Our library provides free of charge teaching services customised to your students' subjects and needs, together with you as their teacher. We offer teaching in areas such as information searching, source criticism, reference management, study techniques, academic writing, and archive information.
Information searching, source criticism and reference management
Are your students using scholarly articles or performing tasks that require information searching, reference management or source criticism? We offer customised teaching at different levels tailored to your subject and your students' requirements. Examples of teaching content:
Search, find and cite references (basic level)
Content
Searching in selected databases within the subject area.
Formulating keywords based on the student’s research question.
Finding scholarly material.
Critically evaluating sources.
Citing the sources used.
Target group
Students in their first semester.
Duration
2 hours. You can also add a complementary 1 hour workshop.
Search, find and cite references (bachelor's level)
Content
Clustering of keywords.
Formulating search strings based on the chosen topic.
Searching in databases using different techniques to narrow or expand the search result.
Finding scholarly articles and knowing how they are published and disseminated.
Critically evaluating sources.
Citing in the text and writing a reference list.
Target group
Students who will write a bachelor's thesis.
Duration
2 hours. You can also add a complementary 1 hour workshop.
Search, find and cite references (master’s level)
Content
Chain searching.
Systematic searching.
Formulating a search string based on the chosen topic.
Critically evaluating sources.
Using reference management software.
Target group
Students who will write a master's level thesis or doctoral students.
Duration
2 hours. You can also add a complementary 1 hour workshop.
Images and copyright
Content
The basics of copyright and images.
Using other people's images in your own work.
Copyright of your own and others' images.
How to refer to visual material.
Creative Commons and images.
Target group
Students who will use images in their theses or reports.
Duration
2 hours
Keeping track of your references: Getting started with Zotero
Content
The basics of the reference management software Zotero.
Gathering references in your Zotero library.
Retrieving materials and references from databases and the web.
Adding materials and references manually.
Organising your Zotero library.
Shared folders.
Target group
Students who will write a bachelor's or master's thesis.
Duration
1 hour
Archives and special collections - an introduction
Content
Differences between libraries and archives.
Archive-specific search methods.
Overview of different search paths to archives, including Arken, National Archive Database (NAD), Digitala forskarsalen and Svensk mediedatabas.
A general overview of the library's manuscript collection, with a presentation of specific examples.
Overview of the databases available through the library, including a presentation of examples and searches.
Target group
Students writing a thesis.
Duration
90 minutes
Academic writing, study techniques and oral presentations
Our library's writing tutors are available for lectures, workshops and seminars. To best support the students' progress, our contribution should be well integrated into the course curriculum and planned together with you as the teacher. Contact us to make an arrangement that suits the subject that you are teaching.
Examples of areas where we can contribute knowledge:
Reading and understanding the structure and language of academic texts.
Understanding and critically analysing academic texts in terms of content, form and argumentation.
Effectively reading academic texts to find information and conducting critical assessments.
Knowledge and skills in both writing academic texts and insight into the writing process.
Rhetorical skills in how to present arguments and ideas effectively and clearly, both in oral presentations and in written form.
Introduction to library facilities and resources
For new students, we offer introductions to our resources and premises.
Introduction to Umeå University Library
Customised introduction to either the University Library, the Medical Library or the Arts Campus Library.
Content
Presentation of the library's services and facilities.
Searching for and borrowing textbooks.
Requesting books that are currently on loan.
The library's website.
Tour of the library's premises.
Target group
New students
Duration
45 minutes
Book the library in your teaching
If you would like to book teaching sessions from the library or have questions about content and structure, you are welcome to contact us. Use the form below, and we will contact you shortly.
