Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Information Literacy In Ghanaian Academic Institutions: Case Of Kwame Nkrumah University Of Science And Technology (K.N.U.S.T), Ghana, Lilian Atta-Obeng Miss, Ernest Boakye Mr., Fynn Paapa Kwamena Mr.

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

A case of a credit bearing information literacy skills class, offered to first year undergraduate students though not across all colleges at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana was analysed. The survey research methodology was used and questionnaire was distributed to 136 students. The findings indicated that the course was relevant and should be maintained though students’ knowledge on ethical use of information, citation skills, and information searching skills were poor. The study recommends a collaborative partnership between librarians and faculty for the teaching and learning of information literacy skills.

An Assessment Of Women Faculty Members' Opinions About Information Literacy Needs, Search And Evaluation Competencies, Vellaichamy Alagarsamy, Jeyshankar Ramalingam

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This paper reports information literacy needs, search and evaluation competencies at Mother Teresa Women’s University and its affiliated colleges. In this study it is try to evaluate the information literacy needs, information needs assessment competency and competency of information literacy evaluation. Questionnaire was a data collection tool. A total of 290 questionnaires were distributed among users and 254 duly filled in questionnaires were received, thus resulting into a response rate of 87.59 per cent. Out of 12 institutions, 5 are government, 5 are self-financing and 2 are aided educational institutions. This study showed that 163 (64.2%) respondents are assistant professors …

Information Literacy And The Future Of Digital Information Services At The University Of Jos Library, Vicki Lawal

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This paper highlights current developments in digital information resources at the University of Jos Library. It examines some of the new opportunities and challenges in digital information services presented by the changing context with respect to Information Literacy and the need for digital information literacy skills training. A case study method was employed for the study; data was collected through the administration of structured questionnaires to the study population. Findings from the study provide relevant policy considerations in digital Information Literacy practices for academic libraries in Nigeria who are going digital in their services.

From Climate Change To Vaccination Safety: Teaching Information Literacy In An Undergraduate Epidemiology Course, Amy Dailey, Meggan D. Smith

All Musselman Library Staff Works

“Fake news” and “alternative facts” are now ubiquitous terms. Teaching information and scientific literacy is essential if we expect students to become well-informed citizens prepared to navigate today’s digital landscape, political climate, and 24-hour cable news cycle. A professor and a research librarian designed assignments over the course of the semester to address the following information literacy outcomes in an undergraduate epidemiology class. Students should be able to: 1) Examine and compare information from various sources in order to evaluate accuracy, authority, currency, and point of view; 2) Recognize the cultural, physical, or other context within which information is created …

Relationship Between Information Literacy Standards And Organizational Creativity Among Employees Of An Iranian Company (A Case Of Tehran Electric Company), Hamid Ghazizadeh, Majid Tabarzadi, Ali Akbar Khasseh

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

From the organizational perspective, the concept of creativity can be thought of as a new design for improving and enhancing the quantity or quality of activities. Few studies have been conducted on the employee organizational creativity and its relationship with information literacy standards (which is one of the essential requirements for creativity). This study tries to investigate the relationship between organizational creativity and information literacy standards and among employees of a manufacturing organization in Iran (Tehran Electric Company). The research uses a survey methodology. The study population consists of employees of Tehran Electric Company. A simple random sampling method was …

Enhancing Information Literacy Using Bernard Lonergan's Generalized Empirical Method: A Three-Year Case Study In A First Year Biology Course., Lisa M. Rose-Wiles, Marian Glenn, Doreen Stiskal

Praxis Publications

This paper describes a three-year long collaborative project between a science librarian, a biology professor and a physical therapy professor to improve information literacy in an undergraduate biology laboratory course. The authors used Bernard J. Lonergan’s Generalized Empirical Method (GEM) as a cognitional framework, emphasizing the role of experience, understanding, judgement and action in conducting research. They focused on the selection, integration and citation of scholarly articles in formal laboratory reports. The science librarian became embedded in the course, delivering information literacy instruction sessions, grading and providing feedback on the use of information sources in the lab reports. Overall the …

The Impact Of Information Literacy Instruction On Student Success: A Multi-Institutional Investigation And Analysis, Joni Blake, Melissa Bowles-Terry, N. Shirlene Pearson, Zoltan Szentkiralyi

Fondren Library Research

The GWLA Student Learning Outcomes task force analyzed the data from over 42,000 first-time, first-year freshmen and over 1700 distinct courses from 12 research institutions to determine the impact(s) of information literacy instruction integrated into course curriculum on several student success measures.

