Information Literacy Commons^™

Create Your Own Cephalonian Method Adventure: An Interactive Session, Amanda Izenstark, Mary Macdonald

Public Services Faculty Publications

The Cephalonian Method has garnered much interest for its possibilities for engaging students in what could be an otherwise one-sided orientation program. This workshop will help attendees determine how and when to incorporate the Cephalonian Method into their sessions, how to discuss the technique with colleagues, and, most importantly, develop a set of Cephalonian Method questions that can be used in orientation and instruction sessions at their home libraries.

Libraries And General Education: New Strategies To Enhance Freshman Orientation, Faculty Collaboration, And Curriculum Development, Carl R. Andrews

Publications and Research

My research will attempt to re-evaluate the academic library's role in supporting a general education program. The emphasis will focus on student centeredness, faculty collaboration, outreach and curriculum support. In the short time that I have worked in academic libraries I have learned that quality customer service and reference desk work is far from the list of priorities in some settings. Coming from the public library I found this to be unacceptable. We are service providers and the way in which we communicate with students and faculty is important. As professionals we should do more in the way of making …

More Than Just A Drop In The Bucket: Black Instructional Librarians Teaching For Academic Success, Lisa A. Ellis

Publications and Research

As American society is changing due to new technologies and globalization, institutions of higher education have had to implement new teaching and learning practices to address student success, especially among Black students. Working collaboratively with college administrators and faculty, instructional librarians are in a unique position to participate in a variety of instructional programs to teach information, communication and technology (ICT) literacy. For Black Instructional Librarians working with underserved college students, many who are Black, they understand the importance in helping these students to develop a high level of ICT literacy skills, not only to attain academic success, but also …

The Impact Of Computer Literacy And Library Anxiety On Students' Library Experience, Terry Dwain Robertson, Lauren Matacio

Faculty Publications

Despite growing up with technology, are college freshmen well prepared for library research, or does their computer savvy actually put them at a disadvantage? Do other factors such as library anxiety affect students’ research experience? How can secondary educators better prepare their students for the leap from a small school library to a large college or university library? How can college librarians make new students’ first library experience a positive one? These questions are addressed in this article.

Critical Collaborations: An Information Literacy Across The Curriculum Project, Sheila Beck, Devin Mckay

Publications and Research

The article focuses on a collaborative project aimed at investigating the effect of integrating four classroom assignments from different disciplines with critical thinking skills. Entitled "Collaboration and Information: Critical Thinking Skills Across Curriculum," the different goals of the project include having the students understand what information is, the type of information needed and its appropriateness, and the application of research skills using critical thinking. In this study, it has been demonstrated that the greater the breadth and depth of responses to the scenario, the greater the research process skills.

An ‘Information Literacy’ Perspective Of The Creation/Evolution Debate, Terry Dwain Robertson

Faculty Publications

The conventional information literacy standards do not suffice for engaging the creation/evolution debate. The data is inconclusive about which approach is more likely; neither theory can be validated any more than the other. Both theories appeal to a recognized authority.

Show Me The Article!: Helping Students Understand The Library's Role In Accessing Scholarly Information, Todd J. Wiebe

Faculty Presentations

A fundamental concept that students need to understand about performing research at the college/university level is that, contrary to what they may believe or have been accustomed to thinking, the entire sum of human knowledge is not openly accessible to anyone for free via the Internet. Often times, students need to "see it to believe it" –or, more importantly, grasp it–by experiencing first-hand how the library and free web intersect. We should not assume that the divide between what is available freely on the Internet and the content provided by, and only accessible via campus libraries is automatically or commonly …

Embedding Information Literacy In Service Learning College Course Via Desire2learn Learning Management System, Mei-Yan Lu, Susan Kendall

Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Information Literacy And Social Power, Jonathan Cope

Publications and Research

An examination of information literacy literature using the perspective of social power research.

Defining Workplace Information Fluency Skills For Technical Communication Students, Yuejiao Zhang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Information fluency refers to the ability to recognize information needs and to gather, evaluate, and communicate information appropriately. In this study, I treat "information fluency" as both an overall competency and as a collection of knowledge and skills. The purpose of this study is to explore the specific workplace information fluency skills valued by employers of technical communicators, to find out how instructors perceive and teach these skills, and to suggest how these findings can inform our teaching practices. Within the framework of qualitative methodology, this study employs two data-collection instruments, including a content analysis of online job recruitment postings …

Abusing Our Human Rights: The Truth, The Internet And A Multi-Media Approach To Connecting Global Cultures, Stefanie Frigo

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

See presentation description.

