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Supporting Staff: Academic Support

Curriculum design and collaborating with the Library 

Library Staff work together with academic and professional services staff in the following ways

Curriculum Engagement

  • Attend and contribute to relevant meetings, to promote and advise about library developments and to respond to feedback.
  • Understand priorities for research groups, curriculum development and delivery and student engagement.
  • Induct new and current staff on how to make the most of the Library and our resources.
  • Use the Library Research Skills Framework to work with academics and other staff to ensure appropriate curriculum design based on the learning outcomes, and the assessment within a module.
  • Provide specialist advice, training and workshops covering research skills, such as finding and evaluating information, managing data, intellectual property, bibliometrics, referencing and plagiarism and using library systems and resources.
  • Support the Programme Approval and Review process, the Library has toolkits available on the Education Quality Sharepoint site.
  • Collaborate with staff in other professional services teams including Student Disability and Inclusion, Enhancement, iSolutions, Careers 
  • Contact us to discuss your needs libenqs@soton.ac.uk 

 

 

Developing your students' library research skills

This section outlines how the Library can work with you, as part of a programme level approach, to embed research skills into your programme or module to ensure appropriate curriculum design based on the learning outcomes, and the assessment within a module to develop your students' research skills.

The Library recommends that research skills support be embedded in the following ways:

  • Help students with Getting Started at a University Library.
  • Help students find reliable information via their subject guide and library catalogues.
  • Collection development for independent reading.
  • We will do this by creating curriculum maps, which will map out the best journey for students through each programme supporting the constructive alignment of the content and the development of the library research skills at the appropriate point of need and level with reference to QAA benchmarking statements. Contact us for more information.
  • Embed tutorials, videos and guides in the VLE to support assessment
  • Link to research skills support in your feedback
  • Signpost students to co-curricular library training and workshops
  • Talk to your librarian
  • Direct students to their essential and recommended reading with an online reading list

At the Education Committee in March 2022 our approach was discussed and approved. Linked below is the full report sent to the Education Committee outlining our plans and the reason for them.

Collection development

  • Work with academics on the development of collections for teaching and research, including the ordering of new resources and the review and quality assurance of existing resources.
  • We have a Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging libguide and we also provide guidance about accessible and diverse content - email libenqs@soton.ac.uk for advice
  • Supply of resources for independent study 
  • The library reading app Libby (formerly OverDrive) for academic and trade ebooks that we cannot source from our normal suppliers
  • Provide advice and guidance about reading list development, with online reading list guidance. 
  • Finding archives and special collections including the Archives and special collections of the University of Southampton
  • The Library invests in numerous new digital resources to support the University’s educational and research mission 
  • Digitisation of printed resources for your reading list
  • Request resources via our Inter-library loan service
  • Discovery of open access resources including journals and books

 

Embedding the Library Research Skills Framework

A circular diagram showing an inner circle with an outer ring around it. The words Library Research Skills are written on the inner circle. The outer ring is comprised of 6 segments, one for each of the 6 skills areas of Library Research Skills. The 6 skills areas in the outer ring start with 1 transition skills, 2 skills for studying online, 3 finding information, 4 evaluating information, 5 citing and referencing, and finally 6 digital literacy.

Our Library Research Skills Framework has been created by benchmarking with national and international frameworks.

Please send any feedback on the Library Research Skills Framework to us at libenqs@soton.ac.uk 

Feedback

“The Library Research Skills Framework is a welcome approach to improving students’ information literacy and awareness of library resources and support. This aligns perfectly to the approach of the Enhancing Academic Transition Support project, where we are keen to move away from overloading students with information during induction and move towards support at the point of need throughout the academic journey. The framework enables academics to work in partnership with Engagement Librarians to identify appropriate opportunities to deliver support that are linked to the curriculum – for example embedded in modules and assessments that motivate students to engage with the learning. The pilot of curriculum mapping and support delivered within SBS has shown that this is an effective and efficient way to support students across programmes of study and avoid duplication between modules.”

~ Neil Ford, Principal Teaching Fellow, Education Development, Southampton Business School 

“We were delighted to pilot the Library Skills Framework in Psychology. It was great to see a framework that was tailored for each cohort. The sessions given by the Library complemented perfectly our sessions on transition and expectations for each year, given by our Year Leads. Feedback on the sessions from our course representatives at our last SSLC was very positive, with students in their final year stating that the resources were especially useful for their Literature Review module and that they wished that they had been given the information earlier in the degree. Recordings from the sessions have been uploaded to our Employability Blackboard sites to enable the students to watch the presentations again whenever needed. Signposting to these valuable library resources will also be made more salient on these Blackboard sites, with regular reminders from module leads to make use of the helpful services and resources.”
~ Dr Claire Hart, Programme Lead, Psychology
“The content for MANG1003 was very helpful in directing the students and getting them to engage with useful and relevant information. In particular, we worked, over two weeks, on citing and referencing, how to use the library website (Webcat and DelphiS), and then evaluating that information. These are vital skills for students to learn in their transition to undergraduate study. Just signposting these and having a framework to use was a relief for me and improved the overall content. Now, every student in the Business School has had this introduction. I certainly found that their overall research was better as was their referencing.”
~ Dr David Cross, module lead for MANG1003 and Faculty Academic Integrity Officer (UG)
"Curriculum mapping has ensured that I teach the library session at the appropriate time and align it with the learning outcomes of the course. Using the Library Research Skills Framework enabled me to pitch my training session at the right level, and its flexibility means that I can choose the relevant elements according to the experience of the students. Having the lecturer co-present with the Engagement Librarian and being embedded in the module sends the students the message that this is an integral part of their course. We have been fortunate that the lecturers in Psychology have engaged so well with this pilot and their input has been invaluable."
~ Kate Walker, Engagement Librarian