Guides and Classes
The library offers a range of approaches to support our users with their academic learning. To facilitate personal choice, we have created, and provide access to, many guides and resources across our website, Moodle pages, YouTube channel, Linkedin Learning, as well as through our face to face interactions.
Many questions or issues can crop up as you are researching for a particular assignment that can be answered quickly at the library issue desk or by email. So please do bear in mind we are always happy to hear from you, and don’t be afraid to ask for help as and when you need it.
To complement the library website, our Library Moodle pages provide access to many training and support guides. We recognise that there is a wide variety of ways our learners prefer to access learning material. To reflect this, we offer a range of materials including written guides, video demonstrations and interactive training guides.
Topics include:
The Library YouTube channel offers students, staff and researchers a selection of online tutorials and guides showcasing our more popular online resources and various aspects of library services.
Lecturers can also share these guides with students on Moodle. If you wish to speak to, or meet with a member of the library team on these, or have a suggestion on a topic to cover, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Our supports may be delivered via Zoom. We are here to provide support across all campuses and to our distance learners. Where it may not be possible to meet in-person, we strive to be accessible and to meet all our learner’s needs equally. Contact the Dublin campus library to arrange a Zoom support session.
We understand that getting to grips with navigating the range of research material online can, at times, be confusing and intimidating. We offer a range of classes on research skills and writing, and can tailor classes to your own needs.
We are constantly looking to update our services to meet the needs of as many of our users as possible. We also research the latest education materials and technology and recommend the best ones to help you with your own needs.
In-Class and Workshop Labs can be delivered as:
If you are new to, or are returning to academic study, we understand that it can be difficult to orientate yourself when researching online. We are here to help and support you in using the online databases available to you through the College, and to understand how to recognise the quality academic sources that you are expected to use in your assignments.
Even if you are already familiar with academic research, we recommend that you get in touch with us as there are often new and alternative ways to access quality sources either through our resources or wider academic communities online.
Zotero is a referencing software that can help you keep a track of your research, and also assist in in-text citations. We are happy to arrange a one-to-meeting to guide you through using Harvard or Oscola with Zotero. Alternatively you can arrange for a small workshop lab with up to 5 people. This is a very effective way to support each other as you are getting used to using the software.
You can make use of our training materials on our Library YouTube channel which offers video guides on setting up your Zotero library, using it as book marking tool, and using it to as a plugin to assist in academic referencing.
Even if you are already familiar with academic research, we recommend that you get in touch with us as there are often new and alternative ways to access quality sources either through our resources or wider academic communities online.
For general orientation guides in the meantime, please do visit the our Researching Online section. We have short guides on approaching researching for an essay, links to the Griffith Library YouTube channel where you can find guides on how to use the online databases, and recommendations for short online courses to get you started.
For every academic essay you complete, you must use the recommended faculty referencing style. The Library has developed a Griffith College in-house version of the Harvard referencing system.
Too often learners do not give this area the consideration it deserves and give minimal thought to it at the end of an assignment. Engaging with this skill is essential to be certain that you will avoid accidental plagiarism. It will also enhance your overall academic writing and critical analysis, as you keep a clearer account of your research as you work.
You can also refer to our Referencing Styles section.
There are always new apps and browser plugins being developed to support study and education. We have many recommendations to help support you in your studies. We are adding to these all the time to be sure we are up to date with the latest innovations.
If you would like any support or tips on using these we are happy to give you a hand. In the meantime, visit the Library Moodle page, where you can look at all our recommendations for useful IT tools to help you in your studies.