Key findings include:

• Student retention rates are higher for those students whose courses include an information literacy instruction component.
• On average, First-Year GPA for students whose courses included information literacy instruction was higher than the GPA of students whose courses did not.
• Students exposed to library instruction interactions successfully completed 1.8 more credit hours per year than their …

The Value Of Libraries And Identifying Information Needs [Library], Silvia L. Lin Hanick

Open Educational Resources

This assignment was developed for students in LIF 101 – Liberal Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities who attend a 1-hour library session. The focus of this session and assignment is “information.”

Information possesses several dimensions of value, including as a commodity, as a means of education, as a means to influence, and as a means of negotiating and understanding the world. This session will help students engage with these values, positioning the library as a welcoming and accessible space, librarians as guides and translators of modern information landscapes, and library resources as a way to participate in disciplinary conversations and …

Exploring Careers And Industry Problems [Library], Galina Letnikova

Open Educational Resources

This assignment was developed for students in ECF 090- Engineering and Computer Science who attend a 1-hour library session. This session will give students the chance to develop integrative learning skills by connecting their prospective field with academic research.

LaGuardia’s Core Competencies and Communication Abilities

Main Course Learning Objectives:

• Students will be introduced to the concept of library academic resources
• Students will learn the strengths and weaknesses of different forms of information

Evaluating Reliability In Resources [Library], Christopher Mchale

Open Educational Resources

This assignment was developed for students in CJF 101 Criminal Justice who attend a 1-hour library session. This session is aligned with the Integrative and Global Learning core competencies.

This session seeks to introduce students to critical evaluation as the important skill that involves questioning different elements of an information resource to determine its authority on the topic it addresses. Students will practice this process by engaging in a discussion about the reliability of a specific resource. They will be encouraged to contribute to an in depth evaluation of a resource as a group.

This session will give students the …

Concept Mapping For Focused Paper Topics [Library], Ian Mcdermott

Open Educational Resources

This assignment was developed for students in SYF 101 Psychology who attend a 1-hour library session. This session is aligned with the Inquiry and Problem Solving core competency in terms of exposing students to “Searching as Strategic Exploration” and the Integrative Learning core competency in terms of analyzing “Scholarship as a Conversation.”

In the first of two parts, this session will focus on building subject knowledge and finding background information in encyclopedias. Students will learn how encyclopedias can offer different perspectives on the same topic; they will also create an APA citation for an encyclopedia entry. In order to gain …

Library Science Strategies For Liberal Arts: Math And Science [Library], Christopher Mchale

Open Educational Resources

This assignment was developed for students in LMF 101- Math and Science who attend a 1-hour library session. This session is aligned with the Inquiry and Problem Solving and Integrative core competencies in terms of exposing students to “Searching as Strategic Exploration.”

Strategy and exploration are the keys to effective research. Students often mistake academic research as similar to “Googling.” This session will stress the importance of mastering the research process in an academic context. It will encourage students to become familiar with the diverse tools and resources provided by the library.

This session will give students a quick outline …

Profiling The Global Impact Of A Company [Library], Steven Ovadia

Open Educational Resources

This assignment, as part of a 1-hour library session, was developed for students in BTF 101- Business. The Inquiry and Problem, Integrative Learning, and Global Learning core competencies inform the content of the session. Searching for information is often nonlinear and iterative, requiring the evaluation of a range of information sources and the mental flexibility to pursue alternate avenues as new understanding develops. Business research frequently relies on using often-expensive information products to gain or protect some sort of market advantage or position. This lesson will introduce students to the idea that information is a valuable and essential tool for …

An Elearning Partnership: Applying The Quality Matters Rubric To Online Library Instructional Materials, Mandi Goodsett

Michael Schwartz Library Publications

As more students experience higher education in distance courses and online degree programs, librarians recognize the importance of their presence in campus learning management systems (LMSs). To provide this important distance support in the most effective way possible, librarians should follow online instructional design best practices. This poster describes one librarian’s experiences collaborating with her eLearning Department to learn about the Quality Matters (QM) program, and the steps she took to apply the QM rubric to her own online learning objects. The QM program uses a research-inspired rubric and peer-review system to ensure high quality online courses for participating institutions. …

Critical Thinking And The Acrl Framework: Fake News And Fallacies, Mandi Goodsett

Michael Schwartz Library Publications

Critical thinking is characterized by the careful, reflective judgement of ideas as a guide for action. The dispositions and skills of critical thinking share a lot with the ACRL Frameworks’ frame, “Authority is Constructed and Contextual,” which many librarians are already attempting to incorporate into their teaching. Informed by the critical thinking education literature, librarians teaching about authority (even in one-shot library sessions) can encourage critical thinking skills and dispositions, which help students overcome their own flawed thinking and make better decisions. This presentation will explore the many decades of research about critical thinking in the classroom, and demonstrate its …

An Elearning Partnership: Applying The Quality Matters Rubric To Online Library Instructional Materials, Mandi Goodsett

Michael Schwartz Library Publications

No abstract provided.

