Are Library Lectures Effective When Given During Orientation Week?

Today, the new international graduate students broke out into groups based on their major. At 10 AM I spoke to the pharmaceutical engineering students while at 11 AM I met with chemical engineers. For both sessions I had less time than I would like to give a thorough introduction to information sources in their fields. I decided not to use my usual powerpoints and go directly to the library’s web site to demonstrate resources offered by the library.


The students were attentive and seemed to be interested in my lectures. I demonstrated the library catalog, Scopus and Scifinder Scholar. I gave out my business card and told students that I was available for questions at any time in the future. I wonder if a library lecture at an orientation will be effective in the long run. Some of these students are new to the United States and must adapt to a new culture. Using library resources is not the most important thing for them at this time. In my opinion this lecture would have more of an impact if given a few weeks into the semester.