Faculty Resources & Services

Faculty may request Library Instruction sessions for their classes for any level of research or scholarly engagement.  SCAD Libraries instruction sessions are tailored to the needs of each class, the level of student library skills and based on faculty requests. 

Faculty can request Library Instruction for their classes for any level of research:

• Instruction is tailored to the needs of the class and the level of student library skills.
• Instruction is scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Please provide at least two weeks notice to help ensure a reservation for your preferred date and time.

Active Learning 

SCAD Libraries’ instruction program works to incorporate active learning into library instruction, a method of education that prompts students to be actively engaged in the class and practice the skills introduced during the session.  Active learning can encompass various techniques, including teacher-driven questions, small group discussions and activities, and hands-on projects. The goal of active learning is to increase student engagement and facilitate learning. 

Multiple Literacy Approach 

SCAD Libraries’ instruction program takes as its foundation a multiple literacy approach. The multiple literacies approach asserts a broader understanding of literacy that acknowledges the interconnectedness and interdependence of forms of information beyond text. According to the UNESCO International Bureau of Education: 

“The concept is based on the assumption that individuals ‘read’ the world and make sense of information by means other than traditional reading and writing. These multiliteracies include linguistic, visual, audio, spatial, and gestural ways of meaning-making. Central to the concept of multiple literacies is the belief that individuals in a modern society need to learn how to construct knowledge from multiple sources and modes of representation.” 

Frameworks & Guidelines 

SCAD librarians incorporate a variety of pedagogical approaches and techniques that are built around the Association of College and Research Libraries’ (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education, the Society of American Archivists (SAA) Guidelines for Primary Source Literacy, and ACRL Framework for Visual Literacy. These frameworks function as an interconnected collection of core literacy concepts focusing on threshold concepts with flexible options for implementation. 

Framework for Information Literacy - Frames 

• Authority Is Constructed and Contextual: Authority depends on context and the audience holding an attitude of informed skepticism. 
• Information Creation as a Process: Information in any format is produced to convey a message and is shared via a selected delivery method. 
• Information Has Value: Information possesses several dimensions of value. 
• Research as Inquiry: Research is an iterative process that depends on asking increasingly complex questions. 
• Scholarship as Conversation: Ideas are created, debated, and weighed in comparison over time. 
• Searching as Strategic Exploration: Locating information requires a combination of inquiry, discovery, and serendipity. 

Primary Source Literacy Guidelines – Core Ideas 

• Practical Concepts: Practical skills required for using primary resources include finding, accessing, gathering and handling procedures in various formats and locations in special collections. 
• Analytical Concepts: Primary sources are engaged through hypothesis, analysis, synthesis, interpretation, critical thinking, and evaluation. An analysis of the material is required by the user to understand how sources were produced and delivered.  
• Theoretical Concepts: The presentation of primary resources is affected by considerations such as evidence, authority, power, authenticity, context, materiality, historical empathy, agency, value, absences, and privilege. 
• Ethical Concepts: It’s important for users to understand the ethical concepts related to laws and regulations, privacy rights, cultural context, donor agreements, copyright, and intellectual property when working with primary resources. 

Framework for Visual Literacy – Themes 

• Learners participate in a changing visual information landscape 
• Learners perceive visuals as communicating information 
• Learners practice visual discernment and criticality 
• Learners pursue social justice through visual practice 

While these are listed and are the primary literacies the Program addresses, the program’s multi-literacy approach means that the foundation of the Program is the understanding that all literacies overlap and interlock. Effective instruction services acknowledge multiple literacies must be engaged to meet the unique and diverse needs of the SCAD community. 

Library workshops and events are offered online and in-person at various locations. These include pre-recorded videos that can be watched anytime, addressing common research skills. Click below to see current offerings.