Students and their teachers are making greater use of the USC Libraries' instructional services, new data show. From July 2009 through June 2010, 17,479 students attended librarian-led classes, compared with 14,619 in the 2008-09 academic year, a 20% increase. The number of instructional sessions grew by 19% from 680 to 809.
The USC Libraries' instructional sessions promote information literacy by teaching students how to navigate the libraries' print and electronic information resources and maximize their use of the libraries' services. One of the most attended classes is “Googled It and Didn’t Find It? Try the Library,” a general introduction to the USC Libraries offered to freshman students at each semester. Orientation classes are also conducted for incoming PhD students.
Other classes offer subject-specific information about library resources. For example, sessions designed for students at USC's Marshall School of Business show students how to use the libraries' databases to conduct market research. Librarians leading sessions for social sciences students demonstrate how to find and use hard-to-access census data, and classes taught by music specialists help students find scores and scripts for their work. By prior arrangement with a course instructor, librarians also visit classes and tailor their sessions to the types of research required for particular courses or assignments.