User education at the Viikki Science Library
website: http://www.tiedekirjasto.helsinki.fi/english/services/education.htm
Start Date (month/year): ?
End Date (if ended) (month/year): ?
Typology: academic library initiative - courses for university students  

Institution:
Viikki Science Library

Helsinki

Address:
Viikki Science Library
Viikinkaari 11 A (P.O.Box 62)
FIN-00014 University of Helsinki
tel: +358 9 191 58040
fax: +358 9 191 58011

Contact person:
Päivi Helminen
Tel 09-191 58031
 

User education at the Vikki Science Library

In-class courses

Target group: university students
Level: basic

• 1 credit-course (1 ECTS) on Information Resources on the Web (3 hours)
  Prerequisites: General computer skills
  Target group: university students (mainly students of the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry at the University of Helsinki)
  
  The aim of the course is to give a general picture of available information resources, with focus on Nelli Portal, library catalogs, e-journals, reference databases and their use, and to guide students to select suitable information resources.
  The material can also be used for independent study of information resources.
  The course is arranged once in Autumn and once in Spring. 
  The last courses were held in Spring and Autumn 2006 (October).
  
  
  

• RefWorks - Reference Management Software (2 hours)
  Target group: university (Vikki Campus) students
  
  During the course students learn how:
  - to import references from reference databases and electronic journals;
  - to create their  own personal databases;
  - to use their references in writing their papers and automatically format the paper and the bibliography.
  

Personal tutoring

Target groups: university (Vikki Campus) students; university (Vikki Campus) staff
Level: basic
Staff and students of the Viikki Campus can also make an appointment for a personal tutoring session.

The ICT Driving Licence - information seeking module at the Vikki Science Library
Within the ICT Driving Licence at the University of Helsinki,  although it varies by each faculty whether the teaching is obligatory or not, some libraries, such as Viikki Science Library, highly recommend all students to participate in the information seeking hands-on sessions. 
At the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry the teaching of information seeking is tailored and embedded in the introductory courses of the departments, such as “Introduction to Plant Production”. These 90-minute hands-on sessions bring in subject specific issues.

The learning material for information seeking - ICT Driving Licence is freely available on the website of the Library.

Keywords: credit earning courses for university students - user education - web information resources – information retrieval - library use - use of scientific databases - selection of information sources - reference management -  reference techniques -  personal tutoring for university students - personal tutoring for university staff - information seeking - information seeking hands-on sessions - disciplinary scientific information