Information Literacy Commons^™

Digital Literacy: Why It Matters, Allison Kavanagh, K.C. O'Rourke

Journal Articles

In the past two decades the internet, email, apps, mobile devices and all associated hardware and software have become firmly embedded in everyday life, to the extent that it often feels that we have had no control over this phenomenon. What are the implications for education?

Primary and secondary students today have grown up with the always-connected life which the internet has enabled. However, the credence given to the idea that this makes them fully comfortable and aware as "digital natives" is misguided. The social implications of the internet society – surveillance and the decline of privacy, cyberbullying and so …

“I Felt Like Such A Freshman”: First-Year Students Crossing The Library Threshold

Staff Publications - University Libraries

Qualitative analysis of reflective essays by first-year students in an academic skills course documented outcomes related to the Association of College and Research Libraries Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. Student narratives showed how novices encounter the clusters of concepts described in the Framework as “Scholarship as Conversation,” “Searching as Strategic Exploration,” and “Research as Inquiry.” Assessing students’ metacognition—that is, their thinking about the learning process—revealed that they connected personal identity with academic conversations, developed strategies for exploring subject classification, and balanced persistence with help-seeking. The open-ended exercise was effective as a collaborative approach to academic engagement and information …

A Pragmatic And Flexible Approach To Information Literacy: Findings From A Three-Year Study Of Faculty-Librarian Collaboration, Barbara Junisbai, M. Sara Lowe, Natalie Tagge

Pitzer Faculty Publications and Research

While faculty often express dismay at their students’ ability to locate and evaluate secondary sources, they may also be ambivalent about how to (and who should) teach the skills required to carry out quality undergraduate research. This project sought to assess the impact of programmatic changes and librarian course integration on students’ information literacy (IL) skills. Using an IL rubric to score student papers (n=337) over three consecutive first-year student cohorts, our study shows that when faculty collaborate with librarians to foster IL competencies, the result is a statistically significant improvement in students’ demonstrated research skills. Our study also reveals …

“I Felt Like Such A Freshman:” Reflections On Depaul University Library’S Assessment In Action Project, Heather Jagman

Staff Publications - University Libraries

No abstract provided.

Idea Model From Theory To Practice: Integrating Information Literacy In Academic Courses, Kim Mullins

Post Library Faculty Publications

The IDEA model is a step-by-step curriculum design process for integrating information literacy in academic courses. The model supports the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) proposed 2015 Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education through the collaborative efforts between librarians and teaching faculty in order to “create a new cohesive curriculum for information literacy”. The author created the model after a review of the literature indicated no existing systematic approach to working collaboratively with faculty to integrate information literacy in academic courses. It became evident that a library-specific instructional design model would be more efficient in streamlining the …

Reinvigorating A Library Workshop Series: Moving Workshops Into The Online Environment, Mandi Goodsett

Michael Schwartz Library Publications

More than ever, college students engaging with their institutions’ libraries are distance students who may never physically set foot in the library building. Even on-campus students have hectic schedules which often prevent them from taking advantage of library assistance and instruction. For these and other reasons, librarians at Cleveland State University decided to reinvigorate their in-person information literacy workshops by supplementing them with an asynchronous online plagiarism workshop. In the process, the coordinating instruction librarian solicited help in designing the online workshop content from a number of stakeholders on campus, including other subject specialist librarians, a representative from the Office …

Why The Acrl Framework For Information Literacy For Higher Education Enhances Information Literacy Instruction, Kathy F. Kempa

Selected Faculty Publications

This article attempts to clarify what the ACRL Framework is designed to do for teaching librarians. The article looks briefly at the need for change from the Competency Standards based on librarian concerns about their own teaching effectiveness. The short description of two of the foundational books, on which the Framework was based, are introduced so that instruction librarians can do their own research into the Framework foundational concepts for a deeper understanding of the value of this new approach to library teaching. Links to teaching resources are included.

Instruction @ The Uri Libraries - January 2016, Mary C. Macdonald, Amanda Izenstark

Instruction @ the URI Libraries

No abstract provided.

Librarians In The Midst: Improving Student Research Through Collaborative Instruction, Mandy Shannon, Vaughn Shannon

University Libraries' Staff Publications

We test whether and how well the presence of an embedded librarian improves the quality of student research. Students in introductory-level courses tend to have very low levels of research skills and experience. Though faculty are frustrated by this lack of skills, both students and faculty tend to have only a peripheral knowledge of the role librarians can play in helping develop their research skills. Studies suggest that embedding librarians into course instruction is the preferred method for improving students’ research skills, yet the political science teaching and learning literature rarely addresses this issue, or focus on single class experiences, …

Preservation Perspectives: Family Photographs, Part I-Identification, Bill Stolz

University Libraries' Staff Publications

The author opines on identification of photographs. Topics discussed include identifying the type of photographs through the online chart by The Northeast Document Conservation Center, scanning and email the image to family members, and noticing clothing, hats, and hair, and checking the background and objects in the photograph.

