The University of Colorado Denver (UCD) Chemistry Department is collaborating with the Auraria Library on a case study to quantify the benefits students receive in their education by using library collections. Over the last three academic years, students enrolled in Honors General Chemistry I and II Laboratory courses have completed units focused on scientific literature. The goal is to introduce students to the rich resource of scientific literature early in their undergraduate studies. A science librarian presents library instruction targeted at topics the students have encountered in previous lab work and lecture material. Then, the post-lab assignment challenges students' comprehension and creativity to use library and non-library resources to explore appropriate topics in the scientific literature, with the ultimate goal of identifying ideas for new general chemistry laboratory experiments. While searching the literature, students record their research process by capturing information on the scientific databases accessed as well as search terms and refinements used, and documenting chosen citations in ACS format. At the end of each semester, this information is gathered, along with assignment and course grade data from each participating student, and is analyzed by the authors of this paper in order to identify misconceptions in student learning, evaluate the effectiveness of library instruction, find insights into teaching information literacy, and estimate the return-on-investment (ROI) of library materials. The results of this case study can shed light on the role of library instruction and teaching information literacy to students early on in their undergraduate science education. Long term, this case study can assist libraries in making informed decisions on where to invest their resource dollars and the effective integration of library and freely available resources.

Creating connections: Introducing scientific literature research in the undergraduate general chemistry laboratory

245th National Meeting (2013)

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