Information Literacy Commons^™

Time For A Paradigm Shift: The New Acrl Information Literacy Competency Standards For Higher Education, Marcus Banks

Communications in Information Literacy

Academic librarians should expand our understanding of what counts as an authoritative resource, and be unafraid to challenge long-established wisdom in this domain. Wikipedia is far from perfect, but neither is the Encyclopedia Britannica. Wikipedia is updated daily, while the Britannica is no longer printed. If we cling to the Britannica as a symbol of authoritativeness, we will become obsolete ourselves. One way to prevent this fate is to reframe our collective thinking. In 2014 the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) will issue a revised version of the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education. The task force …

Reflecting On This Issue, Robert Schroeder

Communications in Information Literacy

Introduction to this special issue, Reflecting on the Standards.

Rethinking The 2000 Acrl Standards: Some Things To Consider, Carol C. Kuhlthau

Communications in Information Literacy

I propose three "rethinks" to consider in recasting the ACRL Standards for information literacy for the coming decades. First, rethink the concept of information need. Second, rethink the notion that information literacy is composed of a set of abilities for "extracting information." Third, rethink the holistic process of learning from a variety of sources of information that is central to information literacy. The necessity for these "rethinks" are grounded in my extensive studies of students' experience in the information search process that reveal an evolving, dynamic, holistic process incorporating a series of feelings (affective), thoughts (cognitive) and actions (physical) as …

Refreshing Information Literacy: Learning From Recent British Information Literacy Models, Justine Martin

Communications in Information Literacy

Models play an important role in helping practitioners implement and promote information literacy. Over time models can lose relevance with the advances in technology, society, and learning theory. Practitioners and scholars often call for adaptations or transformations of these frameworks to articulate the learning needs in information literacy development. This study analyzes four recently published models from the United Kingdom. The initial findings were presented in a report for an ACRL taskforce reviewing the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education. This article presents complementary, yet distinct findings from the same dataset that focus on reoccurring themes for information literacy …

Minding The Gaps: Exploring The Space Between Vision And Assessment In Information Literacy Work, Heidi L.M. Jacobs

Communications in Information Literacy

The current "ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standard Review Task Force" presents information literacy practitioners with an engaging intellectual endeavor: how might these standards be revised, rethought, re-envisioned? Regardless of what the review yields, the process is an excellent opportunity for us to think broadly and creatively about the Standards and to remember that they are not a fixed set of rules but a malleable and evolving document. Asking questions about the practical, pedagogical, and theoretical implications of the Standards and considering alternative approaches will yield engaging, fruitful, and necessary conversations not only about the teaching of information literacy but about …

The New Acrl Information Literacy Competency Standards: Revising Reception, Benjamin R. Harris

Communications in Information Literacy

The publication of educational standards inspires a variety of responses---from wholesale acceptance and deployment to criticism and blame. The author of this paper contends that the revision of the ACRL's Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education must be accompanied by a critical, conscious, and conscientious reception by librarians and information literacy advocates.

Affective Learning And Personal Information Management: Essential Components Of Information Literacy, Ellysa Stern Cahoy

Communications in Information Literacy

No abstract provided.

Proposing A Metaliteracy Model To Redefine Information Literacy, Trudi E. Jacobson, Thomas P. Mackey

Communications in Information Literacy

Metaliteracy is envisioned as a comprehensive model for information literacy to advance critical thinking and reflection in social media, open learning settings, and online communities. At this critical time in higher education, an expansion of the original definition of information literacy is required to include the interactive production and sharing of original and repurposed digital materials. Metaliteracy provides an overarching and unifying framework that builds on the core information literacy competencies while addressing the revolutionary changes in how learners communicate, create, and distribute information in participatory environments. Central to the metaliteracy model is a metacognitive component that encourages learners to …

A Reconsideration Of Information Literacy, Stanley J. Wilder

Communications in Information Literacy

This article is a reflection on the author's 2005 Chronicle of Higher Education article "Information Literacy Makes All the Wrong Assumptions." In it, the author argues that while library instruction is properly grounded in disciplinary norms, information literacy serves a vital institutional obligation as a means of assessing student learning. The content of library instruction thus serves the University's "vertical" disciplinary agendas, while information literacy serves its "horizontal" institution-wide agenda.

Marketing Information Literacy, Maura Seale

Communications in Information Literacy

No abstract provided.

