Information Literacy Commons^™

Building Bridges: The Reference Interview As A Mechanism For Social Capital In School Libraries, Jessica M. Lilly

Learning Hub

Building Bridges: The Reference Interview as a Mechanism for Social Capital in School Libraries

Abstract

School librarians occupy a unique position within schools, interacting across all stakeholder groups and serving as a conduit between students, teachers, administrators, and the broader learning community. This article examines the reference interview not merely as a transactional information-retrieval tool but as a relational practice through which school librarians generate, sustain, and distribute social capital. Drawing on the foundational theories of Putnam (2000), Coleman (1988), and Bourdieu (1986), and on the reference transaction model grounded in Jesse H. Shera's foundational work (Coleman et al., …

Teaching Inquiry As Conversation: Bringing Wonder To Life, Barbara K. Stripling, Darryl Toerian

Learning Hub

In Teaching Inquiry as Conversation, Barbara Stripling and Darryl Toerien invite school librarians, classroom teachers, and education leaders into a deeper conversation about what inquiry can make possible for learners. Building on the Stripling Model of Inquiry and Toerien’s FOSIL framework, the book presents reflective inquiry as more than an academic process. It is a whole-child approach that helps students develop curiosity, identity, cultural responsiveness, voice, agency, and lifelong learning skills.

In their ALiVE! Library Project interview with Dr. David Loertscher, Stripling and Toerien discuss inquiry as a communal process of coming to know and understand the world. Their …

Moving Beyond Willpower: A New Direction For Media Literacy Instruction, Mandi Goodsett

Michael Schwartz Library Publications

Academic librarians and others often engage with media literacy instruction by promoting fact-checking strategies, such as lateral reading or Mike Caulfield’s SIFT. Evidence shows that these strategies are valuable and can be effective, but they all ultimately rely on individual students to use willpower to overcome cognitive habits, biases, strong parasocial relationships with content creators, the power of algorithms, and other challenges to fact-checking content in the moment. This paper offers an alternative approach that instead encourages librarians to support students in intentionally redesigning their information environments to improve the quality of information that they encounter in the first place.

Digital Toolkit: Making Room For Partnership In Information Literacy Instruction, Samantha Legrand, Rachel Fundator

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

This digital toolkit provides reflective and practical exercises, examples, and resources to explore how Students as Partners (SaP) pedagogy (Cook-Sather et al., 2014) can transform information literacy (IL) instruction. The toolkit was designed to accompany a workshop presented at LOEX 2026, but can be implemented independently, as well. This approach to IL pedagogy draws on a conceptual model integrating SaP with the Framework for Information Literacy (LeGrand, 2025). The toolkit guides the reader through practical design exercises to engage students’ knowledge and goals within the Frames. Reimagine instruction with asset-based, relational language and design learning for …

Bridging Libraries And Classrooms: Co-Teaching For Student Success, Joy Urbina, Isabel Baca

Librarian Conference Presentations

An instructional librarian and writing professor describe their collaborative approach to co-teaching. Learn how integrating information literacy with writing instruction strengthens students' critical thinking and research skills and discover practical strategies from this successful cross-disciplinary partnership.

From The Stacks To Student Success: Findings From A Study Of Faculty Perceptions Of Collection Development, Jessica L. Swaringen, Alyshia K. Bagley, Payton Sapp, James Mayes

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Effective collection development is essential for a library’s ability to support the evolving needs of its academic community. Faculty perceptions of library resources will undoubtedly influence how students engage with and benefit from these collections. This research explores how faculty at Georgia Southern University (GS) Libraries understand collection development practices and how their views shape teaching, research, and collaboration with librarians.

Following a review of existing literature, a mixed-methods survey was distributed to faculty via email. The survey combined quantitative and qualitative questions to capture faculty attitudes toward library collections, their use in course curricula, and their role in supporting …

Empowering Research Topic Development With Generative Ai Prompts - A Pilot Study For First-Year Writing Students, Yanling Liu, Yan He

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

As generative AI tools like ChatGPT become increasingly embedded in academic and everyday contexts, educators have a timely opportunity to leverage these technologies to support foundational research skills. In general education writing courses, students participate in library sessions with librarians to support their research projects. A central challenge is formulating a focused and relevant research topic, as many struggle to identify and develop ideas and refine them into viable research topics that are suitable for college-level writing and align with assignment requirements. This study explores how generative AI tools - specifically ChatGPT - can be integrated into library instruction to …

Addressing The Pitfalls Of Misinformation In The Classroom Through Game Based Learning, Taylor S. Strong, Jerome Bingham

