Information Literacy Commons^™

Think Inside The Blocks: Health Literacy Outreach To Disadvantaged People In Their Own Environment, Nancy Patterson

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

This bilingual (Spanish/English) poster highlights six creative health literacy outreach projects that have proven to be successful in increasing participation in health-related events in their communities and in boosting health literacy in the process.

For example, in Georgetown, South Carolina, a beauty salon owner, concerned about her clients’ frequent frustration with trying to decipher medical information, partners with her local public library and is grant funded to provide a Wellness Workstation in her salon. Years later, her clients research health information between services using the workstation, evening health literacy classes are regularly conducted for community members and continued funding has …

Exploring And Preventing Accidental Plagiarism In A Digital Age, Amy Y. Sexton

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

In our online only college writing center, we often hear from students that they are not sure that they need citation or references in their papers because they did not use any research but instead only looked at a few web sites. Students sometimes present with plagiarism issues in their writing and attest that they did not borrow any outside wording when a quick Internet search confirms that they did, in fact, use text verbatim without directly quoting the words. These scenarios and others seem to be instances of accidental plagiarism, and helping students work through them raises the following …

Health Literacy 101: Increasing Literacy Reduces Health Disparities, Nancy Patterson

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), health disparities are “preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or opportunities to achieve optimal health that are experienced by socially disadvantaged populations”. The American Medical Association (AMA) has identified literacy as the number one social determinant of an individual’s health, above education, income and race.

Learn about health literacy as a tool in the fight against health disparities from this poster as well as methods of effective health communication between health information providers and information seekers. Self-advocacy, plain language cultural competence, and the teach-back technique are …

Outside The Box: An Information Literacy Course Web2.0 Project, Ru Story Huffman

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Outside The Box: An Information Literacy Course Web2.0 Project

At Georgia Southwestern State University, “Foundations of Information Literacy” is an Area B course to fulfill core requirements. The one hour course is theoretical and practical in content and offers students information beyond the “traditional” information literacy course descriptions. A theme of the course is the impact of information on the life of the college student. For the final project, students are required to use a Web2.0 tool to illustrate how information influences their everyday life. Discussions include how information is obtained, used, disseminated, and evaluated. Students develop the presentation and …

The Instructional Consultation: A Model For Fostering Teaching Partnerships Beyond The One-Shot, Andrea Baer

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Many librarians currently engage in instructional consulting as a means for supporting information literacy integration (e.g. instruction request, reference desk interactions, faculty workshops) and report significant success with this approach. In light of the traditional service model of librarianship, however, playing a consulting role can feel uncomfortable and often raises concerns about potentially overstepping territorial lines. In this interactive workshop, participants will discuss the concept of an “equal partners” consulting approach and their related experiences; will explore questions, concerns, challenges, and successes related to implementing instructional consulting; and will develop concrete strategies for engaging in instructional consulting in their specific …

Revitalize Your Research Instruction!: Applying The Engaging Constructivist Framework In The Library Instruction Classroom, Paul J. Vermette, Melissa Langridge, Kayla Jaehn

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

In a workshop filled with collaboration, reflection, activity, and discussion the presenters will explore Dr. Paul Vermette’s (2009) ENGAGING framework to make meaningful classroom experiences. Whether you teach face-to-face, online, or develop online tutorials, this workshop will help you hone your teaching skills and prepare you for your instructional needs. By exploring evidence-based practices that maximize student learning, participants will leave the session with teaching strategies to incorporate into library instruction and a framework for designing future sessions. Help your students have more fun, learn more and maybe even change their perceptions about what information literacy instruction can accomplish.

Outline …

Designing An Upper-Level Research Course In An Online Environment, Susan N. Moore, Janet Ward, Lizah Ismail

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

The workshop focuses on ideas for developing an online course to provide proper knowledge of research strategies appropriate for a 3-credit hour course. During the workshop, the course development process will be shared, and there will be time for participants to brainstorm ways to deliver instruction online through various assignments and research activities so that students gain an understanding of advanced library research, critical thinking, and evaluating skills.

