ASU Library: Things to Know

Research shows that library anxiety is strongly linked to academic performance, and ASU has an especially complex library system. With over 8 library locations, 50+ librarians, and more than 700 online databases, students often report feelings of being overwhelmed or lost. These feelings can be exacerbated by overestimation of research skills, information overload, and the reliability of online resources. Collaborating with a librarian for information literacy can help prepare students for their academic careers.

The ASU Library information literacy program is designed to aid in the development of course materials and content, promote critical thinking and engagement, and develop research and source evaluation skills in students. As a faculty member, you can collaborate with our librarians so you’ll spend less time teaching research skills and more time teaching content. Instruction can be held in your classroom, the library, or online. Sessions are team taught with you.

Information Literacy Program Options: 

• Collaborate with librarians on developing assignments, activities and more.
• Develop online research guides.
• Create online tutorials and assessments.
• Create digital credentials.
• Embed information literacy modules and library tools into Canvas.

We look forward to our collaboration and providing you and your students with research support! Feel free to submit an instruction request if you would like to schedule a session.

What is Course Resource Services?

The ASU Library Course Resource Services is dedicated to connecting students with their course materials as seamlessly as possible. Our team works with instructors to embed materials of all types, whether part of the library collection, provided by the instructor or freely available online, directly within the learning management system using the ASU Library Resource Organizer (formerly "Reading List") tool. We ensure the durability of library and online links, check that content meets accessibility standards, and remediate provided pdfs if needed.

How can Course Resource Services help?

• Search for and embed ASU Library-owned materials to your course.
• Include instructor-provided materials and remediate pdfs for accessibility, if needed.
• Ensure course materials meet accessibility standards.
• Digitize articles and book excerpts, according to our copyright policy.
• Digitize, caption and provide Streaming Audio or Video, if guidelines are met.
• Purchase required materials not owned by the library, if available (see Textbook Availability).

Learn more about ASU Library Resource Organizer. To get started visit our library guide.

We recommend asynchronous options for any faculty wanting students to learn database searching, boolean phrases, keyword searching, topic development, source evaluation, and other basic research skills. Our tutorials, which include built-in assessments, can be completed independently by students and are easily embedded directly into your Canvas site.

You can find a full list on our tutorial homepage. Don't see what you need? Our team can also work with you to develop tailored tutorials to fit your assignment needs.

Librarians are connected to each academic program at ASU with the purpose of providing research and instructional support for faculty and students. You can find a list of our subject librarians and information on how to contact them on our Connect with ASU Librarians homepage. To learn more about ASU Library professionals, visit our staff directory.