Beginning this summer, USMA Library is transitioning to a new dynamic partnership model with faculty, course directors, and academic departments. This new model allows the Library to be more resilient across our operations and to ensure we are more responsive to the curricular needs of the Academy. To that end, we are expanding work to collaborate with faculty and course directors in developing a scaffolded information literacy curriculum based on microcredentials that is designed to build and refine critical interdisciplinary research skills for officers in the U.S. Army. This will also help us to develop broader capabilities in our graduates for navigating challenging and evolving information landscapes in all aspects of their career and life.
To help us accomplish this mission, we will no longer assign librarians to serve as liaisons to specific academic departments. Instead, our librarians with academic engagement responsibilities will be available to consult both within and across disciplinary lines to encourage greater interdisciplinarity in research methods and instruction while bringing their own areas of expertise to bear in courses where appropriate. We recognize the value of the existing relationships faculty have with our librarians, and faculty may still request collaborations with their former liaison librarians going forward. The Library will work to support those important relationships whenever possible.
As faculty plan to partner with the Library in their classrooms this fall, we want to highlight how best to connect with our team. The first and best place to look for information about our services is our newly-updated USMA Library Faculty Guide (https://library.westpoint.edu/faculty). It is your comprehensive resource for quick and detailed answers to frequently asked questions about our staff, services, and facilities. In addition to the faculty guide, we have specific guidance for the following services:
- To Request Course-Integrated Instruction: If you would like to partner with a librarian to offer Library-related instruction in your course, please complete our Instruction Request Form (https://usma.libwizard.com/f/Instruction) or contact instruction@usmalibrary.org at least two weeks prior to the proposed date of instruction. The Library can support a wide range of instruction topics including, but not limited to basic research methods, using primary sources effectively, navigating misinformation and disinformation, and AI literacy.
- To Schedule Archives & Special Collections Class Visits: If you would like to bring your class to our Archives & Special Collections Reading Room to learn research skills using our rich primary source collections, please complete our Instruction Request Form (https://usma.libwizard.com/f/Instruction) at least two weeks prior to the proposed date of instruction.
- To Request Library-Focused Digital Learning Objects for Canvas: If you would like to either deploy existing Library modules in your Canvas course or request new modules be developed, please complete the Learning Object Request portion of the Instruction Request Form (https://usma.libwizard.com/f/Instruction). Time to develop digital learning objects varies based on format and content.
- To Request Library Resources: If you would like to suggest resources to add to USMA Library collections, please complete the Materials Request Form: https://library.westpoint.edu/HowDoI/PurchaseRequest.
- To Receive Assistance with Athena, USMA's Institutional Repository: If you have any questions about submitting your scholarship or citations, please review our dedicated guide on Athena (https://library.westpoint.edu/athena), and/or contact resourcesupport@usmalibrary.org.
- To Consult with a Librarian: Our librarians are available seven days a week during the fall and spring semesters to assist cadets, faculty, and staff with their research needs. You can schedule appointments with our librarians online here: https://usma.libcal.com/appointments/. You may also email helpdesk@usmalibrary.org, visit the 2nd floor Help Desk, or ask a question via our virtual chat service available on our website.
- To Reserve a Collaborative Room in Jefferson Hall for Instruction: Faculty may request reservations for Library collaborative spaces online here: https://library.westpoint.edu/HowDoI/ReserveRoom. All reservations are subject to Library and Dean policies and individual faculty are limited to 750 minutes of reserved time per calendar year.
We welcome questions and comments on how best to build the information literacy skills our graduates will need when they leave West Point and on innovative ways we can partner with you in the future. Ms. Lauren Dodd, Associate Director of Curriculum and Academic Engagement (lauren.dodd@westpoint.edu) and Mr. Christopher Barth, Associate Dean and Director of Libraries and Archives (christopher.barth@westpoint.edu) look forward to speaking with you.
