yes - lris

Libraries are, as a rule, overrated and probably completely unnecessary. Go with it. - LB: #TeamMonique

I think that's overstating it a bit, LB. :-) But I think there's WAY more to information literacy than databases, so always concentrating on that can be reductive. - lris

Just point them to the books. - Derrick

I think in all seriousness that some of my discontent with my teaching lately is because I've spent too much time demonstrating mf'ing databases over the last ten years. - Jason P

Yes, cut the databases if you need to. Fuck the databases, teach the students. (Get that mixed up and should expect a lawsuit.) - Steele Lawman

IL is about knowing where stuff is, why it's there, when you should go there, and what you might do to put stuff there. Which makes it sound like sex ed. - Pete #TeamMonique

It isnot about teaching the use of tools, although that's what we end up doing. - Pete #TeamMonique

What are the students' needs? (from their perspective) - awd

Make 'em watch some database tutorials that focus on the how-to before or after class if they need it, focus on the other stuff during class. - ellbeecee

I just want to say that because of LSW, I'm rethinking how I do the sessions with new medical residents. In the past we've been given a list of databases/resources we were supposed to cover, but I think I'm just going to give them a pocket card listing important resources, but work with them in the class session more on how they've approached research and thinking-through-the-process things. - Rachel Walden

Rachel, that makes perfect sense to me. I hope you report back once you have done a session like that. - Steele Lawman

It does to me too. The mechanics of "how to search" are much easier to pick up as you go, and I don't think they need us nearly as much for that. - Jason P

It will be closer to the end of June, but I'm keeping a running list of ideas for new resident training to work from. Will update after the sessions! - Rachel Walden

Can you move some of the database demo stuff onto handouts or a screencast or something? That way you have something to give but don't spend classroom time on it. - Andy

Yep. They've got a Libguide (that I'll update before class) and we've got some screencast tutorials. And I will talk some about database searching, just shoving it way down on the list. - Jason P

"I think in all seriousness that some of my discontent with my teaching lately is because I've spent too much time demonstrating mf'ing databases over the last ten years..." Substitute "four" for "ten" and that's me. *fistbump* - Catherine Pellegrino

Sounds like a good plan! - Andy

Not only does the how-to of database use get outdated quickly and distract from the more complex aspects of research, it's really, really boring. It's much easier to pick up the nifty tricks as you go along than by seeing them demo'd. - barbara fister

Ugh, yes. It's boring and I've come to hate doing it. I'm really really trying to make my teaching more interesting than that this year. - Jason P

Jason, I for one would LOVE to see your notes/lesson plan/outline/whatever that you come up with when you're done revising the class. Like you, I would love to get away from doing so much database demo, but I'm still trying to find ways to do that and a) meet the instructors' expectations and b) give students practical skills and knowledge that they can use immediately. - Catherine Pellegrino

C, I will email you. - Jason P

Thankee! - Catherine Pellegrino

mee tooo ;) - awd

Hell, maybe I need to do this as a blog post. I tend to forget that I have a blog. - Jason P

what's a blog? - awd

It's short for "web log" #2005 - Jason P

oops, missed placing the #snark hashtag - awd

If the Discovery Channel had a whole week devoted to snark, I'd watch it. - Andy

Feel the bite. #snarkweek - Yo. Shark Dog.

#snarkweek *dies of the giggles* - Hedgehog

LIVE EVERY WEEK LIKE IT'S SNARK WEEK - Steele Lawman

Now thinking about snarkbait .... Lots of people fit that tag. - barbara fister from iPhone

I sat through database demos in high school and college. Then I did research that only required me to use books, because dude. Partly I could not remember which databases required a * to truncate and which wanted me to use a lot of ORs, but mostly I had no idea how to come up with a damn search term to truncate or OR to begin with. - laura x