1. Unit: Bibliographic Instruction – First-Year Students
Librarian: Ellie Gehman
Washington & Jefferson College, U. Grant Miller Library
Duration: 75 minutes (45-minute session, 20-minute activity, 10-minute review)
Goals and Objectives
Goal 1. Search the library’s online Geotom catalog
After the instruction session, students will be able to:
1.1 locate items (books and videos) by keyword searching using either the Basic
or Advanced search forms
1.2 use the AND operator to locate items and understand how to use all 3 Boolean
operators
1.3 understand where items are located physically in the library based on call
number and stated location
Goal 2. Search the library’s online databases
After the instruction session, students will be able to:
2.1 select appropriate databases to consult when researching a particular subject
2.2 locate full-text scholarly journal articles and article citations by keyword
searching in specific databases
2.3 submit an interlibrary loan request if library doesn’t have access to an article
Goal 3. Find journals that the library has in print and/or electronic format
After the instruction session, students will be able to:
3.1 use Journal Locator to find specific journal titles
3.2 understand where issues of a specific journal are located in the library
(databases, print, and/or microfilm)
3.3 find an article by searching within a specific journal
Goal 4. Correctly cite all sources found using the above methods of searching
After the instruction session, students will be able to:
4.1 consult online citation resources to correctly cite sources
4.2 consult print citation guides found in the library
4.3 understand the different citation formats
The overarching goal of this lesson is to familiarize students with library resources that
can be used for research through their college careers. After the lesson, students will
demonstrate their knowledge by completing a short activity that will actively engage
them in navigating library resources. Successful students will take this knowledge and
apply it to their class assignments by utilizing library resources (books, articles, etc.) to
find sources appropriate to their research.
Prerequisites
1. Students must know the basic functions of using a web browser.

2. 2. Students must have a university login and password.
3. While it is not required to understand the library instruction, it would be helpful if
students already had their class assignment from their professor so they could
think of possible library resources to use on their assignment during the lesson. It
would also be beneficial if the librarian knew the assignment as well so the
instruction session could be tailored to the specific assignment.
Materials
1. Computers for every student (Library Digital Classroom)
2. Computer and projector for instructor (Library Digital Classroom)
3. Activity handouts
4. Instruction handouts
Lesson Description
1. Introduction (2 minutes)
2. Geotom Catalog (10 minutes)
a. Basic search
b. Advanced search
3. Electronic databases (10 minutes)
4. Journal Locator (10 minutes)
5. Citation Resources (10 minutes)
a. Online
b. Print
6. Library Resource Searching Activity (23 minutes)
7. Review of Activity (10 minutes)
What’s unique about this lesson is that it can be used for either general instruction or it
can be tailored to a specific class assignment. This lesson covers knowledge, application,
and analysis. Students gain knowledge of what kinds of library resources are available.
Through the activity, students apply this knowledge and practice searching library
resources. Students can analyze which sources are best to consult through both the
activity and through their classwork after the lesson.