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

As instruction librarians we must strive to strengthen students' literacy when it comes to research. Only a 3rd of American high school students are graduating with the necessary reading and math skills needed for college-level classes. In conjunction with these low reading levels.The current and incoming students are a part of the Gen-Z or Zoomer generation.One of the largest problems Gen Z students face in their daily lives is combating misinformation. The University of Virginia in conjunction with the University of Cambridge conducted a recent study about generations and misinformation. Only 11% of 18 to 29 year olds earned a …

Leveling Up: Introducing High School Students To The College Library, Lisa Nichols, Helen E. Bischoff

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

For many high school students, visiting a college campus can inspire future aspirations and reduce anxiety by allowing them to visualize themselves as college students. This presentation highlights our experiences as academic librarians collaborating with local high school teachers and librarians to introduce students to the foundations of academic research and critical inquiry while also exposing them to both the college library and the campus environment. Through interactive workshops held on site in the high school library and then on a college campus in an academic library, students had the opportunity to engage with college-level research tools, explore the academic …

Fostering Agency In Future Educators: Redesigning Instruction For Children's Literature Discovery Amidst Policy Changes, Rae Mair

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Recent changes in Florida policy led to the removal of several locally developed library resources. These resources had supported the discovery of children’s literature reflecting a range of cultural and social perspectives, along with the lesson plans created by students and faculty to accompany them. The shift placed greater emphasis on helping undergraduate teacher education students locate books on their own using advanced search strategies and available tools. Strengthening these skills has become increasingly important for supporting student agency in selecting materials for their classrooms. However, motivating students to engage with advanced search techniques in library catalogs and databases can …

Teaching Ourselves Ai Literacy, Kelly Jones, Chandler Christoffel

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

To prepare to teach and support AI literacy, we organized an internal mini-conference for our Academic Engagement department. During each session, librarians taught one another various AI-related modules (e.g., ethics, prompt design, tools) as though leading a real class with students. We encouraged the use of active learning strategies and asked participants to submit session proposals in advance so we could offer feedback. This approach to professional development allowed us to rapidly test and refine our instructional methods and deepen our AI expertise. This mini-conference also helped us generate valuable content—including lessons, slides, assessments, and activities — for an AI …

The Generative Ai Game Is Afoot: A Workshop Series, Denise A. Wetzel, Elliott Rose

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming how we create, learn, and solve problems, making it essential for students to engage with these tools both skillfully and ethically. This presentation introduces “The Generative AI Game is Afoot,” a themed workshop series designed to explore generative AI through the lens of detective work inspired by Sherlock Holmes. Using the metaphor of digital sleuths and their trusted partners, the series invites participants to unravel the mysteries of generative AI with curiosity, critical thinking, and practical know-how.

The series consists of four interactive workshops followed by an open forum. The first workshop, "Writing Effective …

Recreating The Magic: Designing Serendipitous Discovery Experiences In 100% Online Libraries, Stephanie Garrett

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Traditional libraries excel at serendipitous discovery—patrons browse shelves, stumble upon unexpected titles, and make chance connections between materials. But how do we recreate this magic in purely digital environments? This presentation showcases a successful transformation of a 100% online library that achieved over 90% increased asset usage in just 12 months through strategic implementation of serendipitous discovery features.

Using Springshare's LibGuides CMS as the foundation, we redesigned the digital library experience around three core discovery spaces: Visual Course Reserve Guides that mirror physical browsing through thumbnail displays and thematic clustering, a comprehensive Reference Section that encourages exploration beyond immediate research …

Teaching The Future: Incorporating Generative Ai Use In An Information Studies Course, Annette Bochenek

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Generative AI has impacted the creation, consumption, and dissemination of information across disciplines. Information, Culture, and Society is an online undergraduate course that is foundational to the Information Studies minor at Purdue University. In this course, students examine how information, culture, and society have shaped and affected one another in the past, present, and how they might continue to influence one another in the future. In order to enhance the lessons pertaining to the future of information, culture, and society, specifically focusing on AI, the instructor participated in a university-led AI Academy program to learn about available AI tools and …

Beyond The Buzzwords: Working With Faculty To Create Ai-Informed Personal Information Literacy Frameworks, Scott E. Shumate, Jenny Harris, Stephanie Bandel

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools have become increasingly integrated into the classroom, requiring faculty across disciplines to reconsider how critical thinking skills are being impacted by AI. Academic libraries, long the centers of information access and literacy, are well positioned to confront the issues surrounding AI and address its influence on the wider information landscape. Three academic librarians have taken the lead at their university in encouraging faculty to be thoughtful and intentional about their own understanding of information literacy by developing a personal information literacy framework. This reflective process codifies the mental models all users create when interacting with information …

Beyond Traditional Services: University Libraries Launch An Information Studies Concentration, Vivian F. Bynoe, Katia Karadjova, Lisa Carmichael

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

The University Libraries launched a newly created Information Studies concentration in the Bachelor’s Degree of Interdisciplinary Studies (BIS). Developing such a program required navigating a complex administrative process, designing the concentration curriculum, and creating specific course content. This presentation details the multi-stage journey from idea to implementation.