Improving Primo Usability And Teachability With Help From The Users, Barbara Valentine, Beth West

Faculty & Staff Publications

In the aftermath of a consortium migration to a shared cloud-based resource management and discovery system, a small college library implemented a web usability test to uncover the kinds of difficulties students had with the new interface. Lessons learned from this study led to targeted changes, which simplified aspects of searching, but also enhanced the librarians’ ability to teach more effectively. The authors discuss the testing methods, results, and teaching opportunities, both realized and potential, which arose from implementing changes.

Informed Learning, Information Literacy, And Scholarly Communication: Library Pedagogy As A Bridge To The Disciplines, Kim L. Ranger

Presentations

The focus of this presentation is to report findings from growing partnerships between faculty whose primary focus is classroom teaching and faculty librarians, revealing connections between our disciplines and co-designing curricula that recognize the commonalities in pedagogy, theories, and professional practice. Information literacy and scholarly communication are combined in teaching and learning lessons, materials, and shared terminology. The presenter will encourage participants to reflect on why and how librarians invite students into the disciplines and to investigate ways of assessing student learning.

Scott Memorial Library: Academic Year 2015-2016, Liz Mikita

Annual Reports & Administrative Documents

Includes:

• Milestones
• Metrics
• Top Ten Lists

Identifying Threshold Concepts For Information Literacy: A Delphi Study, Lori Townsend, Amy R. Hofer, Silvia L. Lin Hanick, Korey Brunetti

Publications and Research

This study used the Delphi method to engage expert practitioners on the topic of threshold concepts—core ideas and processes in a discipline that students need to grasp in order to progress in their learning, but that are often unspoken or unrecognized by expert practitioners—for information literacy. A panel of experts considered two questions: First, is the threshold concept approach useful for information literacy instruction? The panel unanimously agreed that the threshold concept approach holds potential for information literacy instruction. Second, what are the threshold concepts for information literacy instruction? The panel proposed and discussed over 50 potential threshold concepts, finally …

Trails: Tool For Real-Time Assessment Of Information Literacy Skills, Christina Miller

Publications and Research

TRAILS: Tool for Real-time Assessment of Information Literacy Skills, a product of Kent State University Libraries, free and online, aims to evaluate information literacy skills of elementary and high school students. Launched in 2006, the tool was initially funded by the Institute for Library and Information Literacy Education (ILILE), an initiative of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), and the U.S. Department of Education. The multiple-choice, standards-based, knowledge assessment measures competencies in five information categories—topic development, identification of sources, development of search strategies, evaluation of information, and ethical uses of information—at the third-, sixth-, ninth-, and twelfth-grade benchmark …

Collaborating For Student Success: An E-Mail Survey Of U.S. Libraries And Writing Centers, Holly A. Jackson

University Libraries' Staff Publications

After re-starting a collaborative partnership between the library and writing center at wright state university, the librarians and writing center staff involved wanted to compare data with other existing collaborations. With a limited amount of data available in current literature, they conducted an e-mail survey of librarians, writing center staff, and writing tutoring services staff from across the country. This survey found that the majority of participants had a writing center on campus and that around two-thirds of respondents had an existing partnership. The scope of these collaborations varied and many commented on a need for more communication, planning, and …

Dunbar Library Building Use Study, Mandy Shannon, Donna Bobb, Phil Flynn, Sue Polanka, Matthew Shreffler, Bette S. Sydelko

University Libraries' Staff Publications

The Dunbar Library Building Use Report is a comprehensive examination of the ways the building is used and the changes that are necessary to accommodate the evolving needs of students, faculty, and staff.

Application Of Cognitive Apprenticeship Model (Ca) To Library Instruction, Elizabeth K. Tompkins

Publications and Research

The cognitive apprenticeship model, which links apprenticeship-learning techniques and classroom practices, offers a flexible framework for planning and implementing library sessions. Originally developed by educators Collins, Brown, and Newman, cognitive apprenticeship illuminates the thought process of teachers and other experts while they deliver instruction in problem solving, close reading, critical thinking, or other higher order reasoning. This paper discusses how librarians can employ the cognitive apprenticeship model to collapse the thought process associated with library research into components that are comprehensible to all levels of students.

Eyes Toward The Future: Framing For-Credit Information Literacy Instruction, Emily P. Frank, Amanda B. Macdonald

Faculty Publications

LSU Libraries recently redesigned its one-credit hour information literacy course taught by librarians for undergraduate students. This redesign coincided with a shift from face-to-face to online course delivery at a local level alongside the implementation of the University’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) on undergraduate research that would lead to increased course enrollment at the university level. At the national level, there was a transition to ACRL’s Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education (Framework). The Libraries’ Instruction Committee engaged in a holistic reconceptualization of the course, beginning with debating and designing new student learning outcomes (SLOs) and attributes before considering …

A Constellation To Guide Us: An Interview With Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe About The Framework For Information Literacy For Higher Education, Christine Bombaro, Pamela Harris, Kerri Odess-Harnish

All Musselman Library Staff Works

Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe, Professor/Coordinator for Information Literacy Services and Instruction in the University Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, shares her views about the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. She believes that that the Framework is one among many documents adopted by the Association of College and Research Libraries that academic librarians can and should use to promote information literacy. This interview was conducted in May 2016.