Workshops & training

If you have any questions, please contact us, e-mail: irc-library@jacobs-university.de

General information

The IRC is the place to start all of your research for university courses. The basic research skills you learn will help you get the most out of your academic work at Jacobs University, in graduate studies, and in your professional life as well.

Learn to select and search the most appropriate print and electronic sources, including the library catalog, the Internet, and subject-specific databases; cite sources in papers; and tie all the pieces together. In small hands-on workshop sessions, the IRC's librarians will guide you through the excellent resources available at Jacobs University and help you get the most out of your research time.

 

Library tours

The IRC staff offer general tours of the IRC for all students, staff, and faculty. If you are new to Jacobs University or have not had a general introduction to the IRC and its resources, please join us! All tours begin in the IRC lobby and last approximately one-half hour.

The next scheduled tours will take place in fall 2012. However, tours are always available upon request. If you would like to bring a class to the IRC or arrange a special tour group, please contact us (e-mail: irc-library@jacobs-university.de).

 

Reference Management with RefWorks

(open to all)

Learn how to manage and format your bibliographic references!

The only thing keeping you from finishing your paper is the bibliography? Tired of trying to remember whether you put parentheses around the year in APA or MLA style? Staying up late just to format your citations correctly? Let RefWorks - a web-based bibliographic management tool - take care of that and get more sleep instead.

In this workshop you will learn how to:

  • create your personal RefWorks account containing all your references in a single place accessible from anywhere;
  • import references automatically from research databases and library catalogs;
  • organize and annotate references according to your own needs;
  • format references and bibliographies for your papers or thesis automatically in all major bibliographic styles (APA, MLA, Vancouver, or 3.000+ other styles).

After this workshop, you will know how to use RefWorks for efficiently organizing your references and formatting your bibliographies.

In the spring semester 2012, this workshop is offered on the following dates:

  • Monday, February 20th and Wednesday, February 22nd from 19:15 - 20:30
  • Tuesday, February 21st and Thursday, February 23rd from 13:00 - 14:15
  • Thursday, March 8th from 13:00 - 15:45
  • Monday, March 12th and Wednesday, March 14th from 19:15 - 20:30

This is a double-session workshop (2 x 75 minutes) and attendance is mandatory at both sessions. Course registration is required due to limited seating capacity. Please register using CampusNet; the official course designation is APS 035. If you would like to register after the normal registration period, please send us an e-mail.

The workshop is open to all Jacobs students, and SHSS students can apply this course the their APS requirements (0.1 credits).

Search Strategy Clinic

(undergraduates)

Already using databases but frequently have either 0 or 23,568 results? Fear that you are missing relevant things? Ever heard of Boolean searching or anything more than running simple keyword searches? Become a proficient searcher in databases relevant to your subject!

In this two-session workshop, you will sharpen your information research skills using a self-chosen topic prepared in advance. Moderated discussions, hands-on time, and input from the IRC librarians will help you to:

  • tailor complex searches to give you the best possible results;
  • become familiar with the advanced search options in a major database of your choice; and
  • adapt your searches to a different database.

After this workshop you will be able to optimize search strategies within databases of your choice.

In the spring semester 2012, this workshop is offered on the following dates:

  • Tuesday, February 14th from 9:45 - 11:00 and Thursday, February 16th from 14:15 - 15:30
  • Monday, February 27th from 9:45 - 11:00 and Thursday, March 1st from 13:00 - 14:15

This is a double-session workshop (2 x 75 minutes) and attendance is mandatory at both sessions. Course registration is required due to limited seating capacity. Please register using CampusNet; the official course designation is APS 036. If you would like to register after the normal registration period, please send us an e-mail.

The workshop is open to all Jacobs students, and SHSS students can apply this course the their APS requirements (0.1 credits). Graduate students are encouraged to participate in the graduate workshop outlined below.

 

Fee vs. Free: Evaluating your information research resources

(open to all)

Learn how compare and evaluate the results of two information research resources!

Convinced that Google or Google Scholar can locate and provide everything you need? Convinced that those resources are accurate, up-to-date, scholarly, and verified? We will divide into small groups and compare and evaluate two common information resources side-by-side. Input from IRC librarians will help you learn to recognize the benefits and drawbacks of each resource.

In this workshop you will learn how to:

  • evaluate electronic resources by applying specific criteria;
  • think critically about information gathering tools;
  • recognize and articulate differences between commercial and free information resources.

In the spring semester 2012, this workshop is offered on the following dates:

  • Wednesday, March 28th from 9:45 - 11:00

This is a single-session workshop (75 minutes). Course registration is required. Please register using CampusNet; the official course designation is APS 120. If you would like to register after the normal registration period, please send us an e-mail.

The workshop is open to all Jacobs students, and SHSS students can apply this course the their APS requirements (0.05 credits).

 

Teamwork: Enter the world of wikibuilding

(open to all)

Understand the benefits of using a wiki by learning on the Jacobs software Teamwork.

Don't quite understand what Teamwork is and how it really works? Aren't convinced of the benefits? Don't think that Teamwork will have any relevance in the world outside the bubble? Become a Teamwork expert and discover ways to increase collaboration, transparency, efficiency and more by using this simple software.

