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Services provided to school libraries in the area working on National History Day or Hometown Frontier projects in need of help with their research.

Guidelines for Visiting the UTEP Library

The UTEP Library supports the History Department and the El Paso educational community by offering information literacy instruction to middle school and high school students participating in National History Day competitions. These guidelines will help the library staff serve these students effectively.

Handouts are available to help students prepare for their library visit. Teachers are welcome to edit these handouts to suit their own students.

  • Two or three library staff members will work with the students.
  • Most of the materials in the library are available for research. The Special Collections are not available except by prior arrangement with that department, Claudia Rivers, crivers@utep.edu, 915-747-6725.
  • Handouts on how to select and focus a topic are available electronically from Miss Urbina. Students should already have their topics selected prior to the visit.

Step 1: What do you need to know before setting up your visit?

  1. Have dates in mind that work for your class. (Sessions range from October to November.)
  2. Maximum number of students per class is 40, since this is the seating limit of our electronic classroom.
  3. Up to two classes can be done on the same day at the same time.  This is mainly done with one classroom doing National History Day and the other doing Hometown Frontiers.
  4. The teacher and at least one parent or aide must accompany the students (one adult per every 20 students).
  5. A list of student topics should be sent to Miss Urbina ahead of time, so we can prepare appropriate research materials (at least 3 weeks before day of visit).
  6. Most schools come from 9 AM to 2 PM.  This is most ideal to get the most out of the research available and learn how to research in the databases.
  7. The school librarian are encourage to attend to see what the students learn.

Step 2: Setting Up a Visit

Set up an instruction session ahead of time. Please contact Miss Joy Urbina at 747-5066 or jurbina4@utep.edu to set up a visit.

Librarian

Profile Photo
Joy Urbina
Contact:
University Library
Discovery Services
No appointments available? Email me @ jurbina4@utep.edu
Social: YouTube Page

Step 3: Downloading articles & Photocopying

The method in which community users can make copies has changed.  Copy machines take coins and $1 bills.  It is recommended for students to bring single $1 bills if they wish to make photocopies.

Students have a variety of ways to saved articles for their research:

  1. Save to a USB drive
  2. Email the articles to themselves
  3. Upload to their personal Cloud account

We also recommend taking photos of the pages with their cell phones or tablets.  We recommend two apps that can assist in this:  CamScanner or Microsoft Lens.  Both are free and we recommend students get permission from their parents or guardians before downloading. Download of the app should be done prior to the visit.

Step 4: Arriving to the UTEP Campus

School buses are NOT allowed on the campus.  Students must be dropped off on the outer perimeter of the campus and walk into the campus.  School buses do not have permission to stay in parking lot.  They must drop you off and return for you.  From this location, it should take approximately 10-15 minutes for you to reach the UTEP Library.

We are currently experiencing a lot of construction on campus.  If any changes take place, the maps will be updated ASAP and the changes are visually verified.  Please check updated dates for the following notes:

**The elevator in the Pedestrian Bridge tower also has stairs.

Step 5: Guidelines for Students

Students must observe all library rules and behave courteously in the library.

  • Food and drinks are allowed in most parts of the library, but not in the electronic classroom.
  • Talking is allowed, but students should keep their voices low.
  • Cell phones must be set to vibrate or turned off.
  • Students must be accompanied by an adult when leaving the classroom.

Step 6: Day of Visit Agenda

  1. Introduction of All Library Staff assisting students
  2. Introduction to National History Day/Hometown Frontiers Projects with break down of some terminology
  3. Instruction through the Library catalog
  4. Instruction through the Library databases
  5. Distribution of research materials (books & database list)
  6. Students work on their research
  7. Students start making photocopies
  8. Lunch break (at time chosen by teacher; 30-60 mins.)
  9. Students return to their research
  10. Students finish up their photocopies (at least 20 mins. before time to leave)
  11. Students return research materials (just books) to staff before leaving

Step 7: Eating on Campus

Schools do a variety of options:  order school lunch bags from their school cafeteria to ordering pizza delivered to the campus.  Whatever you choose is up to the school.  Across from the UTEP Library, we have several restaurants which students can purchase their lunch from.  They include:  Delicious Mexican Express, Pete's Pizza, Quizno's Sub, and Miner Grill.  There are also several tables and chairs here.

UTEP students cause a rush from 11 to 1 pm for lunch.  For this reason, it is recommended that you keep your students options to everything, but Miner Grill.  Miner Grill makes fresh burgers and hot dogs and take some time to order and pick-up.  Every other restaurant has food ready or is fast (Quiznos).

El Sazon: Burritos up to $3, Plates range $5-7

Pete's Pizza: 1 Slice of Pizza $3

Quizno's Sub:  6 in. Sub $5-7

500 W. University Avenue : El Paso, TX, 79968-0582 : (915) 747-5672
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