Ipods, Inquiry And Information Literacy Handouts, Louise Erickson, Brenda Davenport, Andrew Kearns

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

See presentation description.

Information Literacy For Social Workers: University At Albany Libraries Prepare Msw Students For Research And Practice, Mary Jane Brustman, Deborah Bernnard

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

In a series of workshops, University at Albany librarians collaborate with the School of Social Welfare to impart information literacy skills to Master in Social Work students. The rationale, curriculum, and embedded ACRL information literacy standards are discussed. Also presented are assessments and a discussion of the challenges of implementation

Research Practices Survey Project 2006-07, Carolyn Sandford, Jo Beld, Nancy Millinchamp, Ann Zawistoski, Gould Library Reference And Instruction Department

Staff and Faculty Work

The Gould library has taken a lead role in a MITC / NITLE grant to create a web-based assessment tool to measure the information literacy of incoming students, before they've had any college library instruction. This grant-funded project was originally called the First Year Information Literacy in the Liberal Arts Assessment (FYILLAA), and has since become a nationally administered survey called the Research Practices Survey.

The first full implementation of the survey happened in late summer and early fall 2005. Five of the schools, Carleton, University of Chicago, Grinnell, Macalester, and St. Olaf, had high enough response rates to allow …

Academic Writing And Theological Inquiry, Terry Dwain Robertson

Faculty Publications

A comparison of two approaches to academic writing and research pedagogies demonstrates that, for Vyhmeister, truth is to be found outside and above us--it is a process of discovery, while Hamilton's approach focuses on the spiritual formation of the writer and can be understood as reflecting a process of spiritual growth. A third approach, which I develop in this article, views academic writing and theological inquiry as a ministry, in which the writer is served by and, in turn, serves the community of faith for the purpose of building a corporate knowledge of God. Research is service and the dissemination …

Using Pop Culture And Media Together With Effective Literacy Instruction: A Teacher's Tool Kit For Selah H.S. Read Write Class, Stephanie Marie Sevigny

All Graduate Projects

A toolkit has been created to assist secondary teachers in using popular culture and the media in conjunction with explicit comprehension strategy instruction in the classroom in an effort to improve struggling students' comprehension. The toolkit consists of an introduction, examples and suggestions for using popular culture and media in the classroom, examples and guidelines for strategic comprehension instruction. CutTent literature and research regarding the use of popular culture and media in the classroom and effective comprehension strategy instruction were reviewed.

Third Grade Library Power!, Kristen Joan Scott

All Graduate Projects

The process of curriculum design for a third grade information literacy skills unit was studied. Studies supporting the connection between a quality school library program and increased student achievement were examined for positive characteristics to be implemented into a third grade library program. State standards in reading, technology, and information skills were analyzed for integration into the design. The result is a third grade information literacy skills curriculum design for implementation into a library program. Implications for future third grade library curriculum improvements are discussed.

"Make It Real": A Guide To Implementing And Connecting State Madated Classroom-Based Assessments With The National History Day Curriculum At The Middle School Level, Richard Reuther

All Graduate Projects

This manuscript is intended to provide a framework for teachers to use the National History Day curriculum as a qualifying classroom-based assessment which will be required for all Washington State gth Grade Social Studies classes in 2008. A review of the literature of National History Day as well as classroom-based assessments is included. A plan for a preliminary assessment of available resources is explored, as well as a sequential topic-bytopic plan for implementing National History Day. Possible variations of student-centered activities are included; student roles in the research process and self-assessment are discussed. Alignment with Washington State Essential Academic Learning …

Approaches To Teaching Through Digital Reference, Lisa A. Ellis

Publications and Research

As “teaching libraries,” many academic libraries are committed to teaching not only in classrooms but also at the reference desk. As reference has expanded to include digital modes of e-mail and chat, reference librarians are prompted to consider approaches to teaching in these new reference venues in ways that are meaningful to the user. A promising approach to teaching through digital reference is the application of the ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards. This paper presents some challenges and benefits of teaching via digital reference. Practical methods for promoting self-directed learning by examining online instruction, and suggestions for effectively advancing a …

Discipline-Based Information Literacy: Experience, Themes And Recommendations, Carolyn Sanford, Mary Savina

Staff and Faculty Work

In 2000 Carleton received a three-year Mellon grant to integrate information literacy into the curriculum, focusing on the 5 discipline majors: Classical Languages, Economics, English, Geology and History.

