Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Investigating Faculty Perceptions Of Information Literacy And Instructional Collaboration, Angie Cox, Amandajean Nolte, Angela L. Pratesi

Communications in Information Literacy

This exploratory mixed-methods study investigates faculty perceptions of information literacy (IL), its instruction, and librarian collaboration teaching IL since the adoption of the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education at the authors’ institution. Many previous studies examining these questions were completed when the ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education was the guiding document for the profession. Like earlier studies, findings from this study clearly demonstrate that faculty value IL and that collaborations occur in differing and inconsistent forms. However, at the authors’ institution, there is a misalignment between faculty and librarians in what IL is and …

The Many Faces Of Instruction: An Exploration Of Academic Librarians’ Teaching Personas, Elena S. Azadbakht

Communications in Information Literacy

While several studies explore whether librarians think of themselves as teachers, how librarians construct their teacher identities has received less attention in the literature. This project used semi-structured interviews with eighteen academic librarians in the United States to gain a sense of their teaching personas and how these have developed and evolved over time. The participants valued authenticity but were also able to quickly adapt their personas to different contexts. Librarians wish to be seen as friendly experts and develop their values-based teaching personas slowly over the course of their careers. The results of this study can help shape professional …

The First-Year Library Instruction One-Shot: A Place For Caring, Leah Morin

Communications in Information Literacy

An academic librarian providing one-shot instruction sessions to first-year students is uniquely positioned to enact a feminist ethic of care in the classroom. First-year university students are particularly in need of caring. The library instruction session is often their introduction to and first impression of the library and an opportunity to inspire a relationship with the librarian and library. The instruction session, then, should be seen as an open door to a future relationship between librarian and student. The librarian is not the professor and, therefore, has the freedom to focus a primary learning objective on caring.

A Noteworthy Next Class: Making Learning Objectives Work For You, Amy B. James

Communications in Information Literacy

The creation of learning objectives is often considered imperative for semester-length courses, yet unimportant or irrelevant for information literacy instruction one-shot sessions. However, the Association of College and Research Libraries Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education calls librarians into action by instructing each library and campus to develop learning outcomes in line with the six frames that make sense for their individual communities. By reviewing the recognized taxonomies and selecting one that resonates with their teaching, librarians can follow the principles of backward design developed by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe to create learning objectives that work for their …

Dreaming Revolutionary Futures: Critical Race’S Centrality To Ending White Supremacy, Sofia Y. Leung, Jorge R. López-Mcknight

Communications in Information Literacy

Critical Library Instruction: Theories and Methods dangerously lacked a centering, and critique, of white supremacy, as a structure of domination; we see the continuation of that active avoidance, or a progress approach through liberal or multicultural frameworks that do not precisely identify roots of racialized oppression in critical librarianship currently. In this essay, we reject progress narratives depicting the profession as having arrived, or even moved further, to a critical space, paying particular close attention to the absence of white supremacy, not only in the text Critical Library Instruction: Theories and Methods but in critical library instruction. We then explore …

The Impression That I Get: Reference & Instruction Uses / Preceptions Of Primo In A Consortial Environment, Anne M. Pepitone, Barbara Valentine, Molly Gunderson, Holli Kubly

Library Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Discovery and User Experience Team conducted an open-ended survey designed to gather information about how Primo works within the context of the daily work of patron-centered staff and librarians. We felt that this information and feedback was important because it provided the only avenue in which reference and instruction librarians could give direct input to the Alliance about how to improve our current discovery interface. The survey asked reference and instruction librarians about their specific experiences with Primo with the goal of identifying ways that the Discovery and User Experience Team could better support these users.

Research Clinics: An Alternative Model For Large-Scale Information Literacy Instruction, Glenn Koelling, Lori Townsend

Communications in Information Literacy

This article describes the pilot year of a new model for information literacy instruction in first-year composition classes at the University of New Mexico. The flipped classroom model, the Association of College and Research Libraries Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education, and challenges to library staffing sparked the implementation of research clinics, which are a blend of a flipped classroom and a research/reference consultation. These clinics are designed to meet students at their point of need for research projects and allow students to choose what sort of library help will be the most beneficial at that moment. At …

Research Models, Primo, & The First Year Experience, Kimberly Willson-St. Clair

Library Faculty Publications and Presentations

Research can be daunting for freshman who are challenged to gather scholarly information beyond Google for their research projects. By blending two research models, ASE (Analyze, Search, Evaluate) with BEAM (Background, Exhibit, Argument, and Method), students can think critically about their topics and strategically search PRIMO [Library catalog] for relevant results. This approach addresses several ACRL Framework threshold concepts, especially research as strategic exploration and scholarship as conversation. This presentation shows how effective Primo can be for first year experience students in regards to discovering relevant scholarly resources, and discovering other pertinent, authoritative resources.