The Information Studies concentration represents our continued commitment to empowering students. The information landscape offers abundant options. Students must know how to find and recognize credible information appropriate for different needs, navigate through data, utilize AI in ethical ways, and grow into responsible creators of information. This requires interlaced metaliteracy skills addressing the …

When You Can't Get A One-Shot, Try A One Off, Chereeka Garner, Katy Miller, Renee Cole Montgomery

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

One of the challenges facing librarians is getting exposure to students to teach information literacy skills. Faculty engagement with the library can vary greatly, with many faculty simply not having available class time to allow librarians in the classroom. As a possible alternative means of connecting with students, an Extra Credit Hub was created. This hub is an easily located, visible resource for faculty to share potential extra credit activities with students.

The Hub, which is a standalone Canvas course, includes a number of activities related to key information literacy skills, such as:

• Recognizing bias, misinformation, and disinformation
• Critical thinking …

An Autoethnographic Study Of A Technical Services Librarian’S Teaching Journey During The Tenure Track: “Define Myself For Myself To Both Survive And Thrive”, Junli Diao

Publications and Research

This autoethnographic study explores the disorienting dilemma that a technical services librarian experienced while alternating between working behind the scenes to fulfill professional responsibilities and teaching in the library to meet organizational expectations as a faculty member. The analysis of personal data accumulated during the tenure track period reveals three themes: teaching as learning to become, teaching as learning to challenge the system, and teaching as learning to research. Reflection focuses on three themes interconnected by the concept and practice of mindful learning. With the acknowledgement of limitations, this autoethnography concludes it was the self-reflective lifelong learning mindset that helped …

Designing Ai-Aware Media 101 Curriculum Through Faculty–Librarian Collaboration, Miranda Gale Smith, Elizabeth Oppe

2026 Scholarly Teaching Conference: Concurrent Session Papers

This presentation explores faculty–librarian collaboration as a teaching practice. It will inform attendees about the work done by a faculty member (Elizabeth) and a Student Success & Instruction Librarian (Miranda) to design and implement an AI-aware curriculum into an existing Media 101 course at West Virginia University. This resulted in the careful integration of subject-specific and information literacy expertise into the course’s curriculum. More broadly, this is meant to illustrate that in terms of practice, treating AI-aware curriculum development as a shared, iterative process grounded in mutual respect for distinct but complementary forms of knowledge has the potential to yield …

Genai Literacy Framework For Library Instruction, Adwoa Boateng, Jennifer Freer, Greyson Pasiak, Erich Short, Ryan Tolnay, Rit Libraries

Presentations and other scholarship

A generative artificial intelligence (genai) framework for library instruction. This short framework is designed to incorporate into existing library instruction across many subject areas. The basic elements of the framework are: know & understand genai, use & evaluate genai, and library research & discovery with genai.

Evidence-Based Shared Agendas For Scholarship On Teaching With Primary Sources: Reflections On A Bibliometric Analysis, Jen Hoyer, Anne Bahde

Publications and Research

This article explores how scholarship about teaching with primary sources (TPS) has evolved over time and what future directions past work might suggests. Using bibliometric analysis and visualization tools, we examined how TPS work has grown; what fields and disciplines focus on this work; key themes and issues; and what scholarship has been influential to the field. These insights led to reflections on disconnects across the field, considerations for publishing about TPS, and the potential of pedagogical standards and guidelines. Finally, this article concludes with recommendations on how this analysis points to possibilities for shared education, space, conversation, and products.

