Library Research Resources for Online Courses: Research Assistance

The library's chat service is available Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for quick assistance with any library-related questions. Access the chat box right on the library homepage.

For more in-depth research assistance, students can schedule an online research appointment with a librarian. Research appointments can be conducted via Blackboard Collaborate, Microsoft Teams, phone, etc. Librarians will try to accommodate students' preferences on where to meet.

Schedule a research appointment here by choosing a subject area under Limit by Specialty, selecting the appropriate subject librarian, and choosing a date and time from the librarian's availability. Make sure to select Online for the location of the appointment. Your students are also free to contact their subject librarian directly for assistance.

The library has general research resources available for students at any level. 

• Research DIY: This resource includes videos and infographics guiding students through all steps of the research process, from finding background information and generating keywords to finding scholarly sources and getting started drafting a research paper.  


• Productive Researcher: Similar to Research DIY, this advanced research resources provides videos and infographics on topics for advanced researchers, ranging from literature searching and cited reference searching to working with reviewer comments and publishing.



• Citizen Literacy: This online toolkit promotes the development of key information skills for democratic citizenship. Topics include news literacy, social media algorithms, and election research and features short videos and teaching activities that faculty across all disciplines can integrate into their courses and assignments. 

Contact: Feel free to use any part of Research DIY, Productive Researcher, or Citizen Literacy in your classes. If you have questions or suggestions about these resources, contact Amber Willenborg.