Will An Optional Information Literacy Session Work?

About 10 years ago I offered an optional general session to the Graduate Student Association teaching the generalties of database searching.  Only 5 students came.  Here is part of an e-mail that I just received from a chemistry professor:

I ask the students to search chemical literature to come up with ideas for projects. (Students work in teams of two/team). Basically I want them to find one or more papers (mainly computational in nature) on a particular topic of interest to them. Then I will work with them to refine the project to a "do-able" level. I've already suggested that they look at JOURNNAL OF MOLECULAR STRUCTURE (THEOCHEM) for project ideas.


But browsing a journal is different than searching the lit.



The course has 20 grad students (18 MS & 2 PhD) & 5 undergrads. About 10-12 of the grad students attended your chemical lit searching seminar in our dept last Sept--but they prob'ly forgot it already. & since you didn't have internet access, it was difficult for you to explain. None of the undergrads have any idea of how to search the lit.

The professor said that she didn't have the time for me to come to her class.  I had two suggestions:

1. I could hold an optional session at 5 PM, one hour before their class begins.
2. I can invite students to make appointments with me for an individual or group session

Perhaps I am being a bit cynical, but I really wonder how many students will come. I am going to suggest option #2.