Ai And Ethical Use Implication For Research, Kelley Plass, Sierra Campbell

May Institute

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly integrated into our daily lives, especially for students. While there are valid debates about the advantages and disadvantages of students using AI for their assignments, such as comparing tools like Grammarly and ChatGPT, one aspect that often goes unexamined is the information sources that AI relies on. AI is now integrated into search engines like Google and Bing, making it accessible to everyone. Additionally, with the emergence of AI research tools like ResearchRabbit, AI's role in everyday activities continues to expand beyond easily accessible resources such as subscription databases. AI is now an optional …

Book Review: Creating Inclusive Libraries By Applying Universal Design: A Guide By Carli Spina, Hannah P. Martin

School of Information Student Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Conducting Effective Literature Searches And Writing Strong Abstracts, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

This invited presentation for students at Poland's War Studies University communicates ideas on how Ph.D. students at this institution can enhance their research quality. Specific content includes formulating your research question, determining research aims and methodology, reviewing a research question checklist, understanding the meaning of search terms you propose to utilize, devising effective search strategies, consulting multiple varieties of information resources from multiple countries, finding gaps in literature, being able to distinguish between nuances in literature and data, writing succinct abstracts, and enhancing the clarity of your prose.

Building An Inclusive Community: Hosting An International Graduate Student Orientation, Adelia B. Grabowsky, Liza J. Weisbrod, Timothy Dodge, Juliet T. Rumble

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

In 2018, library faculty at a large, public land grant university formed a working group tasked with assessing the information needs of graduate students and implementing action plans to support this user population. From the beginning, the librarians recognized that graduate students are not a homogeneous group. Desiring a more nuanced understanding of these students, they held focus groups in 2019 to explore students’ experiences with navigating graduate school and, more specifically, the University library. One sub-group of particular interest to them was international graduate students, who make up a sizable percentage of the graduate student population on campus. International …

Teaching Information Literacy In A Genai World: A 5cs Framework For Fostering Critical Engagement, Paul Cook, Adam Maksl

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Teaching Information Literacy in a GenAI World:
A 5Cs Framework for Fostering Critical Engagement

This interactive workshop will equip participants with a robust framework for teaching students the knowledge and skills necessary to understand the modern, multifaceted information ecosystems upon which GenAI is built and operates. The 5Cs of news literacy (context, creation, content, circulation, and consumption), as outlined in Tully, Maksl, Ashley, Vraga, and Craft (2021), will be adapted to information literacy more broadly and we will explain how that framework presents an excellent foundation upon which broader information literacy knowledge and skills can be built. As GenAI becomes …

Engaging Students With Interdisciplinary Learning Community Project For Freshman Composition And Digital Media Students, Hsi-Ling Huang, Xin Xu

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Studies have shown that Learning Communities have many benefits, including “[f]ostering workforce skills, encouraging problem-solving skills, and increasing retention and success” for both faculty and students (Dodge and Kendall, College Teaching, 2004). In this project, we created an interdisciplinary Learning Community Project that allowed a Freshman Composition (FC) course to pair with a Digital Media (DM) course (Sophomore students) for students to work on a mini magazine. Students in FC were writers whose tasks focusing on writing and researching, whereas students in DM were copy editors whose tasks focusing on graphic design and layout. The goal was for students …

Teaching The Information Has Value Frame Through The Price Is Right, Kevin J. Reagan, Dawn ("Nikki") Cannon-Rech

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

When navigating library resources, students often remain unaware of the cost of information, particularly scholarly academic journal articles– and rightly so, given that the mission of the library is to provide patrons with free access to information. Part of the ACRL Framework, nevertheless, entails teaching students about issues with lack of information access, which can be difficult to teach in higher education, where students might have never lacked access to quality information sources. To teach students about the cost of information and the economic factors that prevent some from accessing information, two academic librarians integrated the Information Has Value Frame …

From The Stacks To Student Success: Understanding Faculty Perceptions Of Collection Management And Its Impact On Student Use Of Library Resources, Alyshia K. Bagley, Jessica L. Swaringen

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Effective collection management is vital for a library’s ability to support the evolving needs of its academic community. Faculty engagement with library resources plays a crucial role in how students access and benefit from these collections. This research seeks to identify gaps between faculty understanding of collection management practices and their influence on student use of library resources.

This study will explore how faculty perceive collection management at GS Libraries, examining factors that shape their views and their subsequent impact on teaching, research, and collaboration with library staff. Following a review of existing literature, a survey containing quantitative and qualitative …

Empowering Learners, Shaping The Future: Cultivating Metaliteracy Across The Curriculum, Vivian Bynoe, Jessica L. Swaringen, Lauren Mcmillan

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

The rapid evolution of the information landscape requires students to be adaptable to a complex information environment. Students are not just information users but also informants and creators who act based on their social identities and social power (Oliphant, 2021). As educators, part of our responsibility involves empowering students to take ownership of the learning process, not only in the classroom but in ways that transfer to their everyday lives. Students who enter the college classroom may or may not be equipped with important 21st century skills such as those identified by the P21 framework for 21st century learning (Soulé, …