Librarians have the Answer to Your Research Questions

While you won’t find librarians sitting at the Research Help Desk on the main floor of Lavery Library to take drop-in questions, the team is no less available to provide information on research and citations.

Wondering how to properly cite a source? Need some suggestions for journal articles to explore? Visit the team through the Virtual Research Desk. Students can visit the library’s website to make same-day appointments via Zoom with the on-call librarian, Monday through Friday.

“We know that week four or five of the semester is when research assignments start popping up on students’ to-do lists,” said Mia Breitkopf, coordinator of instruction and research services. “The Lavery librarians who take turns staffing the Zoom Research Help Desk are available to meet with students to help with research and coursework.”

Breitkopf said the Lavery librarians can help students find books and ebooks, talk through research assignments, and answer any other questions they may have about using the library’s resources and finding information. Among the most popular questions: “Can you help me find a scholarly or peer-reviewed source?” and “How do I cite this in my references list?”

“Any coursework question, big or small, or only half-formed is okay,” she said.

When students meet in Zoom with the on-call librarian, they sometimes have a quick five-minute question while other times, Breitkopf said students visit the Zoom research help desk multiple times for help with a research paper.

To meet with an on-call librarian through the Virtual Research Help Desk, schedule an appointment online. For questions, email at libraryreference@sjfc.edu.