Moving Forward: A Discussion On The Revision Of The Acrl Information Literacy Standards For Higher Education, Ellysa Stern Cahoy, Craig Gibson, Trudi E. Jacobson

Communications in Information Literacy

Abstract: The first PA Forward Information Literacy Summit was held in State College at the Pennsylvania State University, University Park campus, on Wednesday, July 24, 2013. This summit brought together K-12 and academic librarians from Pennsylvania to discuss current issues in information literacy. This text is a transcript of a discussion between Ellysa Cahoy, past chair of the of the ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards Committee, and the ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards Review Task Force, and Craig Gibson and Trudi Jacobson who are currently co-chairs of the ACRL Information Literacy Standards Revision Task Force. This Task Force is charged …

Info Lit 2.0 Or Deja Vu?, Patricia Anne Iannuzzi

Communications in Information Literacy

In 1999, ACRL convened a national task force to draft Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education. ACRL has recently launched a revision to those standards. The original standards were influential because they helped advance a national need in higher education at the time: a shift to outcomes based learning. Fourteen years later, information literacy stands alongside oral and written communication, critical thinking and ethical reasoning as learning outcomes broadly acknowledged as needing to be integrated, with disciplinary content, into the curriculum. This author believes that, in contrast to the first process, the current recommendations for revision are focused on …

How Aasl Learning Standards Inform Acrl Information Literacy Standards, Lesley S. J. Farmer

Communications in Information Literacy

ACRL and other academic librarians are currently re-examining the tough questions of learning, literacy, and education -- and the librarians' role in addressing these issues. They can use AASL's learning standards as one springboard for thought, particularly in terms of articulating learning. The result is a developmentally appropriate set of standards that reflects lifelong engagement with, and creation of, recorded information.

Transforming Information Literacy In The Sciences Through The Lens Of E-Science, Elizabeth Berman

Communications in Information Literacy

In 2011, the ACRL Science & Technology Section (STS) completed its five-year review of the Information Literacy Standards for Science and Engineering/Technology. Predicated by the evolving nature of scholarship and research in the sciences, the reviewing task force strongly recommended that the standards be revised. This paper considers the broad recommendations of the task force, using the framework of e-Science – team-based, data-driven science – to address areas of necessary transformation in information literacy: an advanced team-based model that crosses disciplinary boundaries; a recognition that individuals and groups not only consume information, but also produce it; and stronger interplay between …

A Threshold Concepts Approach To The Standards Revision, Amy R. Hofer, Korey Brunetti, Lori Townsend

Communications in Information Literacy

This article describes how threshold concepts can inform the revision of ACRL's Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education.

Information Literacy And Digital Literacy: Competing Or Complementary?, Rosanne Marie Cordell

Communications in Information Literacy

Digital Literacy is a more recent term than Information Literacy and is used for multiple categories of library users in multiple types of libraries. Determining the relationship between Information Literacy and Digital Literacy is essential before revision of the Information Literacy Standards can proceed.

Giving Games The Old College Try, Amy R. Hofer

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

Based on evidence that games might help students get more engaged in my online class, I decided to overcome my skepticism and road-test two information literacy games. First I tried BiblioBouts, which uses the online citation management tool Zotero to integrate gaming into a research paper assignment that is already part of the course syllabus. Students have to set up Zotero accounts and log into the game’s online platform to play and see their scoreboard; the technology requirements were too much for my class and the experiment didn’t feel successful. The following year I tried a comparatively low-tech game that …

Mobile Information Literacy: Supporting Students’ Research And Information Needs In A Mobile World, Stefanie Havelka

Publications and Research

Mobile devices have changed everyday life and they have had a great impact in higher education. This article describes a pilot project in which an academic librarian at Lehman College, City University of New York, taught information literacy exclusively via mobile devices. The concept of mobile information literacy is also reviewed, and its role in current and future teaching practices is evaluated. Lessons learned from this project tell us that mobile information literacy, albeit in its infancy, could play an essential part in students’ learning, and therefore academic librarians could incorporate it as part of their practice.

Data Management Planning: Nih Data Sharing Policy And Resources, Lisa Zilinski

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Data Management Planning and Resources covers NIH Data Sharing Plans (DSPs), data management plans (DMPs), describes the areas that are typically included in DSPs and DMPs, and identifies tools and resources to help support a data sharing consultation with disciplinary faculty. Participants will be informed of the NIH data sharing policy and general requirements in order to describe them to a faculty member, be able to identify the qualities that comprise effective data sharing plans, and identify resources and tools that can be useful in data management.

Information Outlook, November/December 2013, Special Libraries Association

Information Outlook, 2013

Volume 17, Issue 6

Himmelfarb Library Liaison Letter - December 2013, George Washington University, Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library

Himmelfarb Library Liaison Letters

No abstract provided.

