Researchers are busy people so it can be hard to attract their attention with training – particularly when it comes to face-to-face sessions. It can also be demotivating for librarians to spend time creating a session only to have no one turn up. So how do you provide effective support when time is at a premium for both student and teacher?

The Research Support Team at the Betty and Gordon Moore Library in Cambridge has addressed this problem by creating a range of online teaching resources which compliment our in-person sessions. Taking inspiration from social media, these resources are organised by both subject and time taken to read – from quick reads offering a brief overview to long reads taking more time. Not only does this create a bank of accessible resources which researchers can dip into when needed it reaches out to new audiences who might not attend sessions. This approach was particularly beneficial during the COVID-19 outbreak as it meant that the majority of resources were readily accessible online. All resources are publically available by default meaning that they could also be used by the wider community.