Research Models, Primo [Psu Library Catalog], And The First Year Experience, Kimberly Willson-St. Clair

Library Faculty Publications and Presentations

Research can be daunting for freshman who are challenged to gather scholarly information beyond Google for their research projects. Applying and blending two research models, ASE (Analyze, Search, Evaluate) with BEAM (Background, Exhibit, Argument, and Method), students can think critically about their topics and strategically search PRIMO for relevant results. This approach addresses several ACRL Framework threshold concepts, especially research as strategic exploration and scholarship as conversation. In this presentation, I will show how effective Primo can be for first year experience students especially in regards to discovering keywords, understanding and organizing citations, finding relevant scholarly resources, and discovering other …

Integrating Information Literacy, The Pogil Method, And Ipads Into A Foundational Studies Program, Carrie Moore, Jennifer Black, Barbara C. Glackin, Margie Ruppel, Elaine Watson

Library Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article provides an overview of the design, implementation, revision and informal assessment of an information literacy curriculum embedded in a new University Foundations (UF) program at a mid‐sized public university. The library information literacy sessions incorporated teambased learning and Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) elements using iPads. Each session provided students an opportunity to develop and apply information literacy skills, and included critical thinking questions which led students to think about underlying concepts. A focus group with the librarians assessed the UF library curriculum, its impact on student engagement, and the training activities for librarian teaching preparation.

Acrl Instruction Section Website: Primo Bonus Site Of The Month, Kimberly Willson-St. Clair, Claudia Irla, Amanda Clossen

Library Faculty Publications and Presentations

Interview by Amanda Clossen about the site, Analyze Your Research Strategy Tutorial

Project description: Part of a suite of five tutorials developed to provide online research support for freshman just learning academic research skills, as well as sophomore and junior transfer students who might need remedial instruction about the research process and academic library services. This 25-minute tutorial helps students identify a paper topic that is not too narrow or too broad, select evidence that will answer their research question, and brainstorm keywords to find pertinent resources.

Building A Unified Data And Information Literacy Program: A Collaborative Approach To Instruction, Megan Bresnahan, Andrew Johnson

Library Instruction West 2014

As information literacy needs of graduate students change and expand, library initiatives should respond with approaches that align holistically with users’ perspectives by incorporating areas like research data into existing information literacy instruction programs. This presentation will provide a model for subject and instruction librarians to use to promote their skills and expertise within their organizations’ existing or yet to be developed research data efforts. For institutions that already have positions dedicated to research data, subject and instruction librarians can learn how to market their value in enhancing research data instruction. At libraries where research data services are nascent or …

Flashlight: Using Bizup's Beam To Illuminate The Rhetoric Of Research, Kate Rubick

Library Instruction West 2014

Have you noticed that the way we typically describe information sources has more to do with what the sources are than on what writers might do with them? In Fall 2013, an instruction librarian at Lewis & Clark College partnered with a professor teaching Rhetorical Criticism to depart from the traditional, search-oriented library instruction session. Instead the librarian guided students as they critically appraised the works cited in a peer reviewed journal article using the rhetorical vocabulary of BEAM.

Join us as we explore BEAM as one tool for framing processes of academic research and writing. And be a part …

More Than Words: Survey Software For Active Learning, Flipped Instruction And Formative Assessment, Meredith Farkas

Library Instruction West 2014

Survey software is used in many libraries for creating needs assessments, in-class quizzes, and more. Tools like Google Forms, Survey Monkey, and Qualtrics are not only useful for collecting information from students, but can also be powerful tools for learning. Most survey software these days allow you to insert text, images, video and links, enabling you to provide instruction within the context of an online worksheet. In this session, you will hear from a librarian -- who has used survey software to create pre-assignments, flipped instruction, full tutorials, and, yes, surveys -- how to capitalize on the sophisticated features of …

Instructional Diversity: A Blended Model For Sustainable Il Programming, Joan Morrison, Jody Nelson

Library Instruction West 2014

Faced with the challenge to reduce face-to-face instruction hours, the MacEwan University Library instruction team initiated a redesign of our IL program for first-year undergraduates. Our goal: to create a sustainable IL instruction model that could be managed by our instruction team, reduce duplication of content and effort, incorporate both online and in-person instruction and promote self-directed learning opportunities through a new Learning Commons. We successfully piloted the new model in Fall 2013, with full implementation planned for Fall 2014. In this session we will share details of our blended instruction model, which incorporates: timely face-to-face classroom visits, online learning …

Borrow Globally, Recycle Locally: Repurposing Genius Ideas To Meet Your Goals At Your Institution, Mark Lenker, Tatiana Pashkova-Balkenhol

Library Instruction West 2014

As soon as we saw it, we fell in love with the North Carolina State University Libraries’ amazing “Mobile Scavenger Hunt.” It represents the perfect application of mobile technology (iPod Touch devices networked with the Evernote content sharing system) to engage students while they learn about NCSU’s wealth of library resources. But NCSU is a very large institution (34,000+ students) with a reputation for cutting-edge library initiatives. How could we make their program work at a smaller institution like ours (< 5,000 students)? By working really hard, refusing to take ourselves too seriously, and being willing to try things out before they were completely perfected, we were able to treat our first-year seminar students to “Library vs. Wild,” a fast-paced, active-learning game in which students work together to explore the far reaches of the information wilderness. We’ll share how we adapted NCSU’s game to work for our library, our learning outcomes, and our personality.