Carolyn from Library and Mary from Geology presented their experience, themes and recommendations at Minnesota Library Association October 7, 2004.

Mellon Information Literacy Initiative Grant Report (2000-2003), Gould Library Reference And Instruction Department

Staff and Faculty Work

In 2000 Carleton received a three-year Mellon grant. We wanted to integrate information literacy into the curriculum, focusing on the discipline major. Our call for participants resulted in five departments agreeing to participate. The departments are Classical Languages (including Hebrew), Economics, English, Geology, and History. The initiative offered the library and the departments a wonderful opportunity to focus on information literacy within these disciplines.

A Model Staff Development Program In Technology Skills For Selected Secondary Schools, Suzanne Keil

All Graduate Projects

The relationship between staff professional development in technology that enhanced staff efficiencies were studied. A model staff development program in technology has been developed to make connections between teacher's readiness and their mastery of technology skills. Research has been obtained that indicated a direct correction between teachers' readiness in technology and their implementation of technology into the classroom. Secondary teachers must be taught using inservices, practice skills and given opportunities to share their experiences with colleagues. Administrators must take leadership in developing and supporting a quality technology training program that recognizes the staffs' individualized needs.

Historical Fabrications On The Internet: Recognition, Evaluation, And Use In Bibliographic Instruction, John A. Drobnicki, Richard Asaro

Publications and Research

Although the Internet provides access to a wealth of information, there is little, if any, control over the quality of that information. Side-by-side with reliable information, one finds disinformation, misinformation, and hoaxes. The authors of this paper discuss numerous examples of fabricated historical information on the Internet (ranging from denials of the Holocaust to personal vendettas), offer suggestions on how to evaluate websites, and argue that these fabrications can be incorporated into bibliographic instruction classes.

Tooling Up For Internet Searching, R Philip Reynolds

Librarian and Staff Presentations

Workshop given to faculty students and staff.

A Program For Teaching Media Research Skills To Sixth And Seventh Grade Students In The Eastmont Middle School, Sally Hawkins Cooper

All Graduate Projects

This paper presents a program for teaching media/research skills by integrating them with study assignments in curricular areas developed by classroom teachers. It is planned to be carried out in the Instructional Resource Center with both the classroom teacher and the librarian present. Evaluation is provided for student diagnosis and program improvement. Recommendations include the adoption of this program for the Eastmont Middle School.

A Measure Of The Library Skills Of High School Graduates Of Washington State As Demonstrated By Freshman Of Central Washington State College, Malcolm Douglas Alexander

All Master's Theses

This paper presents the study of library skills possessed by the 1971 entering freshman class at Central Washington State College. The study was designed to provide data to library faculty about the skills in which the students required instruction. The students tested possessed a selected list of library skills at the 47th percentile as measured by Ethel M. Feagley' s test A Library Orientation Test For College Freshmen. The hypothesis that they would not possess the skills at the 50th percentile was upheld.

A Study Of Health Misconceptions Among Elementary And Secondary Teachers, Robert Clyde Davidson

All Master's Theses

During the past few years a limited number of studies have been completed related to health misconceptions. Some have investigated health and safety misconceptions, while others have reported various testing procedures. Studies involving all populations {general public, elementary, secondary, and college students) have pointed out existing inadequacies in health knowledge and the prevalence of health misconceptions. As a result, the writer felt the need to investigate and measure the prevalence of health misconceptions among teachers.

An Investigation Of Library Skills Acquired By Fifth Grade Students At Harvard Elementary School, Franklin Pierce District, Tacoma, Washington, Larry D. Rodahl

All Master's Theses

This study investigates two factors that were assumed to influence the amount and kind of library skills acquired by fifth grade students during the period of two consecutive years at Harvard Elementary School . The two factors were teacher-librarian cooperation and library availability.