.  Sometimes the library doesn’t have the materials your students need to complete the assignment so they’ll need extra time for interlibrary loan; sometimes those materials just don't exist.

  2. Break the assignment down into a series of specific tasks.  Don't assume your students know the order of steps they need to complete in order to write a research paper.

  3. Invite a librarian subject specialist or a member of the library instruction department to speak to your class after you have handed out the assignment.  (Schedule this in advance) He or she will be able to explain to your students what resources to use and what strategies to employ in order to complete the library component of the assignment.

  4. Put high-demand materials on reserve.

    When You Hand Out The Assignment:

  5. Explain clearly to your students how knowledge is organized and published in your discipline.  They will get a lot more out of the assignment if they understand things like peer review and the difference between primary and secondary sources, and why these things matter.

  6. Make sure they understand the difference between a free, unreviewed website and a scholarly journal or article that happens to be available in electronic form.

  7. Explain why they can’t rely on Google to do all their work, and that real library research involves more than simply typing a few words into a search box.