Information Literacy Commons^™

Student Information Use During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Heather A. Howard, Annette Bochenek, Zoeanna A. Mayhook, Trena Trowbridge, Steven Lux

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Since early 2020, life for students has changed tremendously. It has been a time of stress, turmoil, and trauma for students. Researchers from a large Midwestern university wanted to determine how student information use has changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper examines the results of a mixed-methods study undertaken in 2021 using surveys and follow-up focus groups to determine if and how student information use has changed. To answer this, we explored student use of news sources, social media sources, political affiliations, and information responses, coupled with to what extent these factors demonstrate or impact potential changes in information …

Casting A New Conversation: Recognizing Information Literacy As A Discipline, Clarence Maybee, Karen Kaufmann, John Budd, Virginia Tucker

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

This presentation introduces ILIAD (Information literacy is a discipline), the elements of an academic discipline, before spotlighting panelist perspectives on the future of information literacy education and research.

Equitable Sustainability Literacy Guide: Creating A Resource Guide To Educate On Environmental Problems Through A Social Justice Lens, Jennifer K. Embree, Neyda Gilman, Jacqueline Jergensen

Library Scholarship

The Equitable Sustainability Literacy Guide (ESLG) is an online resource guide created by three student interns (Jacqueline Jergensen, Haley Arnold, and Sage Block) and two librarians (Jennifer Embree and Neyda Gilman) at Binghamton University to educate the public on the environment, climate change, and sustainability through a social justice lens.

A Guide To Secondary Scholarship For Pure Land Buddhism Using Japanese Periodicals, Rebecca A. Stover

Journal of East Asian Libraries

This paper presents the process of locating Japanese language periodicals relating to Pure Land Buddhism and compiles a bibliography of open-access Japanese language sources for students in the process of Japanese Language acquisition. The paper attempts to scaffold the research process for students in the process of language acquisition and function as a guide to finding information.

Bell Hooks Feminist Pedagogy In The Library Classroom, Melissa Chomintra

Feminist Pedagogy

An abstract (separate from the article body; optional)

Ict Tools As Provision For Information To The Visually Impaired Persons In Lagos State Special Libraries, Adeola Atolani Idowu Miss, Mausi Ajoviyon Bokoh Mr., Morenikeji Modinat Bello Miss

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The rapid development in technology has transformed all spheres of life. Information Communication Technology has revolutionaries the accessibility and use of information resources in the contemporary world. However, people who are visually impaired encounter challenges in accessing information resources and services in the libraries especially ICT and it is as a result of their customised library collections being mostly in Braille formats. Provision of ICT tools for the visually impaired has received tremendous attention all over the world. Information resources for the visually impaired are converted into formats that are usable to them; these formats include Braille, talking books/audio recordings …

Privacy And Security Information Awareness And Disclosure Of Private Information By Users Of Online Social Media In The Ibadan Metropolis, Nigeria, Funmilola Olubunmi Omotayo, Joy Oluwabukola Olayiwola

The African Journal of Information Systems

The purpose of this paper is to investigate information privacy and security awareness among online social media (OSM) users in the Ibadan metropolis, Nigeria. Building upon the social exchange theory, some factors that could influence the disclosure of private information on social media were identified. Findings from the analysis of data of 255 respondents revealed that most were aware of information privacy and security measures available on OSM, and the risks associated with the disclosure of private information on OSM. Privacy and security awareness, the perception of benefits associated with the use of OSM, the perception of risks associated with …

Himmelfarb Library Liaison Letter - February 2023, George Washington University, Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library

Himmelfarb Library Liaison Letters

No abstract provided.

