Information Literacy Commons^™

Information Outlook, September/October 2014, Special Libraries Association

Information Outlook, 2014

Volume 18, Issue 5

Do We Speak The Same Language? A Study Of Faculty Perceptions Of Information Literacy, Jonathan Cope, Jesús E. Sanabria

Publications and Research

The authors analyze twenty in-depth interviews with faculty members about how they perceive information literacy (IL) to examine two key factors: how disciplinary background influences conceptions of IL among faculty members in academic departments and how the instructors’ perception of information literacy differs from that of professionals in library and information science. The investigators analyzed these interviews by utilizing a phenomenological method. The faculty members were interviewed at a four-year college, the College of Staten Island, and at a community college, the Bronx Community College, both part of the City University of New York.

Himmelfarb Library Liaison Letter - October 2014, George Washington University, Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library

Himmelfarb Library Liaison Letters

No abstract provided.

Learning Commons And Transitions To College And Workplace, Sharon A. Weiner

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

This presentation was given at the Wabash Valley Regional Library Meeting on September 30, 2014 at the Wabash Regional Education Center, West Lafayette, IN. It discusses the concept of learning commons, or spaces outside of the formal classroom setting that are conducive to learning; and the transitions of students to college and the workplace through information and libraries.

You’Ve Gotta Read This! Connecting With Readers At An Academic Library, Kerri Odess-Harnish, Clinton K. Baugess

All Musselman Library Staff Works

At our small, liberal arts college, the library has developed a vibrant browsing collection of popular fiction and nonfiction titles in both print and ebook formats. Additionally, we have developed extensive outreach and programming initiatives to support the recreational reading habits and intellectual engagement of our students and faculty outside of the classroom. Some of these efforts include an annual summer reading booklet, an online featured reader column, and first year and other thematic reading and discussion groups. Learn how librarians on our campus continue to successfully promote recreational reading in support of lifelong learning.

Digital Wisdom For A Digital Age: Spirituality And Technology In The 21st Century, Michael J. Paulus Jr., Ryan Ingersoll

SPU Works

No abstract provided.

A Collaborative Approach To Teaching Information Literacy In First-Year Agriculture Courses, Jason Keinsley, Beth Reeder, Lauren Robinson, Melinda Borie

Library Presentations

We will discuss our redesign of the information literacy component of the first-year general agriculture course at the University of Kentucky. More specifically, we will share how we are customizing content to meet individual instructor needs by team teaching, providing more active learning opportunities, and adapting our pedagogical toolkit. Challenges include varying numbers of sessions requested per course section, location disparities, and time constraints.

Technology Telling Stories: Library Instruction Perspectives From An Information Literacy Librarian And An Archivist, Beth Fuchs, Jaime Marie Burton

Library Presentations

Connecting with today’s undergraduates requires more than just a demonstration of technology, tasks, and procedures – it also requires capturing their imaginations, emotions, and feelings. Telling stories with technology connects real world, tangible experiences with abstract ideas and research methods, therefore getting students to care about what they are researching and invest in not just the topic, but in cultivating their own habits of mind.

Developing Professional Skills In Stem Students: Data Information Literacy, Lisa Zilinski, Megan R. Sapp Nelson, Amy S. Van Epps

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Undergraduate STEM students are increasingly expected to have some data use skills upon graduation, whether they pursue post-graduate education or move into industry. This project was an initial foray into the application of data information literacy competencies to training undergraduate students to identify markers of data and information quality. The data consumer training appeared within two courses to help students evaluate data objects, including databases and datasets available on the Internet. The application of the Data Credibility Checklist provides a foundation for developing data reuse competencies. Based upon the initial presentation of the content, it became obvious that students need …

Commuter Students Using Technology, Mariana Regalado, Maura A. Smale

Publications and Research

• A multi-year qualitative study of undergraduates at six colleges at the City University of New York focused on how, where, and when students accomplished their academic work and how the presence or absence of access to technology helped and hindered them.
• CUNY students have an average commute time of 45–60 minutes each way and typically use public transportation, making commuting a defining feature of undergraduate life at CUNY that offers both opportunities and challenges.
• The study sought to understand how students made time and found space to do their schoolwork outside of class, including their use of technology for coursework. …

Discovering Usability : Comparing Two Discovery Systems At One Academic Library, Mireille Djenno, Glenda Insua, Gwen M. Gregory, John Stephen Brantley

