| By Lori Warren |
Located in Chattanooga, the STEM School opened in the Summer of 2012 on the Chattanooga State Community College Campus. The high school’s name stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. All students enrolled: receive an iPad, participate in Project Based Learning Units, and pursue a STEM focused curriculum. As their librarian, the first thing I do is show them how to access great TEL resources through the AccessMyLibrary App. In their library sessions, students learn to do research with TEL and explore different databases for different PBLs and writing assignments.
Freshman Orientations to the Tennessee Electronic Library (TEL) and to library services, begins with students downloading the AccessMyLibrary App. Once the App is downloaded, students can access Gale collections from our college, TEL, and the Chattanooga Public Library all through the one App. Once students learn how easy this is, they move on to the full orientation. I use my HCDE/TEL Assignment Libguide to facilitate the orientation and as a source for students to do independent research 24/7. The Libguide also includes video tutorials on using Gale and their collaboration partners. Before they leave the orientation, students research a topic in two Gale databases, learn to use the tools to share, cite, save, organize, highlight, and add notes. Before they leave this session and future classes, students send three articles related to their current assignment to their teacher.
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About the Author
Lori Warren serves as the Coordinator of Marketing and Outreach for the Chattanooga State Community College Library. As the Coordinator of Library Marketing and Outreach, she creates, coordinates and manages the library’s marketing and outreach efforts in support of the college’s programs and the library’s services and mission. As the subject librarian for Education Majors and the acting librarian for the two high schools on campus, she teaches research and library skills using TEL and Gale resources.