Bibliographic instruction is the training through which library staff orient others to the use of the library and the arrangement of information. It is also an important component of the college experience. And while this practice remains alive and well at Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College (KBOCC), it has undergone an electronic shift. Now, in-person library tours are steadily decreasing while Zoom bibliographic instruction increases every semester.

Up until a few years ago, bibliographic instruction at KBOCC started with a simple on-site tour. The librarian would physically walk an individual or group to each of the five major areas of the collection, outline the circulation policies, and field questions from participants. In addition, the librarian would highlight search strategies for electronic databases. In person, this was done with the group clustered around a computer screen or with the group viewing a projection onto a screen in a common room.

COVID-19 hastened the shift to the use of electronic resources in KBOCC’s bibliographic instruction. Much has been said about how the pandemic has imposed unprecedented limits on the ways tribal libraries have rendered services. That is the distressing news. However, circumstances forced all library staff to embrace technology with an attitude of “robust remoting.” KBOCC’s library sought that silver lining and modified old practices.

Electronic bibliographic instruction takes many forms. For example, the KBOCC course Online College Success is conducted (as one might expect) entirely online. For this class, the librarian may record instruction or offer it in a synchronous virtual session. The KBOCC instructor has even advised students of the specific times during which the librarian would conduct office hours on Zoom for additional library queries.

The portal is another useful way to apprise students of the vast offerings and services of the KBOCC library. With a simple click on the library page, PowerPoint slideshows with voiceovers from the librarian help students navigate areas such as the jSTOR database, search strategies, career readiness software, and accessing the college’s online catalog.

Quite simply, KBOCC’s electronic bibliographic instruction has helped students and faculty hone their library skills and computer prowess. It also is the logical segue into online library searching. In addition, KBOCC’s electronic bibliographic instruction shows that the library’s resources are available at any time via the portal.

Because the virtual genie is out of the bottle, some may predict the end of on-site libraries, but this does not spell the end for on-site tours at KBOCC’s library. Valuable print resources, on-site events, and the in-person library experience will continue to draw people to the physical library. Whether it is on-site or online, effective bibliographic instruction reminds us that there are valuable, often overlooked resources available.