Faculty & Staff Research & Creative Activity

In the spring of 2013, the University Library at the University of Illinois at Chicago was in the unique position of having access to two discovery systems, Summon and WorldCat Local, at the same time. When tasked with choosing between the two systems, librarians undertook a usability study of Summon and WorldCat Local. The goal of this study was two-fold: to test the ease-of-use of each discovery system with an eye toward identifying one tool to retain for the longer term, and to learn about the search behaviors of different types of user groups. Eighteen subjects, consisting of undergraduate students, …

Discovering Usability : Comparing Two Discovery Systems At One Academic Library, Mireille Djenno, Glenda Insua, Gwen Gregory, John Brantley

Faculty & Staff Research & Creative Activity

In the spring of 2013, the University Library at the University of Illinois at Chicago was in the unique position of having access to two discovery systems, Summon and WorldCat Local, at the same time. When tasked with choosing between the two systems, librarians undertook a usability study of Summon and WorldCat Local. The goal of this study was two-fold: to test the ease-of-use of each discovery system with an eye toward identifying one tool to retain for the longer term, and to learn about the search behaviors of different types of user groups. Eighteen subjects, consisting of undergraduate students, …

A Qualitative Examination About Providers’ Perceptions And Recommendations Regarding The Role Of Public Librarians In Addressing Communities’ Health Literacy., Van Ta Park, Lili Luo, Denise Rosidi

Faculty Publications

We assessed health care providers’ perspectives on libraries as a source of health information and elicited input on how to adequately prepare public librarians to provide health information services. Sample text-based reference transactions were shown to determine whether they think the health inquiries were adequately answered. Results showed that participants had favorable perspectives about public libraries, and thought that the public librarians’ role includes addressing the health literacy community needs. Participants provided recommendations for public librarians to improve health literacy. To enhance the ability of public librarians to meet the health literacy needs of their communities, diverse perspectives such as …

Google Like A Pro!, Mandy Shannon

Instruction & Research Services Workshops

Do you love Google, but hate filtering through millions of results to find the type of information you need? Learn some of the tips and tricks of the information pros for how to make your use of Google more efficient for your information needs.

First-Year Student Research Skills: Challenges, Myths, And Solutions, Piper Martin, Sue Polanka, Mandy Shannon

Instruction & Research Services Workshops

This presentation highlights a recent report on first year student research skills. We will explain how the results of a 2013 study – Learning the Ropes: How Freshmen Conduct Course Research Once They Enter College – are reflected in data collected by our library. We’ll introduce a toolkit of short workshops created by the University Libraries to address the specific challenges that first year students’ face when they are presented with college research assignments. Since many 2^nd and 3^rd year students experience similar challenges, these workshops are open to all students. We’ll discuss how faculty-library collaboration can help …

Stop Searching And Start Finding: Effective Search Strategies, Mandy Shannon

Instruction & Research Services Workshops

Sorting through different information sources can be stressful. You've heard that using the library databases give you better results, but how do you find them? With the help of Jimmy Fallon and Jonah Hill, we’ll explore how to search the databases to find better results faster and easier.

3 Simple Steps To Reading Scholarly Articles, Maureen Barry, Cheryl Lauricella

Instruction & Research Services Workshops

Are you dreading reading through those 8-20 page articles you found for your paper? Do they seem like they are written in a different language? Never fear! In this workshop, you will learn strategies for making sense of those long, and let’s face it, sometimes boring, articles.

How Do I Find This Reference?, Mary Lou Baker Jones

Instruction & Research Services Workshops

Do you feel a little confused when you are handed a reference or citation and expected to find the information source? Gain the skills that allow you to decipher a reference and then find the source. Feel like a detective who understands the clues!

Integrating Your Sources: Quotations, Paraphrasing, And Summarizing, Piper Martin, Samantha Jo Spitak

Instruction & Research Services Workshops

You've searched for articles and books and you have a list of sources that are on your topic. Now how are you supposed to use them in your paper? In this workshop, staff from the Writing Center and a librarian will take you through the process of integrating those sources in your paper. Learn how to quote and paraphrase while avoiding plagiarism and keeping your voice the focus of your paper.

Finding The "Perfect" Source, Maureen Barry

Instruction & Research Services Workshops

Does this scenario sound familiar? You've searched through many of the libraries’ databases using words that describe your subject, but nothing in your results list stands out to you as right on-topic. Luckily, you are not alone! We can help you locate sources that will be useful, and we’ll reveal that special perfect source that ties it all together.

Using A Train-The-Trainer Model And Active Learning To Reach Biology Freshmen, Valerie E. Perry, Beth Reeder, Melinda Borie

Library Presentations

Using the train-the-trainer model as our foundation, we created a new information literacy program in an introductory lab course. We will describe the program’s development, implementation, and evolution since first implemented in Spring Semester 2013.We also will share the advantages of using the train-the-trainer model in an information literacy program, particularly regarding its potential to reduce librarians’ time commitment and help librarians build lasting relationships with teaching faculty and graduate students.