Understanding How Regulatory And Ethical Principles Mitigate The Spread And Propagation Of Harmful Health Information: A Successful Fulbright Scholar Award Narrative, Bethany S. Mcgowan

Libraries Faculty and Staff Creative Materials

I used a Fulbright Scholar Award to work with librarians, information studies scholars, and policymakers in Finland to investigate what policies or policy tools were available to help balance the need between propagating accurate information, curbing dis/misinformation, and ensuring human rights of access to information. This policy assessment helped me understand how regulatory and ethical principles can mitigate the spread and propagation of harmful health information.

Evaluation Of Information Sources And Services Of B-School Libraries In Greater Hyderabad: A User Study, Dr.Annavarapu Mallikarjuna Prefex

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

In the present period, School Libraries are playing vital role in the electronic resources. All changes demand development of modern skills to both library professionals as well as users. Today, all information available in digital form requires new and modern methods for its handling. The present study deals with Evaluation of Information Sources and Services in Business School Libraries.

Technology Acceptance Among Library Male And Female Users Of Lahore-Based Public And Private General Categories Universities, Qaiser Iqbal, Tahira Akbar, Zaheer Ahmad

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Abstract

Purpose- The purpose of the study was to assess the usefulness of digital library resources & services, and the value of multidisciplinary databases among postgraduate researchers/ students. This research study is an investigation of technology acceptance behaviours of university library users in Lahore, Pakistan. It also works on user’s perception and usage of digital databases, user’s level of satisfaction, user’s ease of use and usefulness to use digital library databases and identifications of factors affecting accessing digital databases. This research study is based on the TAM model in the context of technology acceptance by postgraduate researchers.

Design/ methodology/ approach …

U.S. Energy Information Administration Information Resources, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Provides information about the resources produced by U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration. These resources cover energy statistics for U.S., states, the United States, and foreign countries. They also cover energy products as varied as coal, natural gas, nuclear energy, petroleum, and renewable energy.

Library Operation And Services As Determinants Of Researchers’ Satisfaction In An Agricultural Research Institute In Nigeria, Akinade A. Adewojo, Saheed, Abiola Hamzat Ph.D, Basirat O. Amzat, Aderinola O. Dunmade Dr

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Operations and services provided by libraries are seen as social services with a responsibility to encourage society's reading habits, especially in academic settings. The educational, economic, cultural, and recreational life of the whole population are strongly impacted by library services. A special library is known to offer services like interlibrary loan, reference and information, current awareness, selective information dissemination, user education, literature searching, bibliography compilation, indexing and abstracting, knowledge management, preservation and conservation, bindery, information literacy, and information media literacy. The research focuses on the following goals: discovering the library services offered by research libraries in Kwara State; identifying the …

Intro To Primary Sources, Katie Strand, Jen Kirk, Dan Davis, Lara Petersen

All E-Learning Resources

Attention: As of 2026 updated versions of this item will no longer be available on Digital Commons. Please contact [email protected] for more information.

The Identifying Primary Sources tutorial teaches students how they find, evaluate, and use primary sources in their own research. Along the way, they'll learn about some great places to start researching when looking for primary sources.

Haitian Immigrants' Information Needs And Behaviors: Libraries, Information Professionals And Haitians In The United States, Natasha Finnegan

School of Information Student Research Journal

Haitian immigrants are a socially excluded growing demographic in the United States that deals with racism, anti-immigrant sentiment, anti-Haiti rhetoric, and language barriers. Information professionals need to understand Haitian information behavior, their cultural preferences, and barriers in order to successfully fulfill their information needs. This article examines other disciplines’ relevant and scholarly research literature on Haitian immigrants in the United States to discover their trends of information behavior and barriers so that the Library and Information Science field can create effective information pathways to support their community. Haitian immigrants turn to their families and trusted individuals for their information needs, …

A Close Look At The Concept Of Authority In Information Literacy, Stefanie Bluemle