Econtent Quarterly - Volume 1, Issue 2, Sue Polanka, Mirela Roncevic

University Libraries' Staff Publications

Welcome to the second, Winter 2014 issue of eContent Quarterly. Since launching the journal at 2013 ALA in Chicago, our goal has stayed the same: while the library and publishing industries remain in a state of flux, we want to tackle e-content from every angle and through the voices of a variety of information professionals shaping it. This includes public, academic, and school librarians as well as publishers, aggregators, book distributors, and all others in the business of selling e-content to libraries.

Digital Storytelling In The Library: Supporting The Multimodal Assignment From Start To Finish, Elizabeth Andrejasich Gibes, Robert L. Nunez Ii

Library Faculty Research and Publications

This poster explores the security, privacy and ethical considerations confronted in supporting digital media courses. Of particular importance to this presentation is the increased role digital storytelling and video composition plays in student learning. Supporting this shift in curriculum, librarians have the opportunity to facilitate an intelligent and integrated move toward the use of these digital tools in classrooms and participate in educating students on media literacy. Librarians supporting the Digital Media Studio at Marquette University share their techniques in educating students on intellectual property issues and in navigating security and privacy problems with shared equipment.

Playing Cards For Information Literacy: An Active Learning Experiment, Melissa Clark

Library Conference Presentations and Posters

Engaging students during one-shot library instruction sessions requires both creativity and effort. Even when the session is designed for a particular assignment, students’ information needs may not be immediate enough to inspire active participation in class activities. Multiple studies have demonstrated that active learning increases students’ understanding and retention of information, and there is a great deal of literature on the implementation and effectiveness of specific techniques. Much of the recent literature, especially related to library instruction, has focused on technology (e.g. audience response systems, social media, interactive whiteboards, and multimedia presentations) as the primary vehicle for active learning initiatives. …

Getting Started With Guide On The Side, Teresa Williams, Jessica Trinoskey, Lauren Magnuson

Scholarship and Professional Work

Teresa Williams' presentation at Presentation at Indiana Online Users Group (IOLUG) Fall Conference on 11/1/13 in Indianapolis, IN.

Himmelfarb Library Liaison Letter - November 2013, George Washington University, Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library

Himmelfarb Library Liaison Letters

No abstract provided.

Big Data, Little Numbers: Sources For Ebook Statistics, Sue Polanka

University Libraries' Staff Publications

Anyone interested in buying, selling, or creating ebooks has probably needed a fact, figure, or statistic to help make a decision, make a point, or make a purchase. Big Data, surveys, trends, market research, patron attitudes, cost analysis, and a host of other information points are available; you just need to know where to find them. In this column I highlight a variety of tools for librarians, publishers, and other information industry professionals for locating that perfect number.

The list is certainly not exhaustive as there are so many resources available. The list includes my personal favorites, ones that I …

Creating A Campus-Wide Information Literacy Agenda, Patricia A. Iannuzzi, Chris Heavey

Library Faculty Presentations

Information literacy stands beside critical thinking and oral and written communication as fundamental proficiencies required for academic, professional, and personal success. These lifelong learning abilities overlap and intersect in many ways and far beyond library communities. Higher education associations, regional and disciplinary accreditation bodies, and even employers are demanding evidence that students graduate with these skills. Yet colleges and universities struggle with articulating the desired learning outcome in specific ways that align with assessment practices and the collection of evidence of student achievement. Engaging faculty in rethinking curriculum beyond their courses, and even beyond their major, to create a coherent …

Search, Share, & Embed: Multimedia Resources For Popular Culture Research, Julie Decesare Cicilline

Library Faculty and Staff papers

The Internet has provided a wealth of multimedia and video content to teachers, students, and researchers. It is saturated by user-created materials (YouTube, Vimeo), digitized or born digital special collections by non-profit institutions (ArtBabble, Arkive, Duke AdViews), educational distributors and producers (Learner.org, WGBH), for-fee providers of on-demand streaming media (NetFlix, HuluPlus, Amazon Instant), and library database vendors (Swank Digital, Alexander St. Press) -- and more. Educators are often challenged by searching for and access to digitized feature film content. Copyright is always a consideration, but also just the ability to find the materials in the format they need, can be …

Reimaging Information Literacy As Metaliteracy In A Credit Library Course, Vera J. Lux

University Libraries Faculty Publications

To address the ways users interact with information introduced by digital technologies, many librarians have looked beyond information literacy to incorporate multiple literacies into their teaching. This presentation will highlight a credit library course that was reimagined around the comprehensive conceptual framework of metaliteracy. Discover how this approach engaged students in learning core skills, such as advanced search strategies and source evaluation, through assignments involving the use of search engines, social media, and emerging technologies.