Undergraduate Research Needs: Faculty-Librarian Collaboration To Improve Information Literacy In Policy Papers, Michelle C. Pautz, Heidi Gauder

Political Science Faculty Publications

To improve the quality of semester-long policy projects of upper-division political science students, a faculty member and research librarian collaborated to reframe the assignment in hopes of improving students’ research skills and information literacy, revising the traditional one-way model of faculty sending students to the library to get information. The outcomes over the course of two semesters have been promising. Citations in two sets of student papers showed a remarkable increase in the number and quality of sources used. This suggests that when faculty work with librarians throughout the semester, such collaboration can improve students’ information literacy and thus their …

Improving Student Assessments Of Elections: The Use Of Information Literacy And A Course-Embedded Librarian, Todd J. Wiebe, Paula Booke

Faculty Publications

The study of U.S. elections as a part of introductory political science courses has become an increasingly difficult endeavour as students encounter the ever-changing landscape of electoral politics. Instructors seeking to equip students with the skills needed to navigate this complex terrain may look for partnerships with library faculty and staff as a means of bridging the research gap faced by students in these courses. This article examines the efficacy of a course-embedded librarian and information literacy training as a means of increasing student research confidence and competence. The findings of our quasi-experiment suggest that students participating in a course …

Library Science Strategies For Natural Sciences [Library], Christopher Mchale

Open Educational Resources

This assignment was developed for students in NSF 100 Natural Sciences who attend a 1-hour library session. This session is aligned with the Inquiry and Problem Solving and Integrative core competencies in terms of exposing students to “Searching as Strategic Exploration.”

Strategy and exploration are the keys to effective research. Students often mistake academic research as similar to “Googling.” This session will stress the importance of mastering the research process in an academic context. It will encourage students to become familiar with the diverse tools and resources provided by the library.

This session will give students a quick outline of …

Librarians As Campus Partners: Supporting Culturally Responsive And Inclusive Curriculum, Kimberly D. Pendell, Robert Schroeder

Library Faculty Publications and Presentations

Diversity and inclusion initiatives are expanding on campuses across the United States. These initiatives can take many forms, such as the hiring and retention of diverse faculty, student recruitment, and a thoughtful examination of pedagogy and course curriculum. As a librarian, you may be aware of these efforts, but perhaps not as directly involved as disciplinary faculty, particularly in regards to course curriculum development and redesign. How librarians can participate and support this work on our campuses is not always clear; however, we found fertile opportunities for librarian involvement and leadership.

Intentionality And Transparency As Pedagogical Techniques In The Information Literacy Classroom, Beth Fuchs

Library Presentations

When you build a lesson plan for a class session, how do you decide on its content and activities? What if you started to peel back the curtain a bit and let students in on some of your thinking and intentions? Recent research from The Transparency in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education Project at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas has shown that students benefit when teachers articulate the thought processes behind instructional decisions and goals with them. This relatively small intervention, traditionally applied to assignment design, has shown to have a big impact. How can the results of …

Remotivating The Black Vote: The Effect Of Low-Quality Information On Black Voters In The 2016 Presidential Election And How Librarians Can Intervene, Andrew P. Jackson, Denyvetta Davis, James Kelly Alston

Publications and Research

In a phenomenon that was surprising to many, given the racially charged nature of the 2016 presidential election, black voter turnout was significantly lower than the previous two elections. Donald Trump’s victory is attributable to many factors, one of which was the lower participation of black voters in several swing states. To a lesser extent, black support for third-party candidates also aided Trump’s victory. The lower black turnout itself is attributable to several factors, but one factor specifically in the LIS realm was the prevalence of low-quality information and rhetoric and a susceptibility that some black voters had to this …

In Bed With The Library: A Critical Exploration Of Embedded Librarianship At The City University Of New York, Nora Almeida, Julia Pollack

