Instruction Services

The A.C. Clark Library offers both bibliographic and library instruction, covering content and procedure, for on-campus students, distance learners, staff, faculty, and the community. Instruction includes:

1. Physical tours of the entire A.C. Clark Library or demonstrations of its individual facilities.
2. Classroom instruction sessions on any topics as they relate to the university library:
   • Introductions to, or in-depth examinations of:
     • The library's online MnPALS catalog including the BSU Library Catalog and related catalog resources.
     • The library's Online Resources page of subscription databases and other resources
     • Use of the Internet for college-level research
     • The library's printed indexes and abstracts
     • Bibliography--standard, descriptive, and historical (antiquarian)
     • Government documents (state and federal)
     • Reference materials
     • Library media
     • Juvenile fiction and non-fiction
   • General library research for lower-division, upper-division, and graduate courses
   • Specific research topics in all areas, whether discipline or subject specific
   • Senior paper and thesis preparation.
3. Presentations on any topics or emphases related to library resources can be arranged in consultation with the library faculty.
4. Individual or small-group instruction on any aspect of the online catalog and related databases.
5. The library's Special Collections (rare, antiquarian, faculty, and regional publications) and the University Archive (unpublished materials related to the history of the university).

Most Instruction sessions will be provided in the library classroom (L327).

Instruction must be arranged by appointment. Discipline- and subject-specific classes will generally be taught by the library faculty liaison to the department requesting an instruction session. Faculty should call the Library Reference Desk at 1-800-860-0234 (218-755-3342) to schedule a class, or call their departmental library liaison. Please make all efforts to schedule classes as much in advance as possible. Single or multi-session classes and tours are available.

A 61-page tutorial on using the BSU Library Catalog and Online Resources page, entitled Using Library Online Resources, is available through the following link:  

http://www.bemidjistate.edu/library/resources/Extended_Learning_Tutorial.pdf

The tutorial, prepared specifically for distance learners, addresses the use of these two resources as well as circulation and interlibrary loan.