Academic Catalogs

LIBR G110: Introduction to College Research

Course Outline of Record
Item Value
Curriculum Committee Approval Date 10/17/2023
Top Code 160100 - Library Science, General
Units 1 Total Units 
Hours 18 Total Hours (Lecture Hours 18)
Total Outside of Class Hours 0
Course Credit Status Credit: Degree Applicable (D)
Material Fee No
Basic Skills Not Basic Skills (N)
Repeatable No
Grading Policy Standard Letter (S), 
  • Pass/No Pass (B)
Local General Education (GE)
  • GWC Lifelong Understanding (GE)

Course Description

This course is designed to assist students in learning how to use traditional and electronic library resources and other research tools effectively for academic research, critical thinking, and lifelong learning. Classwork emphasizes applied experience with research planning, search strategies, critical evaluation of information, and documentation of sources following standard citation styles. Transfer Credit: CSU; UC: Credit Limitation: LIBR G110 and LIBR G120 combined: maximum credit, 1 course.

Course Level Student Learning Outcome(s)

  1. Course Outcomes
  2. Distinguish how information is organized.
  3. Determine the extent of information needed.
  4. Access the information needed.
  5. Evaluate information and its sources critically.
  6. Demonstrate ethical and legal use of information.

Course Objectives

  • 1. Identify information need, develop research topics, and determine applicable search terms.
  • 2. Identify the organization, resources, and services of academic libraries to access books, articles, and other types of information sources.
  • 3. Distinguish among the various types and purposes of information sources.
  • 4. Compare and contrast types of open source, popular, and scholarly resources.
  • 5. Evaluate and select information by assessing its authority, accuracy, currency, purpose, and point of view.
  • 6. Distinguish and select appropriate research tools for finding various types of information sources, including library databases and web search tools.
  • 7. Formulate search strategies to find relevant, credible information for a college-level topic and lifelong learning.
  • 8. Apply techniques to revise search strategy when needed.
  • 9. Evaluate traditional and informal modes of communication of information (media literacy).
  • 10. Use information ethically and legally, compile and cite sources.

Lecture Content

Introduction Course introduction/overview Identify various types of libraries (public, academic, and special) and differentiate among them Overview and tour of the functional areas (physical and virtual) and services of an academic library Circulation Reference Periodicals Course reserves Computer lab Copying and printing General and reference collections Library catalog Online databases Online and print resources Library terminology Library Catalogs and Classification Systems Library of Congress classification system Call numbers Online library catalog Types of Information Sources for Academic Research and Lifelong Learning Print reference sources General and subject specific dictionaries, encyclopedias, and almanacs Statistical abstracts and directories Electronic reference sources Federated search Subject specific databases Web sources Research Process Choosing a topic Determining information requirements General/subject Scope Primary versus secondary sources Types of information sources: books, e-books, reference books, periodicals, websites, other. Currency/timeframe Treatment/audience: primary and scholarly (peer-reviewed) sources, factual/analytical, objective/subjective. Formulating a search statement Keywords, phrases, and alternate spellings Subject hierarchies Truncation Boolean search operators Search limits Refining a topic and formulating a research question Selecting a source Evaluating Sources   Evaluation criteria Currency Scope and content Objectivity Accuracy Authority Evaluating the source of information Techniques for evaluating web sources Plagiarism and Citing Sources Ethical use of information (avoiding plagiarism) Understanding plagiarism Citation Intellectual property, copy right, and fair use. Modern Language Association (MLA) or American Psychological Association (APA) citation styles Identifying citation elements Reading a citation In-text citations Citation tools

Method(s) of Instruction

  • Lecture (02)
  • DE Live Online Lecture (02S)
  • DE Online Lecture (02X)

Reading Assignments

TextLibrary electronic databases, reference books, and workbook

Writing Assignments

Students read, follow and practice librarian directed, guided instruction which demonstrates their understanding of library and college level research principles and processes with written responses corresponding to the content of each study unit.  Students must complete each unit at a competent level before they proceed to the next unit.  Students must pass a comprehensive final.

Out-of-class Assignments

Discussion board, topic selection and research assignments, research reflection, workbook assignments, scavenger hunt, and bibliography.

Demonstration of Critical Thinking

Students will read, understand, and interpret the content and format of library materials and electronic resources. Successful students will demonstrate and apply research techniques to identify, locate, analyze, compare, and evaluate information.

Required Writing, Problem Solving, Skills Demonstration

Students read, follow, and practice librarian directed, guided instruction which demonstrates their understanding of library and college level research principles and processes with written responses corresponding to the content of each study unit.  Students must complete each unit at a competent level before they proceed to the next unit.  Students must pass a comprehensive final.

Eligible Disciplines

Library science: Masters degree in library science, or library and information science, OR the equivalent. Masters degree required.

Textbooks Resources

1. Required Bernnard, D., Bobish, G., Hecker, J., Holden, I., Hosier, A., Jacobson, T., Loney, T., Bullis, D. The Information Literacy Users Guide: An Open, Online Textbook, ed. Geneseo: State University of New York (OER), 2019 Rationale: OER textbook, also used at other colleges.  2. Required Butler, W. D., Sargent, A., and Smith, K.. Introduction to College Research, ed. Pressbooks (OER), 2021

Other Resources

1. Library Research Guides, handouts, videos, and articles.