The librarian is available to provide instruction in your classroom tailored to the needs of your students. Classroom instruction is available as a single teaching session, or can span multiple sessions focused on a specific resource or research assignment. Classes can visit the library for tours or to have the library on hand during a workday. Video recordings can also be created for use in your online classes.

Available instruction topics include an overview of the academic research process, tips for effectively searching academic databases, demonstrations of specific databases, how to identify different types of sources,  how to evaluate resources, and how to accurately format papers and cite sources using style guides such as MLA and APA.

The library provides reference services to faculty and students throughout the semester. Get in-person support during open hours, or by scheduling an appointment that works for your schedule. You can also get assistance through email, phone or a one-on-one Zoom session.

Faculty can place library materials on reserve at the circulation desk for students to access. Having a copy of your current textbooks on reserve for students to checkout is helpful for students who are unable to purchase their textbooks due to financial aid issues. Most course reserves are set up for short term, in-library use. Faculty can set the loan period they feel is best for their students.

The library has hotspots and laptops available for short term student usage. 9 internet hotspots are available for checkout (3 AT&T, 3 T-Mobile, 3 Verizon). Hotspots check out for 1 month at a time and are renewable based on availability. Laptops are available for two week check out and are not renewable.

Faculty can submit requests for resources they wish to have in the library’s physical and electronic collections.The librarian works with faculty to determine how best to fulfill the request either through purchase or interlibrary loan.

eBook titles may be available for purchase that can be accessed by your entire class for free! Contact the librarian to see if your required course texts are available as an eBook.

Looking for a new textbook or course materials? Open Education Resources (OER) are teaching, learning and research materials that are free to use for you and your students. OER can help faculty members personalize their teaching materials and save students money by reducing textbook costs.

The library can help identify OER available for your classes including open textbooks, library materials such as scholarly journal articles, news articles or streaming media, and ancillary materials.

Creating a Research Guide for your class is a great way to give your students access to high quality, curated resources available through the library.

Schedule a meeting with the librarian to review your course needs. We can create a list of databases, eBooks, scholarly journals, search tips and other resources that are available to your students 24/7.

Looking for something we don’t currently have in the collection? Interlibrary loan services are available which allow faculty to borrow items from other libraries across the state.

Requesting Physical items

After searching the library catalog, switch the drop down menu to “All MnPals libraries” and complete your search.

Browse the results, and click “check for available resources” for any items you would like to request.

After logging in with your StarID and password, you can submit a resource sharing request. Your items will be mailed to the library if a lender is avalable and we will notify you when they are ready for checkout.

Requesting Articles

When searching the library’s academic databases such as EBSCO Academic Search Premier, a resource sharing link will appear below any articles that don’t have full text. This link allows you to submit a digital interlibrary loan request and the article will be emailed to your school email account, often within 24-48 hours.

Submit Your Request Manually

Still not finding the title you want to request? Use the Interlibrary Loan form to manually enter your request.

The library has campus subscriptions to streaming video databases, allowing you to show films in your class or share them in your D2L courses.

Films On Demand: Master Academic Package An online video streaming database of educational videos including A&E, PBS, BBC, National Geographic, HBO Documentary Films and more. This collection contains over 40,000 titles across many disciplines including health & medicine, humanities & social sciences, science & mathematics, and business & economics. Faculty guide to using Films on Demand and embedding videos in D2L

Kanopy An on-demand streaming video service providing access to feature length films, documentaries and education videos across a wide range of subjects. Faculty guide to using Kanopy and linking to videos in D2L

The library manages a large collection of electronic databases available for students and faculty to access on and off campus. The full list of databases and descriptions can be accessed here: A-Z Database List

ProQuest U.S. Newsstream U.S. news content and archives back to the 1980s from national and regional news sources including The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Newsday, Chicago Tribune and the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Most articles are text only.

All FDLTCC faculty, staff and students have full access to the New York Times websites.
Use the faculty guide to create your account and share articles with your students:
New York Times Faculty Guide

In addition to classroom instruction, the librarian is available to collaborate with faculty, helping them find resources that support their teaching needs. The librarian can provide one-on-one training on specific databases and demonstrate how to incorporate media and other resources into in-person or online classes. The library can also assist with faculty research projects.