Learning Developer standing between two students, in conversation.

Learning and Teaching

Scroll to content

Building the confidence of our community, demystifying the university and the academic world. Providing students with opportunities to work with the library and have a central role in its development.

Supporting you to develop your academic and information skills, to become an effective independent learner.

Our Learning Development and Library Teaching & Engagement teams are specialists in information literacy, academic writing, maths and stats, English language and effective study.

We teach students at all levels through workshops, one-to-one tutorials, collaborative sessions with academic staff, interactive online materials and a range of mentoring schemes.

Mentoring schemes

The Learning Development team offer a range of opportunities for students to work in academic mentoring roles. All our mentors are fully trained and supported throughout the duration of their role. Find out more about our Academic peer mentoring schemes.

a group of students having a discussion

Independent study resources

Explore a selection of the online, interactive tutorials and other resources we have developed to support independent study. A wider range of resources can be found on the Developing your academic skills page.

Tutorial: Introduction to Referencing

Find out why referencing is important and how to get started with this introductory tutorial.

Go to tutorial

Title page for the "Use your reading in your writing" interactive tutorial.

Tutorial: Use your reading in your writing

This interactive tutorial will help you develop your skills for using your reading in your academic writing.

Go to tutorial

Sample page from the "Essay basics" tutorial with graphic showing 5 stages of essay process.

Tutorial: Essay Basics

Our essay basics resource is for anyone who is looking to improve their essay writing skills, and focuses on several components, including, the essay writing process, reading critically and taking notes, and planning your argument.

Go to tutorial

Supported learning

Workshops, drop-in and individual support are provided by the Learning Development and Library Teaching & Engagement teams in the Supported learning area on B floor of the library.

Students working in the library supported learning area
Students in a classroom

Information literacy framework

Information Literacy incorporates the knowledge, skills and abilities that all students and researchers need in order to identify, search for, collect, organise, evaluate, analyse, present and communicate information. It advocates a critical thinking approach to interpreting information and an awareness of the political and ethical issues associated with accessing and using information.

Information literacy framework

Working with schools and colleges

We welcome visits from Schools and Colleges and can offer a range of opportunities and support for students at all levels.

Working with schools and colleges
Students from Haslingden School under the library tree

Learning workshops and events

Events listed below.

23rd Apr

Workshop on Caste, Religion, Education and Occupational Mobility in Contemporary South Asia

Tuesday 23 April 2024, 10:00am to 4:00pm
23rd Apr

Free Yoga class in the Library - please book

Tuesday 23 April 2024, 6:00pm to 7:15pm
29th Apr

Researching Media Audiences from the Movie Theatre to the Digital Age: Methods, Challenges, Opportunities

Monday 29 April 2024, 9:30am to 5:45pm
30th Apr

Free Yoga class in the Library - please book

Tuesday 30 April 2024, 6:00pm to 7:15pm
1st May

Kaye Mitchell (Manchester) - Constraint and Corporeality: Reading Brooke-Rose and Garréta’s Gendered Experiments (ELCW International Women's Day Lecture)

Wednesday 1 May 2024, 5:00pm to 6:00pm

More Events

Stylised image of 2 people sat on a book.

Living Library

The library hosted the first “Living Library” at Lancaster University at the end of the Lent term.
An image of the Trailblazers logo consisting of the word

Trailblazers: exciting new OA initiative in partnership with Liverpool University Press, The University of Liverpool, and The University of Salford

Trailblazers is a new open access initiative for the rising stars of their disciplines.

An image of the Open Access Logo, which is an orange circle with a white open padlock.

First Monograph published Open Access by the Library’s Pilot Institutional Open Access Fund

The library is delighted to announce the publication of the first Open Access monograph made possible by funding from the Pilot Institutional Open Access Fund.  
White text surrounded by books reads: Library Careers Event for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students, staff and public.

Library Careers Event for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students, staff and public

Join us on Wednesday 6th March to find out more about the diverse range of roles that are available at university libraries, listen to the experiences of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic library staff and network with a wide range of people across the national library sector.
An image of the UKRI Logo. A white background with blue text reading

New UKRI Open Access Policy for Longform outputs (Monographs, Book Chapters and Edited Collections) Policy

A new Open Access policy for Monographs, Book chapters and edited collections will come into effect on the 1st of January 2024. 
An image of the archive research centre. There are items from the collection displayed on wooden tables.

Opening of the Archives Research Centre

On the 7th November we officially open our new Archives Research Centre (or ARC). The launch event was attended by people from across the University and representatives for local heritage organisations.

More News