Wheaton College Norton, Massachusetts
Wheaton  library

First-Year Seminar Library Component: Building Foundations

The library component of the First-Year Seminar introduces basic research skills that students need to become academically successful and information literate.

Students should learn to utilize Wheaton's library both as a place, and as a gateway for information. They should become aware of the role of librarians as partners in learning. Of equal importance, students should understand how scholars communicate through publication in any media.

In collaboration with faculty, FYS librarians teach students to:

  • Formulate, clarify, revise, and refine a research question
  • Devise and implement an effective search strategy
  • Find and gain access to books, periodicals, reference materials, etc. in or through Wheaton's library, whatever the format
  • Develop initial criteria for evaluating information and its sources
  • Acknowledge the use of information sources appropriately, and cite them in a consistent manner.