Library & Research Readiness Series for Canvas Commons

The Library & Research Readiness Series, created and presented by Salmon Library, provides a method of integrating library and information literacy instruction directly into your course for asynchronous delivery of these materials. Developed within Canvas, each unit of this series is created as an individual module filled with blended text and multimedia content focused on a particular theme or topic relating to research or library services. The goal of this series is primarily two-fold:

1. Offer content that can serve as a preliminary, introductory session delivered prior to a librarian’s visit, preparing students for a later, more robust session with the librarian, or
2. Serve as instructional materials in cases where it is not possible to have an in-person session with a librarian, either due to time constraints, health concerns, or online-only course delivery

Rather than one long course on information literacy, instructors have the option to select and import which modules of the Readiness Series they feel are appropriate for their students’ needs. As such, modules address content ranging from overview of basic library services for first years, to using our discovery service to conduct more robust searches for more advanced students. Each module is designed to look and feel at home in any Canvas course shell, with the familiar Canvas design and layout. The content itself depends on the theme of the module, but will mostly consist of a blend of text and video materials to be read and watched in succession. A brief quiz is attached to each module as well, offering students the chance to see what they retained, and faculty a chance to assess their results accordingly. The quizzes are set to “practice quizzes” as to not interfere with any established grade/rubric in the faculty’s class. If the faculty member wishes to use it as a grade, that option is available at the flip of a switch to incorporate these 5 point quizzes into their assignments as they see fit.

The library will be expanding this series by releasing more content over time, such as modules on evaluating sources, using databases in your research, developing search strategies, and many more to come. This is a growing, evolving series that will offer a breadth of content to be offered asynchronously as faculty see fit. Any of the pages within each module can be turned off or on by the faculty member, so customization is available! These will all be accessed by searching for them in Canvas Commons, then simply importing them into your course shell wherever you like.