Services

Reference Consultations for Students and Faculty

Library staff are able to recommend, evaluate, and use information resources to help you meet particular information needs, such as writing a paper or finding a book or journal article. Email library@dwci.edu to ask a reference question or set-up an in-person reference consultation.

Tips for reference questions

• Tell what you are going to do with the information. For example:
  • write a short or long paper
  • compile an annotated bibliography
  • give a speech
     
• Provide as much information as you know. For example:
  • what you have found out already
  • where you have looked
  • what terms you used

Interlibrary Loan

Library staff are able to borrow books and articles from other libraries through Interlibrary Loan. ILL is a cooperative venture in which libraries agree to share their resources with each other.  To use the ILL service, fill out an ILL Article Request or ILL Book Request form and email it to Bro. Tony Kreinus. Before submitting an ILL request, always check to see whether our library owns the item.

Some items may be difficult or impossible to obtain through ILL. These include reference books, very new or old books, rare books, computer software, archival or genealogical materials, and certain serial volumes. If ILL is not possible, WorldCat is a great resource for finding items that may be available in a library near you. Likewise, ArchiveGrid is a fantastic resource for finding archival materials that may be in an institution near you.

Information Literacy in the Classroom

The Library maintains a strong commitment to first-rate information literacy instruction as an essential component of successful student learning. Information literacy is a set of skills that enable individuals to recognize the need for information when it arises, to articulate the types and extent of information required to complete a specific task, and to efficiently discover, access, and evaluate sources of information and use them to solve real-world problems in a creative and ethical manner. By instructing students to become confident users of information, the library aims to help them become adept members of a global society. Library staff advance information literacy in Humanities 101 and everyday interactions with students.

Additionally, the library offers customized information literacy sessions.

Examples of sessions include instructing students to:

• Use the library’s online resources
• Evaluate the content and authority of information sources
• Cite sources accurately
• Use research tools

Email library@dwci.edu to schedule an Information Literacy Session.