Data Literacy: Something For Everyone, Heather Whipple

Library Instruction West 2014

Have you ever wanted to infuse your teaching with one of your passions that is not commonly associated with information literacy? More specifically, have you ever been curious about including hip-hop themes, metaphors, or other hip-hop-related content in your IL instruction? In this panel discussion grounded in critical pedagogy, social justice discourse, and the politics of including hip-hop in the college classroom, attendees will hear the strategies and experiences of four instruction librarians with varied hip-hop familiarity, from novice to fan to emcee. Panelists will describe teaching research concepts through hip-hop metaphors, teaching library databases through interpreting/annotating rap lyrics, and …

Reuse And Recycle: Award Winning Info Lit Tutorial, Sarah Fay Philips

Library Instruction West 2014

Humboldt State University has modified the award-winning “Begin Research” online tutorial developed by the University of California, Irvine Library into a flash-free interface on Drupal. The open-source tutorial is now accessible on mobile devices and has additional options for embedded assessment. This presentation will demonstrate how the tutorial has been adapted and used at universities across the country, and how your Library can modify it to use on your campus for interactive and engaging online information literacy instruction. I will also discuss the challenges faced during the adaptation and how they were resolved through collaboration with partnerships across campus.

Code-Switching Learning Outcomes Using Digital Badges: Opening Our Learning Outcomes To Our Learners, Nicholas Schiller

Library Instruction West 2014

Many of us want our library instruction programs to be centered on our students. Many of the best practices for student centered instruction involve outcomes assessment methods. There is an unfortunate disconnect between the specialized language generated by outcomes assessment methods and the everyday language used by students. All too often the outcomes we want our students to reach are not written in language our students can read.

This session will examine how digital badges are an ideal tool for code-switching (or switching between more and less formal dialects) dense academic language into language targeted for beginning scholars. Using the …

How Librarians Are Winning The West: Development Of A Scalable Digital Learning Badges Program For Information And Research Proficiency, Bee Gallegos, Kevin Pardon

Library Instruction West 2014

Digital learning badges offer an innovative approach to foster student success within the higher education learning environment. At Arizona State University, the need to reach transfer students was the impetus for creation of a digital learning badges project that offers librarians a mechanism to sequence and assess instruction within the University’s New College curriculum, provides faculty with a menu of choices to match skills with course goals, and is sustainable across disciplines, instructional formats and campuses. A team of librarians representing multiple disciplines, in collaboration with faculty and online staff, developed this pilot program for students to learn and demonstrate …

Evaluation Of Sources: A New Sustainable Approach Using Argument Analysis And Critical Thinking, Sharon Radcliff, Elise (Yi Ling) Wong

Library Instruction West 2014

An area of information literacy instruction that has increasingly gained attention is evaluation of sources. Moving away from the checklist approach (timeliness, relevancy, bias, credibility, authority), this session describes a new approach incorporating critical thinking questions and training for students on analyzing arguments using the Toulmin method, which students apply to evaluating articles and to detecting “myside” (confirmation) bias in their own writing.

This approach was used at two institutions, a 2-unit information literacy course at CSU East Bay and several sections of an English Composition course Saint Mary’s College and incorporated a “flipped classroom” design with much of the …

Leveraging Adult Learning Theory With Online Learning Modules, Rebecca Halpern, Chimene Tucker

Library Instruction West 2014

Adult learners are a quickly growing population on university campuses. While there is a fair amount of research on the differences in adult learning pedagogies, most information literacy literature focuses on undergraduate skills and competencies. At the same time, more and more adult learners are harnessing the flexibility of online programs to get their degrees. How can we best leverage what we know about adult learning theories with sustainable, scalable, and engaging online learning modules?
Rebecca Halpern is the librarian for the online Master of Social Work program at the University of Southern California. One of her biggest projects is …

How It Got Here: Teaching 'Format As Process' In An Era Of Web-Scale Discovery, Kevin Seeber