Library and Information Science: Faculty Scholarship & Creative Works

The concept of authority—its definition and the consequences thereof—receives intense scrutiny in library scholarship. This article intervenes in that debate with attention to the larger political context in which the debate is taking place. The article’s purpose is threefold. First, it analyzes the most significant work on authority from philosophy and information studies in order to explicate the concept. Second, it draws on that explication to identify three components of authority that are under-addressed in library literature: a) the distinction between cognitive authority and political authority, b) the means by which authority is recognized or granted to a source, …

Werewolf On Campus: A Case Study In Inoculation Theory And Gamified One-Shot Library Instruction, Abigail Adams

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

This case study details the development and results of an information literacy game in which undergraduate students evaluated fictional sources to learn how to recognize a werewolf on campus. The game relied on inoculation theory and fiction to teach students to identify indicators of mis and disinformation outside of any real-world examples that might affect their learning experience. The game showed promise as students were far more engaged and demonstrated better retention later in the semester than students who received a more traditional lecture about disinformation and source evaluation. However, the game would likely be more effective if it were …

From Consumers To Creators: Scaffolding Digital Information Literacy Throughout The Undergraduate Curriculum, Emily Metcalf, Lisa Louis, Catherine Rudowsky, Tara Carlisle

Books and Contributions to Books

For decades, the Mary and Jeff Bell Library at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC) has promoted library services across campus and provided information literacy instruction upon request. Despite these efforts, the library’s reach was not evenly distributed across subject disciplines or course levels, with over half of the instruction occurring at the first-year level. The TAMU-CC librarians knew that to help students become truly information literate, equitable instruction was needed across more disciplines and throughout all course levels.

In the spring of 2018, we encountered an opportunity to create a robust digital information literacy program in the shape of a …

Library Curriculum As Epistemic Justice: Decolonizing Library Instruction Programs, Heather Campbell, Dan Sich

Western Libraries Publications

Information literacy scholars and leaders are calling for the decolonization of library instruction, knowing that our work helps to maintain colonial systems. While there is no checklist or road map to program decolonization, academic libraries and instruction teams must start the work anyway. This article shares the story of curriculum decolonization at Western Libraries, so far, including the decolonization ‘cycle’ we followed and our resulting six learning outcomes. Grounded in epistemic justice, our new curriculum prioritizes living beings over information, and uses a broad, inclusive definition of knowledge throughout. Librarians at Western University acknowledge that the first step in decolonization …

Acting "As If": Critical Pedagogy, Empowerment, And Labor, Rafia Mirza, Karen P. Nicholson, Maura Seale

FIMS Publications

In this chapter, we explore the labor of information literacy and its devaluation in professional discourse, which lends appeal to critical library pedagogy as means to reclaim agency in the classroom. We consider how discourses of agency and empowerment in critical library pedagogy fail to account for positionality, power, and context, with the result that critical pedagogy tends to center individual (heroic) efforts rather than collective action. Critical pedagogy thus becomes a decontextualized and disempowering fiction, a practice of “acting as if” the classroom were a safe space. Reframing critical library pedagogy as labor undertaken in solidarity with other workers …

Dominant Covid Narratives And Implications For Information And Media Literacy Education In The “Post-Pandemic” United States, Andrea Baer

Libraries Scholarship

Over the past three+ years that COVID-19 has changed everyday life across the globe, the entire world has been tasked with making sense of new, evolving, and often conflicting information, including public message that is often confusing and shaped by political agendas and interests. Dominant narratives about the COVID-19 pandemic illustrate of the complexities and importance of information literacy, and more specifically of critical information literacy, which asks us to interrogate the ways that power and social structure influence what information is created and circulated and how we interact with and respond to it as individuals and collectives. In this …

Flexible Pedagogies For Inclusive Learning: Balancing Pliancy And Structure And Cultivating Cultures Of Care, Andrea Baer

Libraries Scholarship

In this essay, I reflect on flexibility as a concept and as a practice that has informed my teaching, in particular since adapting to online library instruction in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and how flexible pedagogy principles and practices can be catalysts for reflective and inclusive teaching and a culture of care in all teaching contexts.