In this two-session workshop you will learn how to:

  • understand what a wiki is and discover its benefits in educational and organizational contexts;
  • create spaces, pages, and more in Teamwork;
  • explore advanced formatting features and learn tips and tricks.

In the spring semester 2012, this workshop is offered on the following dates:

  • Monday, March 19th and Monday, March 26th from 15:45 - 17:00

This is a double-session workshop (2 x 75 minutes) and attendance is mandatory at both sessions. Course registration is required. Please register using CampusNet; the official course designation is APS 069. If you would like to register after the normal registration period, please send us an e-mail.

The workshop is open to all Jacobs students, and SHSS students can apply this course the their APS requirements (0.1 credits).

Jacobs University Library at Your Fingertips: Overview & Tour - Graduate Workshop I

Do you have the nagging feeling that there are important publications that you haven't found? Do you frequently have either 0 or 24,178 results when you're searching? Losing track of your references? Find out how to change this!

In this workshop, a moderated discussion and input from the IRC librarians will help you to develop your individual "information workbench." This workbench will enable you to:

  • find papers of interest without having to discard too many irrelevant things;
  • increase your confidence that you have not left out anything important;
  • stay up-to-date effectively; and
  • ensure that your references are well organized for current and future use.

After the workshop you will be aware of how to considerably improve your information research skills and you will know what tools, support, and advanced workshops are available to you.

This workshop will be offered again in fall 2012; however, it is also offered upon request. Please contact us (e-mail: irc-library@jacobs-university.de) with a list of participants (minimum: 6) and a date and time that works for you.

 

Jacobs University Library at Your Fingertips: Hands-On - Graduate Workshop II

Spending hours getting your hands on material you need and wonder whether it could be more efficient? Don't know how to find and access the best information resources for your research? Learn how to find your way through the vast information resources available to you at Jacobs!

In this hands-on workshop you will:

  • get an introduction to finding physical and electronic resources using Jacobs-specific tools;
  • learn how to access all material (articles, books, online journals, and databases) needed for your research whether it's available at Jacobs or not;
  • get practical experience in finding and evaluating databases using Find It @ Jacobs University;
  • create your personal "hot list" of resources.

After this workshop you will know the fastest and easiest ways to access and obtain all information resources you need for your research.

Prior participation in Graduate Workshop I is strongly recommended.

This workshop will be offered again in fall 2012, however it is also offered upon request. Please contact us (e-mail: irc-library@jacobs-university.de) with a list of participants (minimum: 6) and a date and time that works for you.

Reference Management with RefWorks - Graduate Workshop III

Are you loosing track of the literature for your papers or thesis? Ever started to read an article just to realize you had already read it some time ago and found it irrelevant? Tired of wasting your time on typing citations in APA or MLA style? Let RefWorks - a web-based bibliographic management tool - take care of that and concentrate on your research instead!

In this workshop you will learn how to:

  • create your personal RefWorks account containing all your references in a single place accessible from anywhere;
  • import references automatically from research databases and library catalogs;
  • organize and annotate references according to your own needs;
  • format references and bibliographies for your papers or thesis automatically in all major bibliographic styles (APA, MLA, Vancouver, or 3.000+ other styles).

In the spring semester 2012, this workshop will take place on the following dates:

  • Wednesday, February 8th from 11:00 - 13:00 in the small CLAMV lab (West Hall 5 basement)
  • Monday, March 5th from 11:00 - 13:00 in the small CLAMV lab (West Hall 5 basement)
  • Tuesday, April 10th from 13:30 - 15:30 in the small CLAMV lab (West Hall 5 basement)

Please register here. Registration is required due to limited seating capacity.

Search Strategy Clinic - Graduate Workshop IV

Already have your favorite databases but frequently have either 0 or 23,568 results? Fear that you are missing relevant things? Ever heard of Boolean searching or anything more than running simple keyword searches? Wish you could get new articles relevant to your research automatically? Become a proficient searcher in databases relevant to your subject!

In this two-session workshop, you will sharpen your information research skills using a self-chosen topic prepared in advance. Moderated discussions, hands-on time, and input from the IRC librarians will help you to:

  • tailor complex searches to give you the best possible results;
  • become familiar with the advanced search options in a major database of your choice;
  • adapt your searches to a different database; and
  • create alerts for new references that match your search criteria.

After this workshop you will be able to optimize search strategies within databases of your choice.

The Search Strategy Clinic is offered upon request. To schedule a session for the times you prefer, please contact us (e-mail: irc-library@jacobs-university.de).

Integrated Instruction Sessions for Library and Information Resources

Jacobs University has access to many excellent online resources, including a wide selection of databases and journals, as well as traditional print resources. The ability to search, select, and interpret online and print information sources is an essential skill for university students. The IRC's librarians will work with faculty to provide customized instruction sessions for classes of any size in any discipline.

User instruction is most effective when it is tied to a specific assignment; we encourage you to incorporate a library research component into your assignments whenever possible. Some examples:

  • searching for seminal articles and authors in a field;
  • locating current or historical statistics;
  • surveying relevant case studies; or
  • compiling a simple bibliography of books and articles published on a topic.

To schedule a session for the times you prefer, please contact us (e-mail: irc-library@jacobs-university.de).