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Himmelfarb Headlines: Library Orientation for Your New Students

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Library Orientation for Your New Students

Student Orientation Article

The start of another semester means it’s time to say hello to a new group of students. Himmelfarb Library offers many important resources that students will use throughout their time here. We recommend introducing these resources to students early on, and can arrange for a librarian to talk with your students about the library and resources specific to a course, project, or area of study.

Show your students the library website (https://himmelfarb.gwu.edu/) and suggest that they bookmark it. The website provides access to useful databases and research guides as well as the library catalog. We recommend demonstrating how to find the research guide for the school or specific area in which you teach. The library website is also the place to go to learn about and create a RefWorks account, which will help students keep their reading and research organized.

Another extremely useful service is our interlibrary loan service. If a student wants a book or article that Himmelfarb does not own, they can simply fill out the request form and we will get them a copy! Students get 30 free requests every year – and requests for any print books available through our Consortium Loan Service are always free.

Students should know that they can ask the library for help at any time. Online chat is available during business hours Monday through Friday. Students can also get help by calling the information desk at (202)-994-2850, emailing us at himmelfarb@gwu.edu, or stopping by the information desk in the library. Beyond that, our librarians offer research consultation services. Whether a student is completely new to the research process or is working with a team on a formal systematic review, we are happy to meet with them and help. Appointments can be scheduled by emailing himmelfarb@gwu.edu. Please find more information about our systematic review service on our guide.

The library, located in Ross Hall, is also the perfect location for quiet study or group work! The second and third floors are “quiet” floors, with private study rooms that can be reserved, while the first floor is a “talking” floor.

Do you want a librarian to come provide an orientation to library services for your students? We’d love to! You can email us at himmelfarb@gwu.edu with that request.