Diving Below The Surface: A Layered Approach To Teaching Online Source Evaluation Through Lateral And Critical Reading, Andrea Baer, Daniel G. Kipnis

Libraries Scholarship

As online environments have in many ways changed how information (including misinformation) is created and distributed, many educators have recognized a need for teaching new strategies for evaluating online sources for credibility and potential bias. Educators like Mike Caulfield and research groups like the Stanford History Education Group (SHEG) have stressed the need for “lateral reading,” a habit of fact-checking when initially evaluating a source. When reading laterally, a person doesn’t spend extensive time initially examining what a source says about itself; instead, they quickly move off of the site in question to look at what others have said about …

Understanding Scholarly Articles: Teaching A Strategic Reading Method To Academically At-Risk Students, Kimberly Foster, Amy F. Fyn

Library Faculty Publications

In 2018, the library began partnering with the Academic Coaching Experience Department (ACED) to support students. Academic Coaches had been developing a new course for academically at-risk first and second year students and wanted to collaborate with the library on a unit. Typically, library instruction sessions would be oriented toward providing instruction centered on a research assignment, but the new course had none. A fresh approach was needed to provide useful and engaging content for this student population. To avoid redundancy with the research skills addressed in other courses ACED students may be taking, two librarians decided to complement a …

Discovering Crime And Justice Data On Government Websites, Ariana Baker, Allison Faix

Library Faculty Publications

This chapter will outline different federal agencies that collect and distribute data related to crime and justice. It will offer some strategies for finding, navigating, and getting the most out of that data.

Evaluating New York Times Data Set: Coded For Credibility Reasoning, Natalie Haber

Research and Data

Dataset affiliated with article : Evaluating the New York Times: Content Analysis of Student Responses to Open-Ended Tutorial Questions

Bibliography, Rosemary L. Meszaros

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

Bibliography of publications by Rosemary Meszaros.

From Rookie To Researcher: Integrating Information Literacy Into Undergraduate Research, Larissa K. Garcia, Dee Anna Phares, Kimberly Shotick

Faculty Books & Book Chapters

Undergraduate research is a specific pedagogical practice with an impact on teaching and learning, and the definition of what counts as research continues to expand to include different types of projects, mentors, and institutions. Diversity, equity, and inclusion in librarians’ work with students and faculty are present and growing. Collaborations between faculty, librarians, and students are furthering student knowledge in new ways. This community and an awareness of students’ non-academic challenges demonstrate the library’s contribution to students’ overall sense of belonging within their institutions. This chapter describes the involvement of an academic library with an undergraduate research program.

Beyond Session Counting: A Program Development Model For Information Literacy In A Liberal Arts College, Christine Bombaro, Theresa S. Arndt

Harrisburg University Faculty Works

Academic librarians have long struggled to evaluate, report, promote and grow library services in order to effect positive changes in curricula. Metrics reported to faculty and administration generally include how many information literacy sessions are taught, how many students were present, and what subject areas were taught. However, merely counting information literacy sessions does not convey goals, opportunity, or progress. The Information Literacy Program Development Model (ILPDM) described in this article demonstrates how academic librarians at a small, liberal arts college moved beyond counting the number of information literacy sessions as a measure of value by clearly defining what a …

Keep Calm And Read Laterally! A Bite-Sized Information Literacy Programme At Singapore Management University Libraries, Zhenyan Li

Research Collection Library

Librarians at Singapore Management University (SMU) Libraries developed an information literacy programme, titled Keep Calm and Read Laterally! as part of the Libraries’ flagship BiteSized Workshop Series. The initiative aimed to further the digital competence of students through advocating critical and effective engagement with digital information. The workshop was highly interactive, incorporating problem-based learning and hands-on group activities, and was split into two parts. The first part helped learners to understand what they read and what types of resources they could use to address various information needs, while the second part guided learners to assess digital information leveraging lateral reading …