Library Instruction West 2014

What has the growth in web-scale discovery services meant for information literacy instruction? And what kind of threshold concepts do students need to grasp before they can use these tools effectively? This presentation addresses the concept of “format as process,” which emphasizes that evaluating information should focus on how it was produced, rather than how it is accessed. As students navigate discovery tools which combine a wide variety of source types into a single results list, their understanding of this concept is vital to evaluating resources and selecting those which are the most relevant. Learn about how “format as process” …

Step Away From The Computer! Successful Information Literacy Instruction And Improved Student Learning Without Technology, Nancy Noe

Library Instruction West 2014

Too often, librarians equate information literacy instruction with technology. Newer teaching spaces equipped with the latest technologies and online instruction modules have almost become synonymous with student learning. While it is true that many of today's students use any number of emerging and digital technologies, their use alone does not automatically guarantee success, while few libraries may have the resources to "keep up." Current neuroscience and cognition research actually suggest that the use of technologies may actually be a barrier to student learning, particularly when it comes to higher order thinking. This session provides an overview of present brain research …

Situating Information Literacy In The Disciplines: New Opportunities For Sustainable Instruction, William Badke, Robert Farrell

Library Instruction West 2014

Information literacy educators continue to struggle to get significant instruction into the curriculum through the use of “one-shot” sessions that focus on inculcating generic IL skills. In response, librarians have turned to "embedding" or "situating" discipline-specific IL learning opportunities within disciplinary curricula. But given the limited resources and staff time of most academic libraries, how can we develop and ensure sustainable relationships with the many disciplines on our campuses? Presenters William Badke (Trinity Western University, British Columbia) and Robert Farrell (Lehman College, City University of New York) will highlight systematic theoretical and practical approaches to developing sustainable collaborative relationships with …

Upcycling Instruction: Developing Efficient Approaches To Working With Experienced Researchers, April Aultman Becker, Veronica Arellano Douglas

Library Instruction West 2014

Our classrooms aren’t always filled with wide-eyed freshman and novice researchers. Many of the students we teach are thesis writers, experienced researchers, and professional practitioners. Through teaching this population, instruction librarians quickly learn that possession of subject expertise and research experience is not necessarily a guarantee that students will have mastered efficient, productive information seeking behavior. Addressing these gaps in research and information literacy knowledge takes some finesse. Through a combination of discussion and activities, we’ll investigate the unique challenges and pedagogical opportunities that accompany teaching advanced students and researchers. Attendees will leave with practical ideas that they can incorporate …

The Value Of Narrative Methods For Library Instruction, Joseph Holterman, Jennifer Turner

Library Instruction West 2014

While serving as a guide to students who are seeking information, an instruction librarian might present a research process as an unfolding ‘story.’ This session will explore several ways that such stories can enliven our instructional presentations and serve a creative and engaging purpose. Although the presentation will introduce flexible ideas that could be applied to a variety of goals and objectives, we will focus on library instruction with undergraduate students, typically within their academic major. The presentation will suggest concrete ways to develop inquiry-based instruction and lead toward the integration of library instruction with an information literacy program.

How Can We Make Library Research A Little Wild? Make It Natural!, Jared Burton

Library Instruction West 2014

Incorporating a nature tour into a Library Research Strategies course at Mt. San Antonio College (Walnut, California), my class took a guided tour of local ecosystems at the campus Wildlife Sanctuary as part of a larger lesson plan. The lesson plan consisted of four main parts: 1) Students formed five groups based on the ecological zones represented in the Wildlife Sanctuary; 2) Each group conducted research on their ecological zone, utilizing a variety of print and electronic library resources; 3) Based on their research, each group crafted informational questions which they were instructed to ask the tour guide (the “expert”) …

Live The Question, Love The Question: Embracing Inquiry-Based Learning In The One-Shot, Zoe Fisher

Library Instruction West 2014

Do you want your students to ask better research questions? As teachers, we know that the ability to ask authentic, meaningful questions is one of the most important qualities in a successful learner. Learning how to ask questions takes practice. In this session, participants will discover active learning strategies for encouraging inquiry in the library classroom. These flexible activities emphasize inquiry-based learning and can be adapted to fit any library instruction session. All of these activities have been successfully used by the presenter in a fast-paced community college setting.

Using Anonymous(Ish) Google Spreadsheets To Enhance Student Engagement, Elizabeth Mcmunn-Tetangco

Library Instruction West 2014

Google spreadsheets can add value and engagement to library instruction sessions – and since they are free, they don’t tax already-burdened pocketbooks. Hear about how the UC Merced Library uses semi-anonymous Google spreadsheets to allow students to experiment with search techniques and learn directly from each other. Creating semi-privacy for students allows them to take risks and learn from the ideas of others in a non-threatening classroom environment that allows for experimentation and easy, immediate feedback. Tips and ideas will be included, along with a demonstration of how to create a Google spreadsheet, how to use it in a class, …