Center for Library User Education (CLUE)


Today’s students are comfortable using Google and Wikipedia to find information but often don’t know where to search for evidence to support college-level projects. Information literacy, or recognizing a need for information, knowing how to search for and locate relevant information, evaluate it, and properly cite it, is a set of skills needed not only to successfully complete research projects but to prepare students for work and life after graduation. The librarians who teach in CLUE will customize research and information literacy workshops to meet faculty and student needs.

CLUE, in suite 300 of the Howard-Tilton Memorial Library, seeks to provide students with the skills and concepts needed to retrieve the most relevant information from a variety of resources.

The goals of CLUE are:

  • To teach the skills required to search for, retrieve, and critically evaluate information in collections of varying formats (online, print, multimedia, etc.).
  • To teach students to be knowledgeable and discerning users of information in all formats, to use efficient search techniques, to understand the evolving nature of Web sites, and master concepts involving scholarly communication and copyright in an online environment.
  • To enable members of the Tulane community to be competent users of information, including the library’s web site, the gateway to the Tulane University Libraries catalogs, five hundred databases, and other online library resources.
  • To work collaboratively with faculty in Tulane's academic departments and centers to integrate information literacy into course curricula.


CLUE offers:

  • Course-related Library Instruction - Based on the goals of your assignment, a librarian will customize a library instruction session for students to learn about the research process, to use specific databases, to locate scholarly sources and/or to properly cite sources.
  • Assignment Creation Assistance - Librarians are available to review assignments or assist faculty in the creation of research or information literacy assignments which provide a positive learning experience for students.  We can also help faculty to construct assignments that challenge students to go beyond Wikipedia as supporting evidence.
  • Walk-In Workshops - Research skills workshops are offered throughout the semester for students, staff and faculty.  See the Walk-In Workshops page for more information.


Bringing your class to the library:

  • Most library workshops take place in room 309 located on the 3rd floor of the Howard-Tilton memorial Library. Room 309 is a hands-on classroom with 20 computers and seating for up to 30 people. 
  • We appreciate at least one week advance notice to prepare for the session and make sure there is a room available in the library.
  • Timing of the library session is critical. Students benefit most from a library session when they are aware of the assignment, have chosen a topic and are ready to begin locating information.
  • Your involvement in the library session is key to your students’ success. Students will want to ask questions about the assignment and will benefit from hearing about your experiences with library research.
  • Librarians will include active learning exercises to engage students in critical thinking skills as well as information literacy skills.

Contact Jennifer Corbin, Instruction Coordinator, for more information.