The presenters developed Academic Research, a 300-level course specifically for online students. The course has been so popular it has been designated as a required course for graduation in the fields of …

Using What They Know To Teach Them What They Need To Know, Lucinda Rush

Libraries Faculty & Staff Presentations

Social networking sites (SNS) have been integrated seamlessly into our everyday lives, and college students are one of their biggest consumers (Lenhart, et al., 2010). While we see deskilling as a result of this consumer training, we see training in other areas (Rush & Wittkower, 2013). For example, students are fluent at information grazing, sharing and building relationships online, but they cannot explain how the filter bubble works or how their Google search results are ranked (Rush & Wittkower, 2013). Students come to college as consumers of social media but are not necessarily adept at using social media to contribute …

Making Statistics Work For You, Leigh Ann Duncan, Andrea Christman

University Libraries' Staff Publications

Statistics and reporting capabilities within the Sierra/Millennium system are very versatile and scalable; used properly they can be helpful on small clean-up projects or integral to campus-wide initiatives on student data gathering. We will explain the options for statistics and reporting and detail how our campuses are using them for the following projects: collection development, database clean-up, circulation analysis, and student data initiatives.

We’Ll Show You Ours If You Show Us Yours! Favorite Technologies To Support Information Literacy, Beth Kraemer, Beth Fuchs

Library Presentations

A recent user survey revealed that our students want more online tools to help them find and use library resources successfully. The challenge is finding and developing instruction-related technologies that are not only well-suited for local needs but also engaging and useful for students. We’ll show some of our recent developments, and then, it’s your turn! Come ready to contribute your ideas (or get a head start here: http://bit.ly/Beth2015), and leave with new online tools to explore.

One Laptop Per Child Policy In Ghana: Any Impact On Teaching And Learning?, Samuel Owusu-Ansah

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This paper assesses the impact of “One Laptop Per Child Policy” on teaching and learning in basic schools in Ghana. Specifically, 500 students were randomly selected together with 10 information and communication technology (ICT) instructors in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Both questionnaire and in-depth interviews were used for gathering data. The data collected were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). Findings of the study showed that stringent criteria are used to assess the needs of students and in the distribution of the laptops. The use of user-friendly laptops and qualified instructors has significantly improved the students’ knowledge …

Himmelfarb Library Liaison Letter - September 2015, George Washington University, Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library

Himmelfarb Library Liaison Letters

No abstract provided.

Content, Credibility, And Readership: Putting Your Institutional Repository On The Map, Maureen E. Schlangen

Roesch Library Staff Publications

Open-access institutional repositories have become a reliable and stable medium for sharing scholarly work, advancing research, and elevating an institution’s profile. However, it takes time and effective marketing to gather content, build the repository’s credibility, and attract readership. Here, a handful of successful repository managers share what they have learned from the launch and growth of their repositories.

Personal Research Sessions: A Consultation-Based Program For Research Support, Jennifer L.A. Whelan

Staff publications

A gradual decline in reference questions at the Holy Cross Libraries prompted research librarians to offer Personal Research Sessions. The PRS program allows students to meet one-on-one with a research librarian by appointment. Established in 2011, the PRS program has become increasingly popular and successful.

Research Consultations And Co-Location Adds Value To The Reference & Information Services And Instruction Continuum: Towards To Holistic Learning Experience At The Singapore Management University Library, Rajendra Munoo

Research Collection Library

Research Librarians at the Li Ka Shing Library perform multifunctional roles in the areas of collection, information, learning, research and outreach. In this presentation, participants will learn more about the information and learning roles where the former includes the provision of reference and information services and the latter involves the design, development and delivery of instruction and information literacy programmes as part of their student and faculty engagement strategy. They will also learn more about the library’s grounded service offering through a learning roadmap for every student which encompasses the following components: Matriculation [Orientation] > In Class Instruction [Information Literacy] > Research …

Information Outlook July/August 2015, Special Libraries Association

Information Outlook, 2015

Volume 19, Issue 4

Instruction @ The Uri Libraries - August 2015, Mary C. Macdonald, Amanda Izenstark

Instruction @ the URI Libraries

Newsletter from the Instruction Unit at the University of Rhode Island Libraries. Highlights important updates, resources, and features of the instruction program, along with additional related news. Published in January, May, and August.

Himmelfarb Library Liaison Letter - August 2015, George Washington University, Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library

Himmelfarb Library Liaison Letters

No abstract provided.

A Phenomenological Study Of Conservative Academic Librarians, Kaetrena Davis Kendrick, Ione Damasco

Roesch Library Faculty Publications

Librarianship posits itself as a profession that strives for neutrality, particularly within customer service and information provision; however, factors such as political activity, conference programming, and disproportionate representations of specific viewpoints in the literature indicate that neutrality may be compromised. These factors may alienate librarians who do not subscribe to majority political opinions within librarianship.

A phenomenological study was conducted to understand the career experiences of academic librarians who identify as socially or politically conservative. Themes linking service provision, ethics, workplace relationships, and professional engagement emerged that demonstrate the professional impact politicized activity has on practicing librarians in all specialties.

