College Students’ Best Asset: Your Academic Reference Librarian
Do You Collaborate Regularly with Your Campus Academic Reference Librarian?
Updated March 2022
Did you know academic reference librarians are one of the most underutilized student resources on college campuses today?
Limited experience using library resources throughout your elementary, middle, and high school years?
Then, most likely, you’re totally oblivious to how using this rich resource effectively in and outside the classroom can reduce the need for study cram sessions and all-nighters.
And at-risk and/or first-generation college students are usually quite inexperienced as newbies.
Even students with family histories of college attendance often “overestimate” what they know about today’s library resources and how best to use them.
Google and Wikipedia May Get You Started…
But American academic reference librarians are eager to teach students the right way to become masters of the information universe.
These highly trained education professionals know how to find “needles in the [information] haystack” for seeking and validating information of any type.
And as a result, they are the consummate “information literacy practitioners”… a skill set you’ll need while pursuing your academic and career goals!
Before you go, view the short, informative video below. Invest a little time in learning this critical skill set.
By doing so, it can help you achieve more successfully your academic and professional goals.
So, did the video stimulate your thinking? How would you rate your information literacy skills – not so hot, average, or pretty good?
Whatever the case may be, whenever you need help, like writing a research paper, studying for a final exam, and/or working on a group project, make it a point to always seek “strategy advice” from your academic reference librarian.
Besides knowing how to find the exact information you may need, they can also assist students with narrowing down research topics, analyzing appropriate academic resources, and recommending various study skill strategies.
And we also mustn’t forget that they are, in fact, the “Marie Kondo” of fake news. They know how to zero in on fake news, dissect its parts, and expose the actual truth.
So, if you haven’t made your campus academic reference librarian a “study buddy”, then do so quickly.
Effectively using information and managing information resources are two critical skill sets required for success in today’s workplace. In the information universe, it’s called information literacy practice.
And what better person to learn from than your campus academic reference librarian.
A Word to the Wise...
An Academic Pearl of Wisdom
Whenever a college student faces an academic and/or social challenge, they often ask a peer or a friend first for advice.
And that’s okay.
However, resolving the issue to your best advantage often requires consulting with an academic advising professional as well.
Your academic adviser knows the campus academically, administratively, and socially.
And what they don’t know, they can point you to the person who does know. Include this strategy in your current plan for college success.
And we're always available to help as well!
Disclaimer Reminder: A college student's first line of inquiry should always be with their campus academic adviser. College Success Life Advising Sessions provide additional problem-solving options to undergraduate and graduate students for further exploration on their individual campuses. Students should always consult their assigned adviser not only during the course selection process but periodically to keep apprised of programmatic changes, testing requirements, course additions/deletions, GPA modifications, etc.
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