Information Literacy Commons^™

New Learners, New Models: Cultivating An Information Literacy Program, Andrée J. Rathemacher, Mary C. Macdonald, Joanna M. Burkhardt

Technical Services Faculty Presentations

Paper presented at the conference Powerful Learning, Powerful Partnerships: Educating the University Community in a Dynamic Information Environment, held at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa from November 11-12, 1999.

"In the following pages we discuss the origins of our plan for developing an information literacy program at the University of Rhode Island; review our current program of library instruction; provide a background of how we arrived at what we want to change and accomplish; outline the components of our Draft Plan for Information Literacy at the University of Rhode Island, and discuss the development and content of …

Teaching A Credit Course: What You Don’T Know May Surprise You!, Arlieda Ries, Carolyn S. Fang

University Libraries' Staff Publications

An inside look at the realities and differences between teaching a one-shot B.I. lecture and teaching a library course for credit: time, student relations, administrivia, rewards, etc.

Learning Communities: A Selective Overview Of Academic Library Involvement, Jean-Paul Orgeron

E-JASL 1999-2009 (Volumes 1-10)

In 1932, Alexander Meiklejohn published a book that addressed the implementation of learning communities at the University of Wisconsin in 1927. The book, The Experimental College, serves as proof of the existence of such communities well over sixty years ago. It is clear that in the mid to late 1990s learning communities have piqued the curiosities of students and teaching faculty alike. Though they go by different names at various colleges and universities, and have somewhat different components, the common idea of learning communities is to have from two to four courses linked so that the courses have the same …

Inspec On Firstsearch: An Evaluation And Tutorial For Effective Searching, Lutishoor Salisbury, Usha Gupta

E-JASL 1999-2009 (Volumes 1-10)

This paper focuses on providing critical evaluation and searching tips for users of the INSPEC database on FirstSearch on the Web. It introduces the idea of records and fields, fields searching to focus a search for effective retrieval, and the use of the Related Headings feature. Also explained is the idea of precision searching using the proximity operators and bound-phrase searching capabilities. Other ways to search for specific types of information (for example, foreign names, reviews, theses and dissertations, and chemical searching) are also presented. We provide practical examples to illustrate the search features using the Basic, Advanced, and Command …

A Checklist Of Considerations For Writing A Book Proposal: Meeting Tenure Criteria, Paul G. Haschak

E-JASL 1999-2009 (Volumes 1-10)

With an apparently increasing emphasis on research, writing and publication in tenure criteria for academic librarians who hold faculty status, illustrated in the study by Park and Riggs (1991), tenure-track academic librarians should not overlook book publication as a possible alternative to the publication of journal articles, as an outlet for their research.

Similarly, they should not overlook or minimize the importance of putting together an effective proposal package to sell their book ideas to publishers. While Buchman (1987) and others have acknowledged that there is not one way to put a proposal package together--and therefore no magic formula exists--there …

Drug, Pharmaceutical, And Pharmacy-Related Sites: A Webliography Of Core Sites, Paul G. Haschak

E-JASL 1999-2009 (Volumes 1-10)

The World Wide Web (WWW) increasingly is becoming an important learning, teaching, and research tool for teachers and students, alike, who are seeking useful drug, pharmaceutical, and pharmacy-related sites on the Web, for their research. However, the seemingly inexhaustible number of WWW links can be daunting even to the most experienced Web user.

The following webliography is presented specifically for educators and students seeking a concise, annotated core list of WWW links on pharmaceutical, drug, and pharmacy-related topics.

Information Literacy At The University Of Rhode Island Libraries, Mary Macdonald, Andrée Rathemacher

Technical Services Department Faculty Publications

Article about the University of Rhode Island Libraries' information literacy program, with a focus on the credit-bearing course LIB 140.

Electronic Stacks: Using Web Sources In Reference Service, Di Su

Publications and Research

The awareness of Web sources in reference service has risen in recent years, as many reference librarians have become more Internet-minded. During the reference process, we often ask ourselves: can this question be answered by using the Web? The use of Web sources is expanding the amount of available reference information, enhancing individual libraries’ collection, and hence, providing better user service. There are many benefits in using the Web sources in reference service. There are also some drawbacks. Some useful Web sources are reviewed. The Web, when used properly, provides reference librarians with a valuable resource option to help improve …