Research & Instructional Services
Request Library Instruction (for faculty)
Research and Instructional Services (RIS) faculty and staff help FIT students, faculty,
staff, and administration with their information and research needs.
Research Services
Research Services are available at the Library Services Desk on the 5th floor .
You can also set up a one-on-one research consultation with a librarian via Starfish
(for undergraduate students) or by emailing [email protected]. We
- assist library users in finding materials and offer guidance for in-depth research projects
- answer reference questions in-person, online, or by phone
- assist in the use of OneSearch (the Library catalog), our databases and other online resources, periodical indexes, books and other printed material
- locate books and periodicals that are not in our collections and refer patrons to other libraries
- assist faculty, upon request, by reviewing research assignments in advance for appropriate, accurate references to library resources
Instructional Services
FIT faculty may request library instructional services : librarian-led or self-conducted sessions or customized instructional content.
Librarian-led instruction:
Work with a librarian to develop a session that best suits your needs and is geared towards your subject area or a specific assignment. Examples include (but are not limited to):
- Information literacy: How to determine what information is needed, identify the most appropriate resource, and evaluate the information found.
- Research skills and techniques (including citing sources): in general or subject specific
- Library resources: We're more than books! We can introduce your students to subject-appropriate materials including fashion and trend forecasting services, fashion/art/culture periodicals from around the world (we subscribe to 400+, many of which are available online), article/business/image/reference databases, video content, and so much more
- Visual and inspirational research, including how to do effective image research
- How to find scholarly and/or peer-reviewed articles
- How to research a business and/or market
- Finding, understanding, and using data about markets, companies, demographics, and more.
For more ideas on class formats, please check out our Instruction Menu!
Customized Instructional Content
Improving student information literacy and critical thinking skills is one of the Library's key responsibilities. Library faculty will collaborate with classroom faculty to develop library instructional content that can take shape in a number of scenarios:
- Synchronous or asynchronous instructional session(s) that can be integrated into your class in several different ways (while most sessions last 60 minutes, the length can be customized to meet the needs of your class)
- Customized online research guides, videos, or interactive tutorials
- One-on-one meetings with some or all of the students in your class
- Library faculty connected to your course through Brightspace or via in-person, online visits, or asynchronous contributions!
- Request customized library instructional content using the form link above at least 2 weeks in advance of the date requested, though more time may be needed depending on the nature of the request. You will hear from the librarian assigned to your class at least a week before the deadline provided. However, if there is a conflict or issue with your request, you will be contacted sooner to negotiate a new date or time.
Self-led Instruction
For self-led instruction, we will reserve an area (including the forecast section) in the Library for you to show your students printed materials including forecasting services, periodicals (magazines and journals), and/or books on a specific topic. (A Research Services Librarian will not be present). We cannot reserve library computer classrooms for self-led classes.