Publications and Research

This project considers the efficacy and scalability of embedded librarianship initiatives within the City University of New York (CUNY) library system and presents findings of an original research study conducted in 2015. Through an analysis of recent LIS literature on embedment, response data from a survey of librarians, and a selection of library position descriptions, this article examines the implications of embedment practices for librarians and libraries. By shedding light on the extent and context of embedment, the platforms used in virtual embedment scenarios, and obstacles that librarians presently face, this study aims to pinpoint strategies for embedded librarianship initiatives …

Integrating Technical Standards Into Design Courses, Margaret Phillips, Michael Fosmire, Paul B Mcpherson

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Technical standards (e.g., ASTM, ASME, IEEE) are key resources for engineering and engineering technology students to gain experience with in their undergraduate programs. The importance of standards education for engineers and technologists is expressed in ABET EAC (related to 2016-17 general criteria student outcomes “c”, “h”, and “i”) and ETAC criteria (related to 2016-17 general criteria student outcomes “c” and “f”, MET program criterion “h,” and EET program criterion “a”) and the United States Standards Strategy (USSS). Additionally, employers expect new graduates to be familiar with using and locating standards for their work. The facilitators of this workshop have been …

Reining In Information Literacy Instruction: Using Faculty Survey Data To Guide The Process, Veronica Bielat, Judith Arnold, Lumarie Guth, Maria A. Perez-Stable, Patricia Fravel Vander Meer

University Libraries Faculty & Staff Presentations

Administering a successful and sustainable information literacy program depends upon dialog between librarians and disciplinary faculty as key stakeholders. Two academic institutions surveyed their faculties on the importance of information literacy for student success, the applicability of the ACRL Framework, and attitudes toward collaborating with librarians. This session will present quantitative and qualitative data and discuss how the institutions will use it to align instruction with the expressed values of faculty to help strategically guide integration of the Framework into programs and leverage strengths in an environment of constricting budgets and staffing.

The presentation will examine survey responses, reviewing similarities …

Information Literacy In Higher Education: Now More Than Ever, Sharon A. Weiner

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Dr. Weiner will offer an overview of information literacy issues present in society that result from lack of attention to it in educational systems. She will discuss ways to position academic libraries to strengthen librarians’ roles as essential educators, and will provide talking points for making convincing cases for information literacy with faculty and administrators.

Beyond Passive Learning: Utilizing Active Learning Tools For Engagement, Reflection, And Creation, Teresa E. Maceira, Danitta A. Wong

Joseph P. Healey Library Publications

The twenty-first-century student frequently engages with mobile environments to fulfill his or her information needs. Reports from the Pew Research Center (Duggan, 2015) indicate an increasing trend in the use of mobile social media platforms in the US adult population. According to the report, Social Media Usage: 2005–2015 (2015), 65 percent of American adults use social networking sites, and young adults (ages 18–29) reported the highest social media usage for all age groups, at 90 percent. Among the young adult age group, social media usage in 2005 was reported to be 12 percent (Perrin, 2015). This sharp 650 percent rise …

Instruction @ The Uri Libraries - May 2017, Mary Macdonald, Amanda Izenstark

Instruction @ the URI Libraries

No abstract provided.

Information & Anxiety: The Impossibility Of 'Literacy' And The Necessity Of Agency, Christie Kliewer, Gesina A. Phillips, Megan Massanelli

Library Faculty Scholarship

Our lives are continuously affected by the information that we encounter in ever-increasing volume. The growing awareness of the dangers of uncritical information consumption (e.g. “fake news”) heightens the relevancy of questions investigating the nature of truth and fact. This anxiety manifests on a more personal level in terms of our vulnerable digital selves—identities can be stolen, personal archives can be lost. Anxiety is deeply personal but can affect public lives, professional lives, teaching, and scholarship as it leads to a loss of nuance and an unwillingness to participate in information creation and exchange. Our personal lives suffer, and so …

Mapping The Association Of College And Research Libraries Information Literacy Framework And Nursing Professional Standards Onto An Assessment Rubric, Gloria Willson, Katelyn Angell

Brooklyn Library Faculty Publications

Objective: The authors developed a rubric for assessing undergraduate nursing research papers for information literacy skills critical to their development as researchers and health professionals.

Methods: We developed a rubric mapping six American Nurses Association professional standards onto six related concepts of the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. We used this rubric to evaluate fifty student research papers and assess inter-rater reliability.

Results: Students tended to score highest on the “Information Has Value” dimension and lowest on the “Scholarship as Conversation” dimension. However, we found a discrepancy between the grading patterns …