Library and Information Science Commons^™

Need And Know-How: The Perfect Partnership In Creating Tools For Distance Students, Stephanie Wiegand, Dan Lawrence

University Libraries Faculty Publications

Impossible Mission: In two hours educate twenty doctoral students - distance students that will not be seen on campus again - on everything they need to know about the library and the technological skills needed to access all the resources they will require.

The Response: A partnership formed between need (the subject librarian) and know-how (the instruction librarian) to create a tool that can be used to

1. create a sense of library and librarian for a distance learner, and
2. inform the student of the ways and means of connecting to the resources and people and, ultimately, the information and resources …

What Do Freshmen Really Know About Research? Assess Before You Teach, Jean Caspers, Steven Mark Bernhisel

Faculty & Staff Publications

The article describes an effort to assess the information literacy skills of entering first-year college students. An instrument was developed and information was gathered on students' experience and comfort in conducting library research as well as their perceived competence with specific information literacy skills. In addition, students completed a skills test to assess specific knowledge and skills relating to information literacy. Entering first-year students generally self-reported their skills to be less than "excellent." This finding was supported by the results of the skills test. Strengths and weaknesses in information literacy skills are reported, as well as implications for librarians who …