LibSmart
The LibSmart course has been written by Academic Support Librarians to help you get the best out of using the Library. We support students to develop their digital and information literacy skills, including literature searching, avoiding plagiarism through appropriate citation and managing references.
What is LibSmart?
LibSmart is an online, self-enrol Learn course developed with the aim of ensuring that every student is digitally capable in using online library resources for their study and research. Open to all students, both courses can be worked through in their entirety, or one or two of the most relevant modules selected instead. The courses can be begun at any point in the academic year.
LibSmart I
A self-enrol Learn course to help you get started using library resources at the University, LibSmart I is designed to be studied how and when it suits you. It has five modules that will take you step by step from starting to use the library to researching a topic for a report or essay. You can choose to work through every module or just those most relevant to you.
You can revisit the course at any point during your studies, and use it as a hub of resources to support your personal and academic development. The content covers:
| Getting started with the Library | Get started with accessing and using online library resources for your studies |
| Your information landscape | Explore and use key library resources appropriate to your discipline |
| Finding and retrieval | Find material for an essay or report on a topic |
| Managing information | Manage the information you’ve found and avoid information overload |
| Referencing and avoiding plagiarism | Use Library tools to develop good academic practice with citation and referencing |
LibSmart I includes reflective activities to get you thinking about your own skills, experiences and what you hope to achieve.
LibSmart II
LibSmart II (a self-enrol course on Learn) takes you further into the library landscape, providing help on undertaking your dissertation, thesis or project research. You can pick and mix from ten subject specific modules to develop knowledge of a wide range of digital resources. You can also learn specialised or advanced digital search techniques and develop the skills to manage your research literature and data effectively. We recommend you complete LibSmart I before moving on to LibSmart II, as you will build on the foundations developed in the first level of the course as you complete each of your chosen modules.
Options include:
In LibSmart II you can choose to complete any number of modules that interest you from the ten modules available.
An Introduction to LibSmart (video)
- Video: LibSmart introductory video
- Video introducing LibSmart I and II, the online information literacy courses created by the Academic Support Librarian team and available on the Learn platform.
How do I enrol in LibSmart?
This is an online self-paced Learn course. To enrol, please follow these steps:
- Visit www.learn.ed.ac.uk
- Click on the Login to Learn button and enter your UUN (previously EASE) Login credentials if required.
- Click on Self-Enrol at the top right-hand side.
- Click on the Browse Course Catalogue button within the Course Catalogue section.
- In the Search Catalogue search box, type "libsmart” and click Go.
- To enrol, click on the down-pointing arrow next to the course title and choose Enrol.
- Click Submit followed by OK. You should now be able to view the course.
The video below demonstrates these steps.
- Video: Enrolling in LibSmart I video
- Demonstration video showing how to enrol in LibSmart I course on Learn in September 2021.
If you experience any access issues, please contact the IS Helpline at is.helpline@ed.ac.uk.
Contact Us
If you want to speak to a member of the ASL team about LibSmart, training or any other matter you can find contact details for the Academic Support Librarian working with your subject area using the following link, or by submitting a request through EdHelp.