Learning Support

Learning Support Overview

INFORMATION LITERACY AND RESEARCH SKILLS FOR STUDENTS

The Library is your partner in teaching, learning and research.
Our goal is to foster information literacy in the teaching and learning community at McMaster. Information literacy is the ability to recognize when and what kind of information is needed, and to locate, evaluate, and use the required information effectively.
Information literacy skills are common to all disciplines, and support lifelong learning. They enable learners to master content and extend their investigations, become more self-directed, and assume greater control over their own learning.
An information literate individual is able to:

Objective	Outcomes
Determine the nature and extent of information needed	Articulate a well-formulated question Understand the context in which information is created Understand how information is organized, indexed and accessed
Access the needed information effectively and efficiently	Identify and access appropriate search tools Use search tools to identify appropriate information sources Locate and obtain the information in a timely manner
Evaluate information and its sources critically	Determine if the information found is relevant to the information need Develop and use criteria in order to assess the information found Assess the search process and revise as needed
Incorporate selected information into his or her knowledge base	"[Relate] disconnected pieces of information to discover patterns or make generalizations" "[Integrate] previously held beliefs, assumptions, and knowledge with new information" [Gilchrist]
Use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose	[Since the purpose is unique to each program, course or activity, outcomes should be identified by the parties involved at the initial planning stage.]
Understand many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information, and access and use information ethically and legally	Demonstrate an understanding of academic integrity and avoid plagiarism Use information in compliance with Canadian copyright laws

Request a Class

We offer course-related and course-integrated instruction to McMaster faculty and students on how to find, evaluate and use information effectively and ethically.

Request library instruction for your class

We can:

Provide advice on creating effective library and information research assignments.
Teach your students how to critically think about their research needs, and how to use library resources.
Create a course guide to help your students understand how to use library resources for their assignment.
- See our Course Guides page: http://libguides.mcmaster.ca
Educate students about plagiarism and the ethical use of information.
Teach students how to correctly cite sources in their papers and bibliographies.

Request a Consultation

Request an appointment with a Librarian

McMaster faculty, students and staff are encouraged to request a research consultation with a librarian.

Research Consultation Form

Research consultations can help you:

get started on developing your reseach question
decide on which databases are most relevant to your topic
create a better search strategy
critically think about which resources to use, and why
and so much more!

Liam the Library Dog

As part of the Dogs @ Mac program on campus, Liam the Library Dog comes to the libraries throughout the academic year to provide stress relief for students (and faculty and staff too!).
Liam is the personal dog of librarian Leeanne Romane, and has been a therapy dog at McMaster since 2014.

Liam visits Innis, Mills and Thode libraries every second Thursday, starting in September and ending around the start of exams in April/May, and he visits McMaster Health Sciences Library the first Wednesday of the month.

Make sure to check out his schedule on displays throughout the library, and follow Liam on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter = liamatmac