Detecting Craap: Evaluating Information Sources, Mary Lou Baker Jones, Maureen Barry

Instruction & Research Services Workshops

How do you know if the article you found is good enough to use for your assignment? Learn strategies for evaluating sources whether you find them on the Internet, in the library, or in the library’s databases. Students practice applying the CRAAP Test criteria to information sources.

More Than Books: What The Library Can Do For You, Mandy Shannon

Instruction & Research Services Workshops

Helpful, friendly people. Convenient online articles and books. A multimedia lab. Places to study for groups and for individuals. Coffee. Games. Current print books. Where can you find all of this great stuff? In the Dunbar Library! If you still think all libraries have to offer are dusty old books then come discover all the cool things the library offers you for work and for fun!

Engaging Non-Science Majors In The Chemistry Around Us Through Information Literacy, Theresa M. Nawalaniec, Reiko M. Simmons

Michael Schwartz Library Publications

Everyone knows that teaching chemistry to non-science majors can be a special challenge! In “Chemistry in Context”, published by ACS, a heavy emphasis is placed on helping students to appreciate “chemistry” in every part of their daily lives. In our attempts to find a balance between teaching the typical basic chemistry topics and related societal issues, a program was developed to involve students in group, mini-research projects. The major purpose of this “project” was to: encourage students to search out chemistry-related information in their areas of interest, recognize the connections between scientific knowledge and our modern everyday lives, and to …

What Do Students Learn From Participation In An Undergraduate Research Journal? Results Of An Assessment, Sharon A. Weiner

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Like an increasing number of academic libraries, Purdue University Libraries provides publishing support services to the Purdue community. In 2009, Purdue University Press had recently been moved into the Libraries, and there was enthusiasm about exploring new relationships which could combine the publishing skills of the Press with use of Purdue e-Pubs, the institutional repository platform that also featured powerful publishing features. Publishing an undergraduate research journal was particularly appealing because it connected the scholarly communication program of the Libraries with strategic goals around information literacy. There is evidence that undergraduate students benefit from engaging in research experiences, and writing …

Integrating Il Skills Into The Curriculum: The Smu Experience With Academic Writing, Priyanka Sharma

Research Collection Library

The Li Ka Shing Library at SMU has been collaborating with SMU’s Centre for English Communication (CEC) to deliver a 1.5 hour long hands-on training for students enrolled in the Academic Writing course.

The programme has evolved from a somewhat generic library skills training programme to one that addresses the specific research and library skills needs of Academic Writing students. The programme curriculum has been gradually enhanced based primarily on an analysis of the feedback received from the students themselves, as well as from Academic Writing instructors at the CEC and the research librarians involved in the library training programme. …

Instruction @ The Uri Libraries - August 2014, Mary C. Macdonald, Amanda Izenstark

Instruction @ the URI Libraries

No abstract provided.

Improving Instruction: Metaliteracy Through Crowdsourcing In The Classroom, Chris Gibson, Ilana R. Stonebraker

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Crowdsourcing is cooperation between individuals to create content. This allows for multiple insights into a problem to reach a more complete answer. Metaliteracy is “a unified construct that supports the acquisition, production, and sharing of knowledge in collaborative online communities.” (Mackey & Jacobson, Reframing Information as a Metaliteracy, 2011, 62-62) By using crowdsourced information in tandem with metaliteracy, questions can be answered more rapidly and correctly than before. Academic institutions are in the early phases of implementing crowdsourced answer systems. Crowdsourcing is already commonplace among top academic and research institutions. Projects like CERN are proof that combining resources and non-traditional …

Information Outlook, July/August 2014, Special Libraries Association

Information Outlook, 2014

Volume 18, Issue 4

Content Analysis Of Papers Submitted To Communications In Information Literacy, 2007-2013, Christopher V. Hollister

Communications in Information Literacy

The author conducted a content analysis of papers submitted to the journal, Communications in Information Literacy, from the years 2007-2013. The purpose was to investigate and report on the overall quality characteristics of a statistically significant sample of papers submitted to a single-topic, open access, library and information science (LIS) journal. Characteristics of manuscript submissions, authorship, reviewer evaluations, and editorial decisions were illuminated to provide context; particular emphasis was given to the analysis of major criticisms found in reviewer evaluations of rejected papers. Overall results were compared to previously published research. The findings suggest a trend in favor of collaborative …