Teaching Reference and Bibliography: The Pathfinder Approach

IN ANY DISCUSSION of curriculum and its ramifications, one of the most frequently recurring words is "relevance" relevance of curriculum, relevance of course content, and relevance of assignments. In response to these cries, teachers of reference and bibliography, like their colleagues throughout higher education, are constantly seeking new, more effective teaching methods. The author was therefore pleased to be offered the opportunity to experiment with a new teaching tool when, in the fall of 1970, the Model Library Project requested that she participate in the expansion of Library Pathfinders into the Social Sciences. The use of Pathfinders in a teaching situation was appealing not only because the approach appeared to be a good learning experience, but also because the activities involved were closely related to the objectives of the course on the Information Resources in the Social Sciences.