Slis Connecting, Volume 4, Issue 1, Stacy Creel, Teresa Welsh

SLIS Connecting

Entire issue of SLIS Connecting, Volume 4, Issue 1

“Information Theory” Research Trend: A Bibliometric Approach, Maryam Asadi

SLIS Connecting

One of the most controversial issues, in a multidisciplinary area, is information theory. The American Heritage Science Dictionary (2014) defines information theory as “a branch of mathematics that mathematically defines and analyzes the concept of information, statistics and probability theory, and applications include the design of systems that have to do with data transmission, encryption, compression, and information processing and deeply affected many fields.” It has a fundamental contribution to make in multiple disciplines, such as mathematics, statistics, computer science, physics, neurobiology, communication theory, information science, economics, and electrical engineering. Indeed, information theory played a crucial role to achieve many …

Academic And Public Libraries’ Use Of Web 2.0 Applications And Services In Mississippi, Kalah Rogers Mlis

SLIS Connecting

Libraries have guidelines and standards that hold them accountable to be effective institutions (Husid, 2010). The American Library Association’s (ALA) “Library Bill of Rights” sets six basic standards for all libraries to follow. Among other things, these standards encourage libraries to resist forms of censorship, grant access to all types of materials, and resist biases (ALA, 2007). However, as libraries have evolved, so have many of these guidelines and standards with respect to technology specifically. For example, the American Association of School Libraries (AASL) Standards for the 21st Century Learner requires that the students in today’s classroom strive to master …

United Kingdom Libraries During World War Ii, Matthew Leavitt Mlis

SLIS Connecting

Cultural attacks, especially attacks on books, have been common place during conflict throughout history (Stubbings, 1993). Libraries in particular have been targeted since books and libraries are symbols of cultures (Valencia, 2002). Nazi Germany was not an exception to attacks on culture before and during World War II (Figure 1). A total war had begun under the Nazis which meant that no area of society was exempt from attack (Valencia, 2002).

Does Family Matter: The Parental Roles Of Young Adult Media, Antoinette Giamalva Mlis

SLIS Connecting

In young adult media there are different roles that parents of the main characters symbolize. The role of parental figures can vary in their original conception and throughout media forms. Readers and viewers have their opinions about how parental figures representation should be characterized. Sometimes parental figures are what drive the stories along in a more interesting manner. The four types of parental presences represented are: a healthy parental presence, lack of parental presence, a broken parental presence, and a substitute parental presence. Readers and viewers of young adult media have many questions about the roles that parental figures have …

Student Associations And Upcoming Events, Teresa Welsh Ph.D.

SLIS Connecting

Presents updates and news from the Library and Information Science Student Association (LISSA) and the Southern Miss Student Archivists Association (Southern Miss SAA) along with upcoming and recent events of interest.

From The Gas, Congratulations, Publications, And Presentations, Teresa Welsh Ph.D.

SLIS Connecting

Find out about what our alum, students, and faculty have been doing.

Spotlights: Faculty, Alum, And Course, Stacy Creel Ph.D.

SLIS Connecting

Meet Associate Professor Catharine Bomhold of The School of Library and Information Science, and SLIS alum, Ashley McLendon Mattingly, Archivist at NARA, St. Louis, MO. Learn about the Graduate Certificate in Youth Services and Literature.

Celebrate The 50th Anniversary Of The Slis Graduate Program, Matthew Griffis Ph.D.

SLIS Connecting

This fall will mark the 50th anniversary of the graduate program in library science at the University of Southern Mississippi. SLIS will be commemorating the occasion with a number of events, bringing together past and present faculty as well as alumni. The event will be of interest to countless library and archives professionals across the southeastern United States since The University of Southern Mississippi’s library science program is the only fully ALAaccredited program in the state, and one of just a few nationally‐recognized library programs in The South.

Slis Update, Elizabeth Haynes Ph.D.

SLIS Connecting

Update on the Southern Miss School of Library and Information Science

Librarians Teaching Professors: Reaching Overlooked Adult Learners, Ashley R. Sanders

Library Staff Publications and Research

This presentation was given at the Summer Teaching Retreat for Librarians 2015 at Santa Ana College, California. This session briefly describes the characteristics of adult learners, their unique barriers to learning, potential solutions, and how I used interest in the burgeoning field of Digital Humanities as an avenue to launch a new instructional series that serves faculty members - a population often overlooked when we think about an academic library’s instructional mission.