My name is Mary Chipanshi, I am the liaison Librarian responsible for Nursing, KHS and Psychology. As an academic librarian, I strive to support the educational mission of the University of Regina by instructing students in information literacy (IL). IL is a life long skill that develops students with the understanding of when and why information is required, and how to look and use the information they find.
In all my IL classes, I am always excited to introduce the many library resources and show students some time saving searching tips, tricks and techniques. It is rewarding to know that by equipping them with these skills they will not only save time looking for information, but also improve their overall assignment. Some students are unaware of the variety of resources available to them through the library. Resources include subject specific databases like CINAHL for nursing, APA PsychInfo for Psychology and SportDiscus for KHS. In addition there are resources of interest like PressReader where you can read hundreds of newspapers and magazines from all over the world or watch a movie through Audio Cine Films. The full database list is available on the Database A-Z list.
Also covered in IL is citing correctly to avoid plagiarism and the use of reference managers like Refworks.
I am also available for one-on-one research consultations. Sometimes I get students apologizing for taking up my time when I spend an hour with them helping them find resources for their assignment. It is with great relief when they find out that Librarians and archivists are there to assist them. And frankly that is the best part of my job!
In the last couple of years, the virtual environment opened up possibilities that were otherwise unattainable. I was able to provide library instruction and reference to U of R students and staff not only in Regina but all over Canada and other parts of the world.
I am always looking for opportunities to collaborate with faculty to design and deliver custom information literacy instruction to students. For example, from January 2020 to October 2021 I have conducted 35 IL classes, with students totaling more than 1,000.00.
To find out more about the liaison program go to https://www.uregina.ca/library/services/liaison/index.html