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MLIS Capstone:
UW Libraries Manual for
First-Year Students and
Beginning Researchers

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PDF of Pressbook

Click here to view the PDF of our Pressbook!

This project took the initial steps in the development and publication of an Open Educational Resource (OER) information literacy textbook on academic research and library navigation. The target population for this manual is Program for Writing and Rhetoric students and, more broadly, first-year students and beginning researchers.

In addition to contributing to the general project objectives stated below, I completed a chapter on Critical Use of AI in Library Research. This chapter fills a gap in the current UW Libraries instructional materials on emerging AI technologies by providing students with critical thinking skills for determining whether to utilize AI. It also highlights library resources as alternatives to AI to empower students to conduct library research independently and with minimal and ethical use of AI. 

Project Stages:

Content Selection & Research 

  • Compiled and evaluated related OER textbooks and information literacy materials​

  • Reviewed existing UW Libraries instructional content​

Stakeholder Feedback

  • Connected with key stakeholders 1:1 to review project goals, input, and alignment​

  • Teaching Tapas Workshop with UW Libraries staff​

  • Digital Scholarship Collective Craft Workshop​ with UW Libraries staff and PWR Administration

  • Ongoing feedback with key stakeholders for draft editing​

Synthesis & Writing Chapter Drafts

  • Phoebe wrote the AI and Research Chapter, which guides the user through considerations for ethical engagement with AI and navigation of AI tools. ​

  • Cheryce wrote the Search Chapter, which guides the user through keyword search and discovery skills in the UW Libraries catalog and databases.

  • Chapters were reviewed by key stakeholders and feedback was incorporated and documented

Hand-off Package​

  • Two complete chapter drafts

  • Spreadsheet of all materials reviewed, outline of remaining chapters, chapter writing guidelines, instructions for using Pressbooks, and list of stakeholders​

  • Documentation of feedback during stakeholder meetings, presentation slides and event notes, and documentation of chapter draft feedback and edits

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Key Insights:

  • Feedback and collaboration strengthen library instruction material​

  • Relationship building with students is at the heart of academic library instruction

  • Consistency in tone, the use of plain language, and visual aids make an academic textbook more engaging and accessible​

  • A key consideration for library instructional resources like this manual is maintenance, specifically how frequently they are updated and by whom

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*This project was designed to be completed by two consecutive capstone teams. Thus, the final manual will not be published by the UW Libraries until Spring 2026. You can view a preliminary draft completed by me and Cheryce Rutkai above.  

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