Library and Information Science Commons^™

Information Literacy Opportunities Within The Discovery Tool Environment, Nancy E. Fawley, Nikki Krysak

Library Faculty Publications

Discovery tools such as Primo, EBSCO Discovery Service, Summon, and WorldCat Local aim to make scholarly research more intuitive for students in part because of their single interface for searching across multiple platforms, including the library, fee-based databases, and unique digital collections. Discovery tools are in sync with the way many undergraduates look for information because they offer a more “Google-like” experience in contrast with previous methods of research that required first knowing which database to use, then searching each one differently according to its specifications. However, broad searches across multiple formats with different systems of controlled vocabulary force instructors …

Why Not Just Google It? An Assessment Of Information Literacy Skills In A Biomedical Science Curriculum, Karl Kingsley, Gillian M. Galbraith, M. Herring, Eva Stowers, Tanis Stewart, Karla V. Kingsley

Library Faculty Publications

Background: Few issues in higher education are as fundamental as the ability to search for, evaluate, and synthesize information. The need to develop information literacy, the process of finding, retrieving, organizing, and evaluating the ever-expanding collection of online information, has precipitated the need for training in skill-based competencies in higher education, as well as medical and dental education.

Methods: The current study evaluated the information literacy skills of first-year dental students, consisting of two, consecutive dental student cohorts (n = 160). An assignment designed to evaluate information literacy skills was conducted. In addition, a survey of student online search engine …

Government Information Research, Susie Skarl

Library Faculty Publications

Prior to the mid-1990s, much government information lay outside the mainstream of library catalogs and core indexes and, consequently, was greatly underutilized. Finding government information required negotiating cumbersome search tools, specialized indexes, and separate call number systems. By the end of the 1990s, government information had become more accessible on the World Wide Web. Although the Internet has made searching and finding government information less taxing for patrons, most still require instruction from library staff in order to satisfy their needs in the best possible manner.

Don’T Drown — Catch The Wave: Instruction At The Valley Library, P. S. Mcmillen

Library Faculty Publications

As many readers will no doubt be aware, librarians at OSU have done one-to-one and classroom instruction tor many years. However, 3S the information landscape changes, so do the students' needs tor learning how to navigate that ever-changing landscape. The rapidly increasing migration of print resources to electronic form removes many of the contextual and visual cues that alerted earlier users to the authority, accuracy, comprehensiveness, point of view, or other indicators by which to judge the quality of information sources. As the experts in the organization, access, and dissemination of information, librarians have stepped forward to teach students how …

Using The Acrl Information Literacy Competency Standards For Higher Education To Assess A University Library Instruction Program, Jeanne R. Davidson, P. S. Mcmillen, Laurel S. Maughan

Library Faculty Publications

The Reference and Instruction Department at Oregon State University (OSU) was charged with creating a vision and goals for its instruction program. This article describes how we used the recently published ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education as a framework for an initial self-study of our instructional practice and for promoting the concept of information literacy at our institution. The process of assessing our current practice led to discussions with library and campus faculty about the value of information literacy and to a clearer articulation of our instructional mission.